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ACL KNEE INJURIES AND AUTO ACCIDENTSIs it possible for an ACL tear to occur as a result of a car accident? Yes, indeed. Without a doubt. ACL tears are caused by a sudden extreme twisting or hyper-extending of the leg/knee during an auto accident. A sprain, strain, or broken ACL is the most common knee injury sustained in a car accident. Do not let an insurance adjuster tell you that it cannot happen.
Sports accidents, trauma, car crashes, falls, rough landings, abrupt changes in direction, stiff-legged landings, knee rotating on landing, planting your foot into the ground very hard when cutting to the opposite direction, landing flat on your heels, all of these things can cause ACL injury.
Sources indicating ACL injuries occur in auto accidents:
Countryside Orthopaedics . . . “ACL tears have numerous causes, including hyperextension of your leg, twisting your knee, sudden changes in direction, hard and direct contact to the knee, or a sudden stop in movement. Car accidents, work injuries, falls, and sports, are some common situations that can lead to an ACL tear.”
Jorge Chahla, MD, PHD . . . “Other causes include contact injuries, falls, or other traumatic accidents.”
Johns Hopkins Medicine . . . “The ligament can also tear due to work injuries or automobile accidents.”
US National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health . . . “nearly half of the patients in their cohort sustained a knee injury following pedestrian versus motor vehicle accidents and 22% of those knee injuries were ligamentous in nature” . . .
Sterling Medical Group . . . “While you might not associate a knee injury with a car accident, it’s fairly common.”
National Library of Medicine. National Center for Biotechnology Information . . . “The objective of this study is to show the characteristics of acute traumatic haemarthrosis of the knee due to road traffic accidents. A prospective study was undertaken of 47 knees in 46 road traffic accident victims (14 to 74 years old), who presented with an acute haemarthrosis of the knee over 12 months. Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears occurred in 51.1 percent (24 of 47).”
Tennessee Orthopaedic Clinic . . . “ACL tears are most common in athletes, though some patients tear their ACL in car accidents or falls.”
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Symptoms: People normally experience a sharp pain in the knee and a “popping” feeling right away. The knee can swell and become unsteady. Within hours, there is usually a lot of swelling and some range of motion loss. When walking, there is discomfort in the joints.
Treatment:Nonsurgical: Physical therapy and rehabilitation will often restore complete function to the knee without surgery. The issue is that there are usually episodes of knee instability, and those periods of instability can lead to more knee injury.
Surgical: Grafts are used to repair and build a new ACL in the knee during surgery. The following are examples of grafts:
Patellar tendon autograft (autograft comes from the patient): The surgeon removes a section of the patellar tendon (just below the kneecap) and uses it to surgically replace the broken ACL.
Hamstring tendon autograft: A portion of the patient’s hamstring (on the back of the leg) close to the knee is used to construct a new ACL.
Quadriceps tendon autograft: A portion of the tendon above the kneecap (closer to the quadraceps – front leg muscle near to the knee) is removed. When there has been a previous ACL reconstruction failure, this is usually done. It is a bigger graft for patients who are tall and heavy.
Allograft (taken from a cadaver): The patellar tendon, Achilles tendon, semitendinosus tendon, gracilis tendon, or posterior tibialis tendon are all examples of tendon structures. Allografts are taken from the body of a deceased person (cadaver). Since you aren’t cutting through two separate sections of the body to repair itself, the surgery is less painful. The procedure is therefore less time-consuming. Allografts have a number of drawbacks, including the possibility of viral transmissions such as HIV and Hepatitis C. Despite diligent screening, this happens from time to time. Bacterial infections can be fatal if they are not properly procured and sterilized. Failure rates range from 23 percent to 34 percent, compared to just 5 percent to 10% for “autografts” (where you take the material from your own body to create a new ACL).
Rehabilitation: After ACL surgery, rehabilitation usually takes 4-6 months.
If you have a torn ACL or suspect you may have one due to a car accident, you need to contact a personal injury attorney to protect your rights regarding your injury, the cost of treating your injury, and other financial consequences of such a serious injury.
Call us at (972) 599 4100 to discuss your case to determine if you need a personal injury attorney, or if you should continue to handle the case without an attorney. We will discuss all the factors you need to consider in making your decision.
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WHAT CAN YOU RECOVER IN COMPENSATION FOR AN ACL KNEE INJURY?Economic damages and non-economic damages are the two types of compensatory losses.
Past and future medical expenses are examples of economic damages that may be awarded to a claimant following a car accident. Many people who are involved in car accidents have to seek medical attention for their injuries. Depending on the severity of their injuries, medical treatment may include surgery or multiple visits to a specialist.
When a Texas driver is at fault in an accident, their insurance company is obligated to pay for certain damages, depending on the type of coverage the driver purchased. If another driver was at fault for the accident in which you were involved, you may be able to recover compensation for past and future medical expenses.
Earnings losses may be recouped. After being involved in an accident that results in injuries, a person may miss time from work, putting a financial strain on the victim and their family. If this is the case, a car accident victim may be able to recover compensation for the money they would have earned had they not been injured.
You can recover a variety of non-economic damages for an accident-related injury. Intangible damages are referred to as noneconomic damages. While there is no set monetary value for these losses, a lawyer can estimate the cost of these damages based on the specifics of your injuries.
Non-economic damages such as disfigurement are examples of non-economic damages that may be awarded to a car accident victim. An accident victim who has been disfigured or severely scarred may be entitled to compensation.
Pain and suffering damages are recoverable depending on the severity and duration of the pain. A lawyer can determine how much compensation you may be entitled to for physical pain and mental anguish as a result of an accident.
Other factors may have an impact on the amount of your damages. One of these factors is their participation in the accident. In Texas, if a person is found to be more than 50% at fault for an accident, they are barred from recovering damages from the other party. They can still seek financial restitution if they are less than 50% at fault. The amount of compensation they can receive will be reduced by their percentage of fault.
If you want to know how much money you can get for a car accident, contact the Law Office of Doug Goyen. We assist car accident victims in exercising their rights and recovering any compensation to which they may be entitled. Contact our office today at (972) 599-4100 to learn more about the types of damages you may be able to recover after a car accident. Case reviews are free, and no fees are charged unless we win your case.
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TYPES OF MOTOR VEHICLE ACCIDENTS THAT CAN CAUSE AN ACL TEARJust about any type of motor vehicle accident can cause a torn ACL in the knee, including:
FREE CASE REVIEWSIf you are looking for a Dallas injury lawyer, call (972) 599 4100. We offer free phone consultations. We also provide a free strategy session. The strategy session includes a summary of your case, legal issues involved, and legal issues we identify as being critical to maximizing the compensation owed.
THERE IS NO FEE IF WE DO NOT WINYou owe us nothing if we are unable to recover. We charge a contingency fee structured to take a percentage of what we recover. As a performance-based contract, the better we do for you, the better we do for ourselves. This aligns our interests in the case with our client’s interests.
DIRECTIONS TO OUR OFFICELaw Office of Doug Goyen
15851 Dallas Pkwy #605
Addison, Texas 75001
(972) 599 4100 phone
(972) 398 2629 fax
Directions to our office: We are on the southbound side of the service road to the Tollway. Stay on the Dallas North Tollway until you come to the Keller Springs exit. Take the Keller Spring exit. Stay on the service road on the southbound side and go just past Keller Springs. Our office is the 2nd building south of Keller Springs, located on the service road to the North Dallas Tollway in the Madison Business Center on the 6th floor.
By Doug Goyen, douggoyen@goyenlaw.com
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