Hand and Wrist Injuries in Car Accidents

Individuals rely on the use of their hands and wrists for almost all day-to-day activities, such as driving, typing, and cooking to name a few. When you suffer an injury to your hand or wrist, the result is not only painful, but also interruptive of your lifestyle, sometimes permanently. If someone else’s negligent acts in a car accident has led to these injuries, he or she should be held accountable. Miami car accident attorney Robert Dixon and his staff at the Law Offices of Robert Dixon are dedicated to helping accident victims pursue damages for the costs associated with their harm. We litigate personal injury claims for clients throughout South Florida, which includes Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach Counties. If you’ve sustained a hand or wrist injury in a car accident, and would like to learn more about your legal rights and options, please contact our office today to speak with an attorney to schedule a free consultation about your potential claim.

Hands contain twenty-seven bones, which is twenty-five percent of the bones in a human body. Additionally, hands and wrists are made up of numerous ligaments working with these bones to participate in fine motor functions. Given the complicated nature of this part of the body, when victims are involved in a car accident, hand and wrist injuries are common, as well as debilitating. Drivers and passengers may injure this area of their bodies by bracing themselves on a dash before impact, or due to burns from an airbag deployment.

Common types of hand and wrist injuries sustained in a motor vehicle collision include:

• Broken or fractured wrists
• Broken or fractured fingers
• Hand fractures
• Burns
• Nerve injuries
• Wrist sprains
• Pulled or torn ligaments
• Hand amputation

Fractures may lead to symptoms such as swelling, stiffness, and bruising, which can also require treatment using a cast or splint, and in some instances, surgery. Victims may also suffer long-term complications, especially where fractures occur at or near joints, which increases the risk of early development of arthritis. Because of this potential, and because it is important to make sure injuries are diagnosed and treated properly, victims involved in a car crash should receive immediate medical attention.

The majority of car accidents, and resulting injuries, are caused by a driver’s negligent actions, and a skilled accident lawyer can help you pursue a legal claim on this basis. Negligence, which provides the legal basis for personal injury claims, occurs when a party, the defendant, breaches his or her duty to another to act as a reasonable person would under the circumstances, causing the other’s injury, and resulting in damages. If a driver causes an accident because he is distracted by a text message, and another motorist suffers a broken wrist, the texting driver can be found negligent. Even if a victim is partially, or mostly, at fault for causing his or her own injury, if there is another negligent party also involved, the victim may still pursue legal action for damages. For example, if both parties are excessively speeding, and the victim is found to be 65 percent liable for causing the accident, while the other party is 35 percent accountable, the victim can still be awarded compensation based on that percentage. Damages available to an injured victim include past and future medical costs, compensation for time missed from work, as well as any damages associated with a victim’s permanent disability or pain and suffering.

Hand and wrist injuries in car accidents can majorly interfere with a victim’s ability to carry on their life, at least temporarily. Insurance benefits may not be enough to cover the costs of recovery, especially in circumstances where multiple surgeries may be necessary. Injury attorney Robert Dixon of the Law Offices of Robert Dixon works tirelessly to help victims seek the support they need from those at fault for their injuries. Our firm offers compassionate, yet zealous, legal representation for clients who need to pursue claims in order to cope with healing. If you suffered a hand or wrist injury because of a negligent driver, please call 877.499.4878 or contact us online today to schedule a free, no obligation consultation to find out more about our legal services. We represent clients in communities including Miami, and West Palm Beach.