Sometimes after a car accident, broken bones don’t heal on their own and require surgery. Since it costs a lot more to medically stabilize a fracture with metal implants than it does to simply apply a cast, personal injury claims involving hardware typically settle for substantially more than ones involving minor injuries. The operation, implanted hardware, and any lasting limitations or future medical needs all add to your claim’s value. Additional factors like how well you heal and whether you can return to work can also impact your claim.
Whether you need surgery or already had a procedure, our South Carolina car accident lawyers can help answer your questions about what to do next to protect your recovery. Your surgeon will decide on treatment, but your lawyer can explain your rights and help you seek payment for your injuries.
Broken Bones in a Car Accident
To make a personal injury claim, you need proof that someone else was at fault for your injuries. Needing surgery is part of your medical story, but it does not prove who caused the accident. Your South Carolina car accident claim also depends on evidence from the crash and how the impact led to your injury.
Fracture terminology helps explain what happened to the bone. A displaced fracture means the pieces have moved out of alignment. A vertebral compression fracture occurs when part of a bone in the spine collapses and loses height. A comminuted fracture means the bone broke into multiple pieces. An open fracture, sometimes called a compound fracture, means the bone protrudes from the wound, raising the risk of infection. These descriptions help distinguish injuries that might otherwise look similar on a claim form.
Ask your doctor to explain your diagnosis as it appears in your medical records. Knowing exactly what your injury is will help you better understand why surgery is being recommended.
What “Hardware” Actually Means
Hardware is the implant used to hold a fracture in position while it heals. During open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF), a surgeon puts the broken bone pieces back in place and uses implants to hold them together. Not every operation uses the same approach. The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons’ guide to internal fixation explains the main implant types:
- Plates: Metal supports that hold broken pieces together and attach to the bone with screws. They might be left after healing or they may be removed.
- Screws: The most frequently used fixation implant. They can work alone or with plates, rods, or nails.
- Intramedullary rods and nails: Implants placed through a long bone’s hollow center. Screws at the ends control rotation and shortening.
- Pins and wires: Small devices used when the broken pieces are too small to hold with screws.
Some patients first need external fixation. Pins or screws connect the bone to a frame outside the body. It can provide temporary stability while damaged tissues recover or while other serious injuries receive proper medical treatment.
Your surgery report should list the repair done and what was implanted. The implant record might also include the manufacturer and device details. Keep these records so future doctors know what is at the injury site.
The number of screws you have does not determine how much your claim is worth. What matters is why the hardware was needed and how the injury affects you now. An implant helps you heal, but having one doesn’t show whether you can walk, grip, or lift in the long run. These questions require follow-up exams and an assessment of how you function.
Will the Hardware Come Out Again?
Removal is selective, not routine. AAOS explains that plates and screws may remain after healing or be removed in selected cases. Rods and nails commonly stay in place, including those used for most femur and mid-tibia fractures. Pins and wires are usually removed after a period of time, although some remain permanently.
Whether hardware will be removed depends on your fracture, where the implant is, and your surgeon’s opinion. You should not include hardware removal as a future expense in your claim just because you have metal in your body. There needs to be a medical reason for it.
If your surgeon expects to remove the hardware, ask for the reason and timing in writing. Your lawyer can use that information to review the cost of future surgery. Surgery your doctor expects you to need is different from surgery that might be considered someday.
If hardware stays in your body, keep track of any problems. If pressure over a plate makes certain shoes uncomfortable, tell your medical team. If kneeling produces significant pain around an implant, describe where and when it happens. Those details help your doctor check whether the hardware is causing pain and record how it affects your day.
Do not assume that every symptom comes from the metal. The original fracture and associated soft tissue damage may also matter. Ask your treating provider to identify the likely cause rather than drawing that conclusion yourself.
Your claim should be based on your doctor’s advice. If another procedure is expected, include it with medical support. If the plan is to leave the implant in, document any ongoing problems. Do not assume either outcome will happen automatically.
Which Car Accident Injuries Usually Need Surgery
Some types of fractures are more likely to need surgery because the bone pieces will not stay in place or the joint is unstable. Where the break is, how much the bone moved, damage to nearby tissues, and your overall health all matter. You and your medical team will decide together if surgery is needed.
Common examples include:
- Wrist and distal radius fractures: Bracing against the steering wheel can transfer force into the wrist. The distal radius is the end of the forearm bone near that joint. A displaced break or one involving the joint surface may need a plate and screws.
- Ankle fractures: Impact or twisting during a crash can break the bones supporting the ankle. Bimalleolar and trimalleolar fractures involve two or three areas around the joint. If the broken bones will not stay in place, surgery may be needed to line them up and hold them together.
- Tibial plateau fractures: A dashboard impact can drive force through the knee into the top of the shinbone. If the bone surface in the knee joint has been pushed down or moved out of place, surgery may be needed to repair it. Your surgeon may wait for swelling to go down first.
- Femoral shaft fractures: High-energy impacts can break the long middle portion of the thighbone. A fractured femur often requires an intramedullary nail to stabilize the leg.
- Pelvic fractures: Force from a major collision can disrupt the pelvic ring. If the broken pelvic bones will not stay in place, surgery may help hold them together. Treatment depends on where the breaks are and what else was injured.
- Clavicle fractures: A blow to the shoulder or force from a seat belt can break the collarbone. Many heal without an operation, but substantially displaced fractures may need fixation.
- Spinal fractures: A high-impact crash can fracture one or more vertebrae, the bones that make up the spine. Surgery may be needed if the break makes the spine unstable or if bone fragments press on the spinal cord or nearby nerves.
AAOS provides condition-specific guidance on wrist, ankle, knee, thighbone, pelvic, and collarbone fractures. Spinal fusion can also involve implants, but back and neck injuries call for a separate evaluation. If you also have damage to your spinal cord or other serious spinal injuries, your medical care and injury claim may involve more than treating the broken bone.
