Just as mechanization brought a world of good, so is there a higher chance of securing harm to the body. Case of this different kind of harm includes fractured essential bones in the body. One such bone that has recorded debilitating fractures across the globe is the femur fracture. Before femur fracture can be rightly understood, it is essential first to get a sneak peek into what the femur is.
The femur is the only bone in the thighs. It is also referred to as the thigh bones and is located between the hip and knee. It is the strongest, longest and heaviest bone in the human body.
The femur performs several crucial functions, such as holding the body’s weight while standing and moving. It keeps a person steady as they move from one place to another. It also connects the hips and knee ligaments, tendons, and muscles to the rest of the body.
What Is Femur Fracture?
A femur fracture is a serious bodily injury requiring immediate medical attention. It is a condition in which the femur breaks, causing immobility to the victim.
Femur fracture can be caused by the action or the neglect to act of another person. If this case graces a court of law, legal animation can create a captivating illustration of the cause. It can further show the extent of the harm. Consequently, helping the court award an adequate award to the victim.
Why Should Femur Fracture Be A Subject of Litigation?
It is often very easy to waive the right to pursue a civil action based on a femur fracture in court. However, sometimes, this action may not be in the victim’s best interest. Again, this is because of the nature of the treatment, the cost, and the longevity of the recovery period.
A femur fracture can only be treated with Open Reduction and Internal Fixation (ORIF) surgery and physical therapy. The surgery entails aligning the broken femur. Sadly, it takes 4 to 6 months to recover from in most cases. The recovery depends on how severe the fracture is and the type of treatment administered.
It is daunting even to imagine the level of pain and suffering likely to be suffered by the victim. However, asides from this, the towering medical bills should not also be ignored.
Besides these, it is also essential to note that femur fracture results in a large decline in the ability and capacity to carry out normal daily activities. There will be restrictions on the movement of the person. It can even cause some persons to suffer unrelenting pain and immobility of the legs.
It most times leads to deformity of the leg and tissue swelling,
Other long-term effects of femur fracture on a person’s daily life include hypovolemic shock. This is due to severe blood loss, injuries to other areas of the body, limited standing or walking, muscular weakness, gait abnormalities, inability to hold a job, do things they enjoyed doing before and hang out with friends and family.
Considering all of the challenges accompanying a femur fracture, it is best to seek legal assistance to recover adequate compensation.
What Are The Common Causes Of A Femur Fracture?
Femur fractures are fairly popular in the United States. In a recent study, the Journal of American Academic Orthopedic Surgery estimated that 250,000 people suffer a femur fracture annually.
According to the study, the number is expected to double by 2050. The present statistics and the 2050 projection show that femur fractures are common and increase annually due to many preventable factors.
It can be by driving recklessly on highways, lack of proper protective measures by the employers in workplaces, or injury from being assaulted with a heavy weapon. In all these instances, recourse should be made to the court of law with legal animation. It will assist in showcasing the cause and the extent of the injury.
Here are some of the causes of femur fracture that can be sued for:
Car Accident
Femur fractures are often common among pedestrians and motorcyclists who get knocked down by a moving vehicle. This is because the legs are exposed during an accident when walking or on a bike compared to a driver seated in a car.
A case point is that of Kern v. Blethen-Coluni. Here, an automobile collision with a nine-year-old pedestrian caused a femur fracture.
If a femur fracture is due to a car crash caused by another driver, they will be liable for the injury. They are likely to pay compensation for medical expenses, excruciating pain, rehabilitation cost, therapy session, and more.
A case showcasing a car crash as a cause of femur fracture is that of Smith v. Botsford General Hosp. The jury awarded $35,000.00 for economic damages in this medical negligence case. $5,000,000.00 was also awarded as non-economic damages in favor of the plaintiff. The fracture was caused by a rollover car accident.
Legal animation is needed to collect data on the incident and recreate the collision accurately. It can highlight the recklessness of the driver and the effect it has on the victim.
It is also very effective in demonstrating and visualizing the sequence of the car crash and the effects on the victim.
Workplace accident
Employers’ negligence mostly causes workplace accidents. They often fail to provide a safe working environment for employees.
Every industry or company has its risk of workplace accidents. However, construction companies come to mind more often because of the heavy equipment used in the industry. Asides from equipment accidents, there can be falls from elevated heights. The use of hazardous working tools can also lead to fracture of the femur.
Some workplace accidents that can cause femur fracture include building collapses, falling objects, falls from a ladder, forklift accidents, crane accidents, and scaffold accidents.
Negligence from the employer to carry out a risk assessment and safety measures for both employees and visitors, which leads to a fracture of the femur, should be brought to the courtroom with the aid of legal animation. This will help give the exploratory details of how the negligence of the company has caused harm. Hence, speeding up the process of receiving compensation for the injury caused.
Slip and fall
A slip and fall accident is also a cause of femur fracture. Most times, the sued party is typically the property owner where the accident occurs. Hence, causing legal action to fall under premises liability.
When a person slips and falls in a particular space which leads to a femur fracture, the owner of the premises is legally responsible for the cause of the accident.
Common ways by which property owners cause slip and fall accidents are poor lighting of the surroundings, slippery floors caused by spilled liquid, portholes and cracks, missing handrails, debris in the walkways, poorly illuminated stairways, ice and snow left to accumulate on walkways and many more.
The accident can, however, cause permanent or temporary disabilities for the victim, which will refrain the person from carrying on with his normal way of life.
In such cases, legal animation should be used to collect data and medical reports to strengthen your testimony in the courtroom against the defendants and get fair compensation for the injuries.
Assault
Femur fracture caused by an assault can be defined differently from one state to another based on the weapons used, the extent of the fracture, and the circumstances surrounding the crime.
The femur can not be easily broken because it is the strongest bone in the body. However, any weapon or force used by the defendants on the victim must be dangerous.
An assault on a child can also very easily lead to this fracture since children’s bones are not as strong as that of adults. In re KA, an infant who was assaulted while in the care of the parents suffered a femur fracture.
Assault from individuals should be brought to the courtroom using legal animation to describe the pace and sequence at which the event results in the fracture.
Conclusion
In all of these instances, legal animation can be used to showcase the cause of the fracture and the extent of the injury sustained.
It is essential to get Fox-AE, an engineering studio dedicated to the success of clients, into the picture to get legal animation accurately depicting the progressions that led to the fracture and the liable party in the incident.
At Fox-AE, we work closely with attorneys and expert witnesses on a case to ensure we deliver the best possible demonstrative exhibits.
