Insurers price fractures as ‘they heal.’ Anyone who’s lived through one knows better: surgeries, plates and rods, months off work, and joints that never quite forgive. Fracture cases are won by documenting the full arc — not the cast, but everything after it.
Why Fracture Claims Get Undervalued — and How We Answer
- Hardware is not ‘healed.’ Open reduction and internal fixation — our explainers on ORIF and intramedullary rods cover the procedures — means implanted metal, second surgeries, and permanent change. MedlinePlus covers the clinical side.
- Complications are foreseeable. Nonunion, malunion, infection, and post-traumatic arthritis belong in the claim’s valuation — before settlement, because after is too late.
- Age changes everything. Hip and femur fractures in older adults carry documented long-term risks (CDC data) that a same-for-everyone settlement ignores.
- Lost earning capacity — a tradesperson’s wrist and an office worker’s wrist are different economic injuries; the claim should say so.
Where Fractures Come From
Vehicle crashes (car, motorcycle, pedestrian), falls, and workplace incidents — where the comp/third-party dual track applies. The source shapes the liability case; the fracture shapes the damages case; both get built.
Frequently Asked Questions
The insurer offered to pay my ER and ortho bills. Isn’t that fair?
Bills-only offers ignore pain and suffering, future treatment (hardware removal, arthritis), and lost income — usually the larger half of a fracture claim. Have the full number calculated before signing anything.
My fracture healed but my joint aches constantly. Is that compensable?
Yes — post-traumatic arthritis and residual limitation are recognized, documentable consequences. This is precisely why fracture cases shouldn’t settle before the medical picture matures.
Do I have a case if I broke a bone but surgery wasn’t needed?
Potentially — casting, immobilization, therapy, and lost work are real damages. Severity affects value, not validity.
How long do I have to file?
Generally two years under Pennsylvania law — with a six-month written-notice requirement for claims against government entities and special rules for minors and late-discovered injuries. Evidence fades faster than any deadline.
What does hiring you cost?
No attorney’s fee unless we recover for you; the contingency percentage and case-cost handling are in the written fee agreement you review before signing. Consultations are free.
Ready to talk about your case? Call (215) 464-4600 or contact us online for a free, confidential consultation — contingency fee, no attorney’s fee unless we recover, costs explained in the written fee agreement.