Femur fractures are among the most painful and serious types of injuries that people might suffer in California accidents. Because it takes a great degree of force to fracture a femur bone, people who suffer broken femurs in accidents also commonly suffer other types of serious injuries. Motorcyclists, bicyclists, and pedestrians have the greatest risk of suffering femur fractures in motor vehicle accidents because of the limited protection that they have.
What is the femur?
The femur is a long bone that extends from the hip down to the knee in the upper portion of each leg. The head of the femur is rounded and fits into the pelvis. The neck of the femur is also called the thigh bone and is the strongest bone in the human body. The shaft of the femur continues from its neck to the knee, where its distal end attaches. A significant amount of force is required to break the femur because of its strength.
Types of femur fractures
The types of femur fractures that can happen include femoral neck fractures, fractures of the femoral shaft, and fractures of the distal end. Distal end fractures are commonly called knee fractures, and they can happen in motor vehicle accidents. Fractures of the femoral shaft also can happen in car accidents. Femoral neck fractures are more frequent in the elderly, and are known as hip fractures.
The leading cause of femur fractures is a motor vehicle accident. In an accident, the physical forces that are released can cause serious injuries. While the occupants of motor vehicles are protected by the steel cage formed by the cab, motorcyclists, pedestrians, and bicyclists do not have this type of protection and may be more likely to suffer femur fractures and other serious injuries in accidents.
Femur fractures can take a long time to heal and can interfere with the victims’ mobility. When these types of injuries happen in accidents caused by someone else, the victims may be entitled to recover damages for their economic and noneconomic losses. An experienced personal injury lawyer might offer an honest assessment of a victim’s claim following a femur fracture in a motor vehicle accident.
