Washington Car Accidents Could Cause a Femur Fracture

The femur, or thigh bone, is one of the strongest bones in the body. In order to break it, an extraordinary force is needed, such as one sustained in a high-velocity Washington car accident or a fall from a high height. In my experience as a Washington auto accident lawyer and Seattle motorcycle accident lawyer, I have found that a femoral fracture rarely occurs in isolation, but most often is accompanied by another serious personal injury. Complete recovery from a femoral fracture usually takes between six months and a year.

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Symptoms of a broken femur are obvious and painful. Even though the fracture rarely breaks the skin, there is usually significant bleeding, bruising, and swelling. The leg is incapable of holding weight or moving. Surgery is almost inevitable in order to effectively heal the femur. There are three different types of surgery: external fixation, intramedullary nailing, and metal plates. The first is only used when there is an extraordinary amount of soft tissue damage in the area and plating is used mostly when the fracture is very close to the hip or knee. Intramedullary nailing, which is the most common procedural solution, involves inserting a metal rod through the soft center of the bone. The rod extends the length of the bone, spanning the point of fracture to connect both parts of the bone. The metal insertion is secured with screws on both ends that keep the rod in place. This hardware is usually left in the patient unless there is pain or other associated complications. With this procedure, success rates are around 99% with a full recovery common.

This information is provided by Straight Talk Law, where you can order free information on Tacoma auto accidents, car insurance, and other valuable legal information, offered as a public service by King County personal injury attorney and author Jason Epstein and his Seattle auto accident, Everett motorcycle accident, and Bellevue wrongful death law firm in Seattle, Washington.