Pennsylvania roadways and those all across the country are no stranger to car accidents. It is all too easy for a distracted or impaired driver to change the lives of others in a millisecond by causing a collision. In a best-case scenario, everyone involved in such an incident would walk away unharmed. Unfortunately, that best-case scenario is often a rarity.
The injuries that result from a car accident can range from minor tissue damage to fatal wounds. Some of the most common injuries that result from crashes are broken bones, particularly to the limbs and extremities. If you have recently suffered a broken leg or, worse, two broken legs in an accident, you may feel uncertain about your recovery.
Broken legs are serious injuries
Though some people may brush off a broken arm or broken leg as a typical injury that does not cause much concern, the commonplace nature of such injuries does not reduce their severity. During a car accident, the dashboard may crush your leg or legs, and it is not uncommon for all three bones in the leg to suffer breaks during a vehicle collision.
Breaks to the thighbone pose a particular threat because it is the strongest bone in the body, and it takes considerable force to break it. In fact, this type of injury could prove life-threatening in some cases. If you suffered a break to this bone, you may have undergone surgery so that medical professionals could address the damage and, hopefully, prevent further harm.
The effects can be long-lasting
Unfortunately, these injuries can have effects that last long after the injury itself has healed as well as possible. Some consequences you may find yourself contending with due to your injury include the following:
- Delayed healing or poor results
- Pain in your knee or ankle
- Damage to nerves or blood vessels
- Development of arthritis later
- Bone infection
- Compartment syndrome, which is a disabling neuromuscular condition
Even in the short term, you may not have the ability to walk or carry out other activities due to your serious injuries. You may even have to miss work until you recover. If another driver caused the car accident that led to this outcome, you may have reason to take legal action against that person. Filing a personal injury claim in efforts to seek compensation for allowable damages may be worth considering.