Crush Injuries – Spokane Personal Injury Law Firm

Crush injuries cause compression. Everyone in Spokane has suffered crush injuries, and it’s highly likely that we’ll all suffer them in the future too. We might close a cabinet door on a finger, or we could drop a heavy object on our big toe. We’ve all done it. Those are crush injuries. On the other extreme, we might also lose an arm or a leg in a heavy impact like in a motor vehicle crash. Those involve crush injuries too. It’s all about the magnitude of the crush injury that makes it minor or catastrophic. For a mild crush injury, there might be an explicative, some pain, bruising and maybe a cut. For a severe crush injury, tissue, muscles bones or organs can be damaged.

If you or a loved one has suffered a severe crush injury, you will benefit from a free consultation with an experienced personal injury lawyer. If you are in the Spokane, Valley or surrounding areas, contact us today for a confidential appointment.

Disasters and crush fractures

Although often associated with motor vehicle collisions and falls from heights, crush injuries also result from disasters. They’re sometimes seen when a person is trapped in a building or in a mine collapse. Crush injury victims might also get caught in a debris pile as a result of an earthquake, hurricane, tornado or bombing.

Compartment syndrome

Layers of tissue known as fascia separate different muscles in the arms and legs. Fascia operates as a compartment that houses muscles, nerves and blood vessels. It surrounds them like a thin protective rubber coating over electrical wires. Because fascia won’t expand, trauma to the body structure that houses it increases pressure inside of the compartment, and when it reaches sufficiently high level, the blood flow to that compartment becomes blocked. Permanent damage to muscles and nerves could result. If the pressure is sufficiently prolonged, the muscles in the limb can die, and it won’t be functional anymore. That’s when an amputation becomes a distinct possibility.

Rhabdomyolysis

After muscles have been crushed, a condition called rhabdomyolysis might follow. The condition was first described by doctors in London in World War II when crush victims who had been dug out of bombing rubble developed dark urine and died a few days later. Their injuries didn’t appear to be life threatening. When rhabdomyolysis sets in, content of the muscle is released. It then gets trapped in the kidneys and blocks them. As a result of the blockages, crush victims stop producing urine and go into kidney failure. Up to 30 percent of them die.

Sometimes a crushed limb has to be amputated in order to save the victim’s life. If an arm or a leg has a low chance of functional recovery after being crushed, and it has created toxicity, amputation might be the most prudent medical decision.

Do I need a personal injury lawyer?

Most severe crush injuries are extremely difficult to recover from without reconstructive surgery. The cost of care and treatment can be staggering. Don’t try to work with the insurer of the person or entity who caused your injury. That insurer knows that you’re going to be permanently disabled, and your medical bills will be sky high. It’s only trying to control its losses while paying you as little as possible. Talk with us first. Our objective is to maximize any compensation that you might receive.

If you’ve suffered a crush injury as a result of the carelessness and negligence of somebody else, you’ll need the help of an experienced and successful personal injury law firm.

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