Understanding the Causes of a Broken Wrist in North Carolina Accidents
Key Highlights:
- When understanding the causes of a broken wrist in North Carolina accidents, it helps to know that these fractures are frequently caused by car, truck, motorcycle, pedestrian, slip and fall, and workplace accidents.
- A distal radius fracture from an accident is typically one of the most common types of injuries.
- This is due in large part to people instinctively trying to stop themselves from hitting the ground by putting their arms out to break their fall (referred to as a FOOSH fall).
- Some types of injuries, such as scaphoid fractures, heal slowly and may cause permanent disability issues.
- Because North Carolina uses a “pure contributory negligence” rule of law for personal injury cases, being even one percent at fault results in the loss of your ability to recover damages.
When somebody falls or has an accident, the body reacts reflexively by putting its hands out in front to absorb the impact of the fall. This is done to protect the head and spine, but it also causes the impact of the fall to go directly through the wrist.
This all leads to one of the more frequent injuries from most accidents, broken wrists. This blog by Tatum & Atkinson Law Firm will help in understanding the causes of a broken wrist in North Carolina accidents, how to recover from the injury, and how a wrist injury fits into a personal injury lawsuit.
For more information or to get a free case evaluation with our experienced personal injury lawyers, contact us at (800) 529-0804.
What Is a Broken Wrist Accident North Carolina
There are eight small bones in the wrist (known as carpals) that connect the hand to two bones in the forearm (the radius and ulna). A fractured wrist occurs when one or more of the carpals are displaced or broken. Based on the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, the radius is the most commonly fractured bone in the arm; thus, distal radius fractures are significantly more frequently seen than any other type of wrist fracture.
Common Types of Wrist Fractures
Distal radius fractures (often referred to as Colles’ fractures) occur when there is a fracture of the forearm near the wrist. Scaphoid fractures occur when there is a fracture of the small bone located at the base of the thumb. Other fractures may occur in the ulna or at the ends of the bones where ligaments attach to the bone. The type of fracture is important, as it determines how things will be treated and how long recovery will take.
Why Wrists Break So Easily
Most wrist fractures are caused by the FOOSH injury, which stands for fall onto an outstretched hand. When falling, people unfortunately instinctively extend their arms and cock their wrists to catch themselves. The result is that they prevent their skulls or faces from being injured, but cause their wrists to extend past their limits and eventually break.
Understanding the Causes of a Broken Wrist in North Carolina Accidents
The circumstances in which the fracture of the wrist happens during car accidents in North Carolina vary significantly according to the type of injury. Knowing some of the factors causing this injury allows us to understand more about the onset of the injury:
Car Accidents
In the event of a car accident, a driver or passenger can experience a severe impact with the wheel, dashboard, or door of the car. When this happens, the force of the impact or an airbag deploying can cause the bones in the wrist to break quickly.
Truck Accidents and High-Impact Collisions
The amount of force associated with the collision between the truck and the passenger vehicle is much greater than in a car accident. As a result, there are generally many more serious injuries experienced by the driver or passenger, including wrist fractures.
Motorcycle and Bicycle Crashes
There is typically only skin between the rider and the ground. If the rider is thrown off the motorcycle, he will typically try to grab something to break his fall, or, at the moment of impact, the handlebars can twist and break the rider’s wrist. This injury is one of the most prevalent types of wrist injuries in motorcycle or bicycle accidents.
Pedestrian Accidents
Many times, someone who has been hit by a vehicle will fall to the ground after being thrown by the car. The wrist is highly vulnerable to injury because it absorbs the full impact of the body’s weight when bracing for a fall.
Slip-and-Fall Accidents
If the surface you were walking on at the time of the accident was wet, uneven, or poorly lit, you may land on your hands first before you can react to falls or slips. Wrist fractures resulting from slips and falls are very common in older adults.
Workplace Injuries
Both falls and accidents from heavy lifting and machinery at work are major causes of wrist injuries. Most people receive their distal radius fracture compensation through workers’ compensation. If there is a responsible third party other than the employer, then you may have two separate claims for the same incident.
Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Treatment
A fracture of the wrist will typically let you know about it right away with pain, swelling, bruising, and difficulty moving your hand. If the fracture is severe, then the wrist may appear deformed or bent at the site of the injury, and some people also report that they heard a snap. One should seek emergency medical assistance if they are experiencing numbness or pale, cold fingers.
How Doctors Diagnose It
Your doctor will perform an X-ray to confirm a fractured wrist. However, if a fracture is of the scaphoid bone, it may not show up for days, and can only be diagnosed with CT or MRI days later. For this reason, if you continue to have pain in your wrist after having an X-ray, you should ask to have your wrist rescanned.
