Living through the traumatic experience of a serious car accident can leave you with a whole host of injuries that impact your life moving forward. While you may think that a broken leg is anything but serious, it can rise to a catastrophic injury under the right circumstance.
Bone fractures that fall under catastrophic have the potential to necessitate life-saving surgery that could end with the loss of your leg.
Not all fractures are equal
There are varying degrees of bone breaks, and at any given time, a fracture may not heal, resulting in further intervention. However, when it comes to catastrophic fractures, they are often those where the force of the crash causes bones to snap apart and pierce the skin.
The severity of an open compound leg fracture
Doctors classify a fracture that cleanly splits as a compound break. If the force of the crash causes the bones to come through the skin, it is an open compound fracture. The danger in this specific bone fracture is significant, as an open wound allows dirt, debris and bacteria to enter the body. When this happens, doctors must act fast and remain diligent in ensuring infection does not occur.
The risk of dangerous infection
Often, doctors need to perform surgery to clean the wound, remove affected tissue and install hardware to stabilize the bone. In some instances, however, surgeons leave the wound open so they can recheck and reclean the affected area. Should an infection continue unabated inside the leg, doctors may have to amputate the bone to keep it from becoming more widespread in the body.
Open compound fractures necessitate intensive medical care for a lengthy period of time. You may want to take action against a negligent driver for help with your bills.
