Fractures from Car Accidents

Bone fractures are among the most painful and disruptive injuries that come out of a car accident, and they are far more common than many people realize. A rear-end collision at moderate speed, a side-impact at a busy US-30 intersection, or a head-on crash at lower speeds can all generate enough force to break bones, even when airbags deploy, and seat belts hold.

If you suffered a fracture in a crash caused by someone else's carelessness, Indiana law allows you to seek compensation for the full cost of what that injury has taken from you. Our car accident attorneys at Sarkisian Law Offices have spent over 40 years pursuing those claims for injury victims throughout Lake County and Porter County.

Why Car Accidents Break Bones

The human skeleton is built to handle the forces of daily life, but a collision applies a force that no body is designed to absorb. When a vehicle stops suddenly or takes an impact, the occupants continue moving at their original speed until something stops them: a seatbelt, a steering wheel, a dashboard, or the door frame.

That transfer of energy into the body can fracture bones across multiple regions in a fraction of a second. Higher speeds produce more force and more severe breaks, but even crashes that appear minor from the outside can generate enough impact to fracture smaller or more vulnerable bones, particularly in older adults or those with conditions that affect bone density.

The Most Common Fractures Seen in Car Accident Cases

Rib Fractures

Rib fractures are among the most frequent, caused by chest compression against the steering wheel or the forceful restraint of the seatbelt during a sudden stop. While ribs cannot be cast, they require careful rest and monitoring because a displaced rib can puncture a lung, a complication that demands immediate intervention.

Broken Clavicles

Clavicle fractures, commonly called collarbone breaks, often result from the diagonal pull of a seatbelt across the shoulder during a crash. The clavicle sits directly in the path of that restraining force, and breaks range from partial cracks to complete separations, which may require surgical fixation. Either type significantly limits arm and shoulder function during recovery.

Arm Fractures

Wrist and forearm fractures happen when drivers or passengers instinctively extend their arms to brace against the dashboard or steering wheel at the moment of impact. That reflex is natural, but the force of a collision traveling through an outstretched arm can shatter the radius, ulna, or the small bones of the wrist itself.

Vertebral Fractures

Vertebral compression fractures are particularly common in rear-end crashes, where the spine is forced into sudden flexion or extension. These fractures in the lumbar or thoracic vertebrae can cause lasting back pain, restricted mobility, and in severe cases, nerve compression that radiates pain or weakness into the legs. When a fracture involves the spinal cord itself, the consequences can be permanent, which is why our team also handles neck and spine injury claims.

Broken Legs

Femur, tibia, and fibula fractures tend to result from high-impact crashes where the front of the vehicle collapses, or the occupant's legs are driven into the dashboard. The femur is one of the strongest bones in the body, so fracturing it requires significant force. Recovery from these fractures typically takes months and often requires surgical implants such as plates, rods, or screws to hold the bone in correct alignment while it heals.

Diagnosis and Treatment

After an accident, a fracture may not be obvious immediately. Pain, swelling, and difficulty moving a limb are the most common signs, but adrenaline and shock can mask these symptoms for hours. A doctor will typically order X-rays as a first step, followed by a CT scan or MRI if the initial images are inconclusive or if a more complex fracture involving joints or the spine is suspected.

Treatment Approaches

Treatment depends on the location and severity of the break. Minor fractures are often managed with a cast, splint, or immobilization brace and heal over several weeks. More serious breaks, including those that are displaced, comminuted (shattered into multiple fragments), or located near a joint, typically require open reduction and internal fixation surgery, where a surgeon uses plates, screws, or rods to realign and stabilize the bone.

Recovery from these surgeries can extend well beyond the bone's initial healing time, and most patients require physical therapy to restore full strength and range of motion. Surgical hardware sometimes causes long-term discomfort or restriction, and a second procedure to remove the hardware is not uncommon, adding to the total recovery time and cost.

What Compensation Covers After a Fracture

A fracture from a car accident is not just a medical problem. It is a financial one. Surgical fees, hospital stays, follow-up imaging, physical therapy, and any assistive devices like crutches, braces, or orthopedic hardware are direct costs that can total tens of thousands of dollars, sometimes far more for complex injuries. Lost wages during recovery add to that burden, and for fractures that result in permanent changes to mobility, strength, or function, the financial impact extends well into the future.

Indiana's comparative fault statute, Indiana Code 34-51-2, governs how damages are assigned and paid. As long as your share of fault for the crash is 50 percent or less, you are entitled to recover compensation, though your recovery is reduced proportionally by your own percentage of fault. Insurance companies regularly attempt to inflate a victim's percentage of fault to reduce what they owe. Having our car accident lawyers on your side who can counter those arguments with evidence is often the difference between a fair recovery and a significantly reduced one.

The Filing Deadline You Cannot Miss

Indiana gives injured people two years from the date of an accident to file a personal injury lawsuit, under Indiana Code 34-11-2-4. For fracture cases, that deadline matters more than it might appear. Gathering the medical evidence needed to document the full extent of a fracture injury, including surgical records, physical therapy notes, and medical opinions about long-term effects, takes time. Starting that process late can leave your attorney with too little time to build the strongest possible case before the deadline closes.

Talk to Sarkisian Law About Your Fracture Claim

Fractures from car accidents are serious injuries that deserve serious legal attention. Sarkisian Law Offices has handled cases ranging from single-bone fractures to multiple traumatic breaks requiring extended surgical care, and we work on a contingency fee basis, meaning there are no attorney's fees unless we recover money for you. If you or someone close to you suffered a fracture in a crash caused by another driver, contact us for a free, no-pressure case evaluation.