Treatment and Recovery Timelines
A fractured wrist can be treated with a cast or splint for approximately six to eight weeks if there are no alignment issues with the broken bones. Some fractures will require surgery (with screws, plates, or pins) and physical therapy. Full recovery can take months to years after a wrist has been fractured; for some patients, they may never recover their full motion or strength.
When a Broken Wrist Becomes a Long-Term Problem
There are many reasons why a broken wrist can lead to further complications.
Complications That Can Last
While the healing process of some broken wrists is straightforward, this is not always the case. Deformities in bone growth (malunion) or failure of the bone to heal altogether (nonunion) commonly occur with scaphoid fractures, primarily due to inadequate blood flow. Scaphoid fracture accident complications may result in chronic pain, post-traumatic arthritis, numbness, weakness, stiffness, and other permanent complications.
“We feel that the scaphoid fracture is the most commonly underreported in terms of compromised function. It may first appear as a minor fracture until it becomes significantly symptomatic in the long term.” – Robert Tatum
Effects on Work and Daily Life
Not being able to trust your wrist completely makes you vulnerable: typing, lifting, driving, cooking, and dressing. If you work with your hands, a significant wrist injury may require you to be off work for several weeks, permanently change your work duties, or completely end your career. The actual losses that occur due to an injury are valid and must be included in a North Carolina personal injury claim for damages.
How a Broken Wrist Affects a North Carolina Injury Claim
In North Carolina, a wrist fracture injury claim NC is decided based on two questions:
- Who was at fault?
- And what were your injuries?
These are more complicated than they seem here.
North Carolina’s 1% Rule
As one of the few states that maintains a pure contributory negligence law, NC bars the claimant from recovering anything if they were even 1% responsible for the accident. This gives the insurers incredible power to deny an insurance claim by assigning some level of fault to the claimant. Insurance companies use this strict rule to avoid paying out perfectly valid claims, which is why you need the ‘Heavy Hitters’ on your side to fight back.
Medical Documentation and Evidence
Medical records provide proof of injury. The more evidence you have, which documents your accident, the better your case will be. The emergency room records, the X-rays, the surgeon’s operative notes, physical therapy records, and the clear timeline of your broken wrist directly correlate to your injury and your accident. If there are gaps or delays in your medical care, it allows the insurer to argue that there was no serious injury or that your injury was not caused by the accident.
Proving Liability and Damages
To establish liability, you must demonstrate that the other party was negligent, which led to your injuries as a result of the accident. To establish damages, you must assign an appropriate dollar value to your current and future losses associated with your injury. To prove these amounts, it may be necessary to obtain copies of your medical records and employment records and to obtain expert testimony from physicians and vocational experts on whether you will ever regain the use of your wrist.
Compensation You May Recover
The damages you can seek to recover typically include compensation for medical expenses (past and future), lost wages, reduced earning capacity, and compensation for pain and suffering, as well as for your permanent disability. You generally have three years from the date of your injury to file a claim for compensation under N.C. Gen. Stat. § 1-52(16), but the analysis of possible evidence will diminish significantly by the time the three years run out, so you need to act fast.
Connect With a North Carolina Injury Lawyer at Tatum & Atkinson Now
A broken wrist can throw your life into disarray. Understanding the causes of a broken wrist in North Carolina accidents is important, considering that the nature of the accident is just as significant as the resulting injuries under state laws.
Since 2006, Tatum & Atkinson has handled personal injury cases in North Carolina. Our lawyers understand how insurance companies use local laws to deny coverage, and we develop the case information and documentation necessary to protect you.
For more information, call (800) 529-0804 for a free consultation. We operate on a contingency fee basis, which means you owe us nothing unless we recover money for you.
Frequently Asked Questions!
Is a broken wrist serious enough to be worth a claim?
It can be. A wrist fracture that requires surgery, prevents you from working, or leaves you with lingering weakness and costs a fortune. It is precisely those costs that a claim compensates.
What if I put my hand out and partly caused my own fall?
Under the 1% rule, an insurance company can claim that your own negligence contributed to your accident. North Carolina is a strict contributory negligence state; any proof of fault on your part can destroy your claim. This is why the way your accident is framed by an attorney is critical.
How long do I have to file in North Carolina?
Generally, three years from the date of the injury. There are some exceptions to this, such as cases against governmental agencies, and therefore, it is best not to assume and consult with an experienced attorney as soon as possible.
What will a lawyer cost me?
No money up front. Consultations are free, and personal injury attorneys charge contingency fees, which means that there is no payment unless there is compensation for the client. This also allows the client to determine his or her position without any risks involved.
Will my case go to trial?
Very few personal injury cases make it to trial, but most receive a wrist injury settlement North Carolina. But the attorney who is prepared for trial generally gets a better offer, as the insurance company accounts for the risk factor of going to court.
