Hand and wrist injuries can be painful and debilitating. The human hand is an extremely complex appendage that is designed to enable precise small muscle movements. When wrists and hands are injured in car crashes, pedestrian knockdowns, bicycle accidents, and falls, it can require a great deal of medical treatment, rehabilitative services, and possibly surgery to restore the hand to its prior level of dexterity. Recovery can be expensive and prolonged, taking a toll on the finances of the entire family.
When you’re suffering from wrist and hand injuries due to the negligence, recklessness, or intentional act of another person, it’s possible for victims to collect a substantial amount of compensation. An experienced Orange County hand & wrist injury lawyer can help you collect money for medical expenses, current and future lost earnings, pain, suffering, and mental distress. Call the personal injury attorneys at Crockett Law Group today to schedule your free consultation and learn more.
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How Common Are Hand and Wrist Injuries?
According to the National Library of Medicine, over a quarter of injuries from accidents are hand and wrist injuries. This is not surprising when you consider how complex the hand is and how it is often used to protect other parts of the body. For example, many people injure their hands and wrists in a fall accident by using them to break the fall and protect their faces. Drivers often injure their hands in car crashes, by holding on tight to the steering wheel to avoid trauma to the ribs and face.Types of Hand and Wrist Injuries
There are many types of traumatic injuries that can be sustained in the wrists and hands. The following wrist and hands injuries are the most common:Amputations
The most serious accidents sometimes cause traumatic amputations or damage the wrist and/or hand so badly that a surgical amputation is required.Fractures
High-speed crashes, head-on collisions, rollovers, and falls from heights can cause the delicate bones of the wrist and hand to break. These injuries include open, closed, simple, and compound breaks of varying severity.Dislocations
There are many joints in the wrist and hand that can become dislocated due to an accident.Lacerations
Tearing of the skin can lead to blood loss that requires emergency treatment, and consulting with a plastic surgeon is recommended to avoid scarring and improve the cosmetic result.
Blunt Trauma
Bruising can indicate internal injuries to the hand that should prompt testing and further examination, especially if you experience severe pain and limitation of motion.Puncture wounds
Debris from a car crash sometimes pierces wrists and hands causing puncture wounds that can present a serious risk of infection.Ligament Injuries
These are soft-tissue injuries that can sometimes heal on their own but can be severe enough in some cases to require surgical repair.How Do You Know If You Have a Hand or Wrist Injury?
It’s not always clear that you have a wrist or hand injury immediately after an accident. This type of injury can sometimes take a day or more to show symptoms such as:- Swelling
- Bruising
- Pain with Movement
- Radiating pain from the wrist to the fingers
How Do You Treat a Hand or Wrist Injury?
If there is pain or visual trauma, the hand or wrist should be examined at an emergency room or urgent care center immediately after an accident. When pain develops later, the wrist or hand should be evaluated by an orthopedist or a hand specialist. Conservative treatment such as acupuncture and physical therapy is very often able to completely resolve the problems. If pain persists epidural injections are often recommended, with surgery an option when all else fails.How Long Do Hand and Wrist Injuries Take to Heal?
Some wrist and hand injuries heal on their own in a matter of days, and others are permanent injuries that result in a disability. An amputation will take a long time to heal and adapting to life with a missing hand or using a prosthetic can take many years. Hand and wrist surgery can help regain full use of the wrist and hand in many cases, but it’s usually at least a year before normal function has been restored.Compensation for Hand and Wrist Injuries
The amount of compensation a victim of a wrist and hand injury can expect will depend on the following factors:- The scope and length of medical care, including rehabilitation, prosthetics, and other devices;
- The length and amount of lost income and whether the victim has a permanent, partial, or total disability
- The subjective pain and suffering experienced by the victim
- The psychological trauma of disability and any disfiguring scars
