Clavicle Fracture

Being injured in a car accident or while on the job can leave you worried about how you will continue to support yourself or your family. Suffering a serious injury, such as a broken clavicle, can severely limit you in your day-to-day functionality and make it impossible to work. In these situations, it is crucial to work with a knowledgeable personal injury attorney from the Boston-based firm of Altman & Altman LLP. We can work with you to ensure you’re able to collect benefits or other financial means to continue living your life.

Car accidents and accidents that occur in work can happen at any time, regardless of your profession. Whether it is a slip and fall injury, a fall from a significant height or you were injured when a negligent driver crashed into you, there is legal recourse to collect benefits or pursue damages against whoever is responsible.

How did you fracture your clavicle?

The clavicle is the medical term for your collarbone. It is a structural bone that enables the arm to make certain movements and connects the shoulder to the body’s “trunk,” or chest area. When it is fractured, it can result in serious pain and loss of mobility in the affected arm. It can also cause other complications, such as lacerated nerves, which can permanently affect mobility, or lacerated blood vessels, which may be life threatening.

The most common way to break the clavicle is through a traumatic injury where somebody tries to brace an impending impact and lands with excessive force on their outstretched arm. The transfer of energy causes the bone to undergo too much flexion and can fail, causing a fracture. Common ways to injure your clavicle include through sporting activities, crashing on a bicycle or motorbike or getting into an automobile accident. However, falls can result in fractured clavicles as well, which can occur in any setting.

A doctor can confirm a broken clavicle with a simple x-ray, and then common treatment involves putting the arm in a sling while the bone heals. In rarer cases, about 5 to 10 percent of patients require surgical intervention to repair the break. Surgery is required if the bone pierces through the skin or shears blood vessels or nerves within the body, as these injuries can have much more life threatening or debilitating implications.

Recovery time can range from a couple weeks to several weeks, depending on the severity and type of fracture to the clavicle.

You are guaranteed certain rights after an injury

After an injury occurs at work, you are entitled to certain benefits that enable you to collect money to pay your bills and help with medical expenses. Workers’ compensation is a guaranteed right if the injury occurs during work hours and normal responsibilities of the job. You may also be eligible for short term or long term disability depending on the severity of the injury, and it is crucial to consult with a personal injury attorney to ensure you are receiving all the benefits guaranteed to you.

Recovering from an injury is already taxing enough without having to fight with your employer and insurance company about how the injury occurred and whether or not you qualify to receive benefits. Let the expert personal injury attorneys at Altman & Altman handle the fighting so you can focus on recovering and getting back to normal.

Our firm has over 50 years of experience dealing with insurance companies and employers who don’t want to pay out guaranteed benefits, and if you were injured by a negligent operator of a motor vehicle, we have the experience and expertise to pursue civil suits against whoever is culpable, which can result in a settlement or award in your favor.

If you or a loved one has been injured, call today for a free consultation to go over the details of your case at 617-492-3000 or toll-free at 800-481-6199. We are available 24/7.