Many people take for granted their ability to perform the most menial tasks until typical hand or wrist injuries limit or impede our ability. Hand bones injured in a car accident do not merely cause wrist pain and discomfort but can be temporarily or permanently debilitating.

Still, a car accident can seriously impact our ability to lead productive lives and perform minor tasks as part of our everyday routines.

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An Illinois Car Accident Wrist or Hand Injury Attorney Can Help

The Chicago auto accident attorneys at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers, LLC assist car accident victims in their physical and financial recovery after a car accident. Our reputable personal injury lawyers know just how hindering wrist and hand injuries can be and how their effects can have a short- and long-term impact on a victim’s life quality.

Our personal injury attorneys represent injured victims suffering serious injuries in car accidents involving fractures, crushed bones, head trauma, spinal cord damage, and wrongful death. Call us today for a free case review.

The Complex Anatomy of the Human Hand

It is said that grasping and manipulating objects are two defining aspects of the human species. Using our hands gives us a significant advantage over the remaining animal kingdom.

Twenty bones, tissue, tendons, muscles, and numerous ligaments make up the hand that works in tandem to perform precise movements called fine motor functions. The components work in unison in making movements that extend to our wrists.

Any wrist or hand injury might make performing menial tasks challenging, like lifting a fork or spoon, holding a pencil or pen, drinking from a cup, typing on a keyboard, or buttoning a shirt.

Most of us never think about what life would be like without the ability to do these things until an injury to the hand or wrist limits its use.

However, tendinitis, torn ligaments, broken fingers, distal radius fracture, or amputation can be life-changing. A scaphoid fracture, wrist sprain, broken bones, carpal tunnel syndrome, dislocation, or tendonitis could require ongoing physical therapy and medical treatment to restore the wrist joint.

Wrist and Hand Injuries Common in Auto Accidents

Our Chicago auto accident lawyers commonly represent clients who have suffered hand or wrist fractures caused by a car accident. Whether the victim was operating a vehicle, truck, or riding a motorcycle, the hands are often a point of impact or tension at the moment of a car crash.

When operating their motor vehicle, the driver might tense their grip on the steering wheel or push their hands outward instinctively, even though that response might be the worst possible action to make.

Motorcyclists might attempt to remain upright or break a fall by placing their hands in front of the body or toward the ground during a motor vehicle accident.

Debilitating, Painful Swelling

A hand fracture or broken wrist immediately impacts painful and debilitating swelling. The victim cannot use both hands until a full recovery is made.

The injury also places the victim at an increased risk of suffering temporary or permanent complications, including severe hand and wrist pain. Fractures that occur at or near the joints increase the chances of arthritis and inflammation developing earlier than usual.

The bone or joint might not heal properly after immediate medical attention or require surgical intervention and rehabilitation over time.

Nearly all medical care for an injured wrist or hand begins with an accurate diagnosis using x-rays, ultrasound, and MRIs to identify the types of hand and wrist fractures.

The doctor will look at all the small and metacarpal bones to identify serious problems. A medical health care professional’s case evaluation might help determine the extent of the bone and soft tissue damage and the critical care needed to restore the injured extremity to allow the patient to return to an active daily life.

The Financial Consequences of Hand and Wrist Injuries

We use our hands every day in our personal and professional lives. Most jobs require using our hands regularly to type, write, handle tools, or operate machinery. All these actions require the use of hands in some capacity.

An injury to the hand or wrist does not just reduce the quality of our personal lives, but it could impact our ability to make a living while we recover. Some bones and ligaments in the wrist and hand are small and delicate, requiring special treatment and care when injured.

But recovering from a hand or wrist injury can be expensive and place an additional financial burden on victims already finding it challenging to make ends meet.

Our Chicago car crash lawyers consider all these factors when valuing your monetary compensation case and depend on various experts to substantiate these claims.

Social workers, economists, and medical professionals can help our personal injury lawyers establish the immediate expense of treatment and the cost of your lost wages and ongoing care in the years ahead.

Negotiating With Insurance Companies

Insurance companies will fight aggressively to avoid paying an injury claim by challenging the need for treatment, mostly when less expensive alternatives exist.

Claims adjusters who work for insurance companies often employ cheap tricks to lure victims into giving up their rights or acting against their interests.

Many victims prefer to hire personal injury attorneys to handle negotiations with insurance adjusters on their behalf. It is a fact that insurance companies are far more likely to cooperate and offer higher settlements when the victims have retained representation, which is why they often tell the injured party that there is no need to hire a lawyer.

Car Accident Hand and Wrist Injury FAQs

Below are some frequently asked questions raised by people with hand and wrist injuries sustained in car crashes. We appreciate that you may have additional questions and welcome you to contact our law firm for a free consultation with an experienced attorney.

What Is the Most Injury Mechanism for Wrist Injuries?

