No single bone in the human body is bigger or stronger than the femur, the bone in the thigh. In order to break this particular bone, an enormous amount of force is needed and it is therefore unsurprising that the most common caused of femur fractures are road traffic accidents which can cause blunt trauma and crushing of the bone, and falls from height in the workplace.
Breaking a femur could change your life completely. If you have a mild fracture towards the top of the femur you may get away with a few weeks in plaster and no long term effects. However more complicated fractures will immobilise you for far longer and you may need to have a metal support rod inserted down through the bone in order to stabilise the leg. Unfortunately, the more serious fractures, can lead to long-term effects on your health – including an increased risk of arthritis, knee cartilage damage, and permanent weakness of the affected leg.
Given how extreme the situation must be in order to break the femur, victims of such injuries are unsurprisingly left both physically and emotionally traumatised. However, such trauma is magnified when the injury was not the victims fault and can in fact be blamed upon the negligence, legal omission or deliberate act of another person. If you have broken your femur and it was not your fault you could be able to claim compensation and it is crucial that you instruct an expert accident claims solicitor as soon as possible to start the process of reclaiming the compensation you deserve. Don’t underestimate how traumatic the whole compensation claim process can be for claimants. When choosing your solicitor, make sure that you instruct someone who is a specialist compensation claim lawyer who will be able to take charge of your claim, enabling you to focus on recovering.
If your compensation claim is successful, your damages should cover your loss of earnings from being unable to work, the cost of any future medical care, you may need, travel costs incurred in receiving medical treatment and running your legal claim, any loss of amenity you suffer and not forgetting your pain and suffering. Further damages can also be available for a wide variety of other financial losses, which range from compensation for lost holiday and clothing damage, to the cost of any extra help you may need at home and in carrying out any repairs required to, for example, your car. Recompense for these things is the least you deserve.
A lot of work will go into collecting the necessary evidence for your claim. Proving that your injuries were directly caused by the actions (or inaction) of someone else can be very difficult. In order to do so, witness statements may be required; your medical records, including any appropriate x-rays will need to be carefully examined; independent medical experts will need to be consulted who will produce a report on the extent of your injuries, both in the short, medium and long-term; and proof that your employer was aware of unsafe practices or conditions may need to be discovered for example if you suffered your accident at work.
Tim Bishop is senior partner of specialist compensation claim solicitors, Bonallack and Bishop. For more information about making your accident compensation claim, visit their specialist website at http://www.how-to-claim-compensation.co.uk or phone them directly on 01722 422300.
Tim Bishop
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