Broken legs are not a common injury in a Georgia auto wreck but the force of a collision can result in leg fractures. Last year, Breitbart reported on how a woman from Georgia who was riding in the front passenger seat of an automobile with her foot resting on the dashboard had her own foot smashed into her face. Her leg also shattered as the airbag deployed during a wreck.
The serious injuries sustained by Audra Tatum in a crash that should have caused few injuries, highlight the dangers of riding with your feet on the dashboard of a car.
Breitbart reported that two years after the accident on August 2, 2015, that left Tatum nearly crippled she has faced a long road to recovery. Her legs are filled with screws and rods. She had to learn to walk all over again. The wreck left both cars practically totaled, but the passenger compartments were largely intact.
Broken legs after a Georgia car crash
Tatum’s car T-boned another vehicle. Tatum was not wearing a seatbelt as she rode in her car. However, the fact she was resting one foot up on the dashboard resulted in terrible injuries.
Rather than protecting the passenger, the deployment of the car’s airbags caused massive injuries. Audra said:
“When the airbag exploded, it pushed my foot up into my face.”
Leg injuries occur fairly commonly in car wrecks. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, 37 percent of frontal car wrecks result in some sort of leg injury.
When you are riding as a passenger or driving in a car, your lower legs are tucked into a fairly small area. When a crash occurs, especially a frontal collision, the entire area around your legs could collapse, causing heavy car parts to squeeze and crush your feet, knees, ankles, and limbs. The force of a car crash may mean lower extremity injuries.
The knees are vulnerable during a car wreck. Damage to the posterior collateral ligament is associated with pain, swelling, and buckling of the knee while walking.
You may also twist the ligaments and suffer from bone fractures.
Thigh injuries are often caused by contact with the vehicle’s dashboard or steering wheel. The force of a car wreck can literally crush the large bone (the femur) that joins the hip to the knee.
Fractured femurs typically require surgery. Often, pins are used to hold the broken pieces together allowing the entire bone to properly heal. The femur must be properly aligned to allow correct hip-thigh-knee alignment. A failure to address the problem in a timely matter can mean incorrect alignment and impede walking.
If you have been injured in a Georgia car wreck due to the fault of another driver, please call the Law Office of Michael West at (404) 913-1529.