A diagnostician will often test the patient’s wrist and hand mechanism to determine the injury’s severity. An injury might cause an outstretched hand to fail caused by a scaphoid (navicular) fracture or distal radius injury.

Other wrist mechanism issues and ligament injuries might involve a distal radioulnar joint injury, intercarpal ligament injury, or elbow fracture. Many victims experience ongoing pain after a car accident or other events involving a dislocated joint in the wrist or elbow.

How Much Compensation Is Due for a Wrist Injury?

Determining the value of a compensation claim involving hand and wrist injuries caused by blunt force trauma can be challenging due to the case’s unique circumstances. Lower arm injuries from car accidents tend to be severe, especially if lingering hand and wrist pain lasts long after the crash.

The extent of damages might include fractures, soft tissue injuries, cuts, lacerations, and other injuries caused during the car accident, especially if the injured party grabbed the steering wheel during the crash.

Our law firm evaluates the extent of all injuries to determine the case’s value along with other factors, including:

Current medical bills
Future medical expenses for rehabilitation, surgery, or physical therapy
Lost wages due to the car wreck
Property damage associated with the car accident, including vehicle repair or replacement
Whether the injury occurred to the dominant hand
The extent of injuries includes puncture wounds, fractures, damaged nerve endings, and any complete or partially torn ligament that could cause the wrist or hand to move improperly.
Insurance coverage limits by the responsible party or any other driver also at fault for the collision.

Additional compensation may be available if the injured hand and wrist bone fracture don’t heal correctly.

How Do You Know If a Wrist Injury Is Serious?

A severe hand or wrist injury will likely require emergency or urgent care, leaving the victim in excruciating pain. If the injury resulted from some form of trauma or fall, you might experience some apparent deformity of the arm, wrist, or hand due to a broken wrist toward dislocation.

Other common apparent symptoms involve severe chronic pain after a car accident and swelling, or the loss of sensation in the digits (fingers), palm, back of the hand, wrist, or lower arm.

Significant hand and wrist pain can result from damage to soft tissues, including cartilage, ligaments, and muscles that can tear from blunt trauma. These common injuries from car accidents are often the result of gripping the steering wheel during the collision.

A medical doctor with accurate diagnostic tools can help determine the extent and severity of your wrist injury. The physician will look for a fracture or sprain through a precise diagnosis of swollen soft tissue and bruising around the area.

Typically, severe injuries often present as serious pain when the wrist or hand moves. Other symptoms might include the inability to grasp, hand weakness, and not being able to pick up objects.

What Does a Torn Wrist Tendon Feel Like?

Many patients experience intense pain caused by wrist tendinitis that appears like a burning sensation, constant dull ache, or throbbing pain that radiates from the wrist to the elbow.

The hand and wrist pain associated with a sprain can often be just as sharp and throbbing as wrist tendonitis or a dulling ache that never subsides.

Nearly all hand injuries from car accidents cause extensive wrist pain and may take months to disappear completely, especially if any ligament is completely torn. It is best to seek medical attention for any common injury involving the hand and wrist, especially if experiencing pain after a car accident.

Can You Move Your Wrist If It Is Fractured?

Patients often experience excruciating pain when moving or adjusting a fractured wrist or hand. Others can still slightly move the wrist or hand with little pain or discomfort, even if the bones were severely broken.

Nearly all fractures will cause swelling and inflammation at the broken bone site or appear deformed. Car accident victims often experience severe pain when moving the finger digit while the wrist is fractured.

Are Wrist Injuries Permanent?

The car accident injuries are likely temporary if the patient sprained or strained the ligaments and tendons in the wrist during a fall, car accident, or other trauma. Crushed wrist bones, damaged tendons, and torn ligaments could cause permanent damage that might never be restored without proper medical care.

Many injuries and pain after a car accident can be permanent. It is always best to seek medical care to maximize healing for any auto accident injury due to the blunt force trauma during the collision.

Hiring a Car Accident Hand and Wrist Fracture Attorney

Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers LLC is a leading personal injury law firm with extensive experience in and out of the courtroom. Our attorneys can help you recover the maximum amount of compensation your family deserves available under law.

Our Chicago car accident attorneys will negotiate with the defendant’s insurance company or represent your interests by taking your case to court to ensure you have the best possible chances of success in obtaining compensation.

Contact us today at (888) 424-5757 for a free legal consultation to learn more about how we have helped thousands of clients who suffered temporary and permanent damages just like you. All confidential or sensitive information you share with our legal team remains private through an attorney-client relationship.

Once we collect the information you need, our personal injury lawyers will provide you with a list of available legal options on how best to proceed with your case. If your personal injury lawyer from our law firm cannot help you recover the compensation you deserve, our services will be free of charge.

Resources:

Johns Hopkins Medicine – Distal Radius Fracture (Wrist Fracture)

Hand Injury From Car Accident: Types & Average Settlement Values