Walking just about anywhere here in Denver means that you will eventually be either next to traffic or crossing a street. You look both ways and do what you can to keep yourself safe, but you cannot always account for what a motorist will do. If a car strikes you, you could suffer any number of injuries. For example, compound fractures are a real possibility in pedestrian accidents.
A compound fracture, also called an open fracture, occurs when a broken bone pierces through your skin. Not only could an injury like this take a significant amount of time to heal, but it also leaves you vulnerable to infections, compartment syndrome and contamination. It is also possible that the bone will not heal properly. The sooner you receive medical care, the greater your chances are of avoiding these potential complications.
Doctors will need to stabilize your wound and clean it. Imaging tests can tell if the bone broke in more than one place. You will probably be taken into surgery to irrigate and debride the wound site and set the bone. The particulars of your injury will dictate how and when this process occurs. As you recover, you could be out of work for a significant amount of time and incur expensive medical expenses.
Instead of worrying about your financial situation, you should have the freedom to focus on your recovery. This may be possible through the filing of a personal injury claim against the driver of the vehicle that struck you. If the evidence proves that the driver’s negligence caused your injuries, you may receive an award of damages seen in other pedestrian accidents that have occurred here in Denver.
Source: orthoinfo.aaos.org, “Open Fractures“, Accessed on Dec. 24, 2017