Car accidents can cause various types of leg injuries, including broken bones.

Tibia fractures are among the less common leg injuries that occur in car accidents. While a broken tibia is easy to fix, it does not heal too easily. In this post, our St. Louis car accident attorneys will discuss tibia fractures.

About Tibia Fractures

There are three bones in each of our limbs. There are two bones – tibia and fibula – below our knee. These are smaller bones and can easily break compared to the femur in the leg or a humerus in the arm, because of their smaller diameter. However, these fractures can take a long time to heal, and there can be many complications.

Ways in Which Tibia Fractures Can Occur in a Car Accident

According to medical experts, it is very difficult to break a bone in the leg unless the impact is direct. In a four or seven seat vehicle, if all the occupants are properly buckled up, it is highly unlikely that a fracture will occur in a rear or frontal impact. However, if there is a side impact collision with a large vehicle such as a truck, the impact will be much more and the chances of a fracture occurring are high.

A tibia fracture can rarely occur on its own. It can occur only if the interior of the vehicle impacts the leg, which can happen if the vehicle is crushed in the crash. This means, there will likely be other injuries accompanying a tibia fracture. Usually, the arms and neck are severely impacted in this kind of a crash. A tibia fracture can also break the skin and impact nerves and blood vessels.

Treatment for Tibia Fractures

While a tibia fracture is not a medical emergency, if there are any complications, the victim should receive immediate medical attention. The victim may need a splint to set the bone. In many cases, the car accident also causes severe swelling or contusions. This can lead to long term problems if nerves and blood vessels are impacted.

Regardless of the severity of injuries, car accident victims will need at least six to eight weeks to recover from a fracture. This can lead to missed time at school for younger victims and lost wages for others. The victim may also need long periods of rehabilitation to regain complete mobility after the fracture.

If the victim does not seek medical attention and there is too much swelling, which is left untreated, it can affect the nerves and lead to compartment syndrome.