As a personal injury lawyer in Mountainside NJ I represent individuals who have been injured in car accidents, motorcycle accidents, truck accidents, slip and fall cases, sports injuries, and severe dog bite attacks. These accidents often require surgery to repair the bones and ligaments that will not heal properly. The surgery requires the insertion of wires, screws, plates, hardware, rods and pins. The surgery is referred to as Open Reduction Internal Fixation surgery. Its abbreviation is ORIF.
Examples of of my recent cases involved ORIF cases involved fractures to the arm where the arm bone was shattered. My first client was hit by a car in a parking lot and broke her arm, and required ORIF surgery the next day. The surgery required hardware and locking and compression screws to be surgically inserted into her arm. Her case settled for the insurance company’s policy limits of $250,000.
My other case involved a disabled person and was being transported on a gurney when the paramedics dropped her off the stretcher. As a result, she also broke her arm and the bone was sticking through the skin and fractured her forearm and radial bone. She also required ORIF and the surgery also required the insertion of hardware, a metal plate and locking screws. Her case settled for $387,500.
The name of the surgery, Open Reduction Internal Fixation, sounds intimidating. Let me explain what’s involved. The surgery is a cut that opens the injured area under anesthesia. The broken bones are realigned – “reducing the points of fracture.” Then the realigned bones are held together, or internally fixed, with hardware, which can include pins, plates, rods, screws, or a combination of all of these. Sometimes, a second surgery to reposition the hardware or remove the hardware is also required.
As you can imagine the recovery process can be extremely painful, and involve many months of physical therapy for a full and complete recovery. This is where insurance companies too often try to minimize the injury and what is required for your recovery. In fact, injuries that require Open Reduction Internal Fixation surgeries can run into hundreds of thousands of dollars, and in some cases, over a million dollars, depending on the type of fracture. I have seen cases with fractures to the ankle, the patella in the knee that requiring total knee replacement, arms, wrists and even jaws!
Working with a diligent personal injury attorney will help you collect all medical and physical therapy expenses, as well as reasonable compensation for pain, suffering and loss of enjoyment of life.
Keep in mind, your medical coverage plan does not cover injuries from car accidents, so it is of upmost important to quickly work with an attorney who you are comfortable with and has a demonstrated record of success in these types of cases.
Factors of success in getting full compensation may include many things in addition to the injury itself, such as the liability, how the accident happened, insurance policy limits, and the number of defendants and insurance companies involved.
And most importantly, the lawyer who represents you.
When negotiating with large insurance companies, you want an experienced lawyer on your side – one who obtains all videos, medical records and expert reports to demonstrate the liability of those who are responsible for your accident and to show the extent of your injuries through experts, neurologists, orthopedists, therapists, and all specialist who are related to the treatment for your case.
By presenting all the evidence you’ll be in a much better position to get to a settlement that covers all of your medical costs, pain and suffering, and loss of quality and enjoyment of life.
If you or your family member has been a victim of an accident due to someone else’s negligence and suffered a severe injury which requires ORIF surgery, please feel free to contact me, My NJ injury Attorney, Howard Lesnik. I handle personal injury cases on a regular basis. You can contact me by email, by phoning my office 908.264.7701, or completing the form on my website to schedule your complimentary 30-minute strategy session anytime.
