How to Handle Broken Bones After a Car Accident
Broken bones are commonly experienced after violent car accidents because of the abrupt impact of the person’s body against the inside of the car. Knowing how to recognize bone fractures and ways to manage them can prevent further injury while waiting for paramedics to arrive. It is also important to know what not to do to avoid worsening the person’s condition. For example, rib fractures can lead to punctured lungs if not handled carefully. Talk to a New York Personal Injury Attorney if you suffered these injuries from a car accident caused by someone else.
Signs of a Broken Bone
Pain is one of the first signs you might notice after someone suffers a bone fracture. They may wince when 
making a certain movement, standing, walking, or when the injured area touches something like the car door. Fractured ribs may be the most obvious because the person will complain of a sharp pain each time they breathe. Their breathing will likely be shallow or strained.
Another apparent sign of a severe bone injury is a misshapen leg, arm, or other body area. Shattered bones can give a limb a bent appearance, but so can clean fractures. You can also look for bruising, swelling, and redness around the injured area. Bones that break through the skin can usually be visibly seen with bleeding.
An inability to move the limb usually means a broken bone, but may also indicate a soft tissue injury to the muscles, ligaments, or tendons.
First Aid for Broken Bones
Look for the most serious suspected injury first, then call 911 and tell them about this. When applying first aid for broken bones, do so carefully. Broken bones can be sensitive, especially skull and spine fractures. Any wrong move may incite additional damage.
Stop any bleeding first, although this may be tricky for bones that have breached the skin. Apply pressure with a clean cloth to the wound until paramedics arrive. You can attempt to immobilize the broken bone, but it may be best to keep the person still. Having them lay down is appropriate for almost any broken bone, including certain spine fractures. However, do not have them lay down if doing so puts the broken bone in a damaging or awkward position.
The goal is to position the person in a way that lets their injured area rest without any kind of movement. You can try to apply a homemade splint for certain types of fractures, but avoid this if a splint requires bone realignment.
Personal Injury Lawyer in New York
Broken bones vary in terms of severity and what kind of first aid should be applied. Some broken bones can heal within a month, whereas others can take almost a year to completely heal. This can put many people with physically demanding jobs out of employment for a while. If this happened to you, try talking to a Cortland Car Accidents Attorney to discuss options for compensation.
At Gattuso & Ciotoli, we have over 50 years of experience with personal injury cases. Call us at (315) 314-8000 for a free consultation today. You can find us in Central New York, Syracuse, Watertown, Binghamton, Syracuse, North Syracuse, Camillus, Liverpool, Cortland, and Auburn.