Elbow Injury From Fall

Also referred to as an acute elbow injury, a traumatic elbow injury is the result of significant damage caused by a sudden impact, such as a slip and fall accident. A traumatic elbow injury after a fall can result in damage that takes months to heal properly. You might lose full mobility of the affected arm, which means you must take time off from work to recover from the traumatic injury.

A traumatic elbow injury from a fall covers the following types of injuries:

Fractured Elbow

Considered the worst type of traumatic elbow injury, a fractured elbow requires the setting of a cast to prevent the impacted area from sustaining additional damage. An elbow fracture can develop in one of the three bones that connect the forearm, elbow joint, and upper.

Dislocated Elbow

A slip and fall can generate enough force to knock the elbow joint out of the supportive socket. The pain can be excruciating enough to require immediate surgery. As with a fractured elbow, a dislocated elbow requires a stabilizing medical device to prevent movement of the affected arm and elbow.

Sprained Elbow

Damaging the medial collateral (MCL) ligament results in a sprained elbow. This type of elbow injury typically results from a strong impact, such as hitting the floor or ground with full force. Although stabilizing the elbow is important, healthcare providers usually recommend a sling instead of a cast to keep the elbow stationary at all times.

In addition to sudden, intense pain, all three of the most common types of traumatic elbow injuries can produce several other symptoms. You might notice bruising or another form of discoloration around the impacted elbow. Quick inflammation around the elbow indicates damage to the nerves that run through the elbow and into the hands and upper arms. A dramatic loss in the range of motion for the affected arm represents another sign of a traumatic elbow injury from a fall. 

After you detect the first symptoms of a traumatic elbow injury from a fall, you should take immediate action by meeting with an elbow specialist. You can expect to reveal your medical history, with a special focus on any arm and/or elbow injuries sustained in the past. The healthcare provider conducts a comprehensive physical examination to determine whether you sustained any other injuries after a slip and fall incident. Imaging tests like an x-ray and/or MRI discover the type of traumatic elbow injury you have sustained. The completion of a series of imaging tests allows you to receive an accurate diagnosis, which results in the implementation of an effective treatment regimen.

Although you might feel dazed after a slip and fall incident, you must quickly brush aside any confusion to take several steps that improve your chances of getting the compensation that you deserve. How you handle the aftermath of a slip and fall accident goes a long way toward determining how your slip and fall lawyer proceeds with your case.

Diagnose and Treat the Traumatic Elbow Injury From a Fall

You might not feel any pain right after a slip and fall accident, but that does not mean you should avoid seeking medical care to determine whether you sustained one or more injuries. If you feel healthy enough to remain at the scene of the slip and fall incident, you should eventually meet with a healthcare provider to find out whether you sustained one or more injuries that produce delayed symptoms. You might not feel pain around the elbow because bruising has numbed the elbow joint, as well as the bones and muscles that protect the elbow from incurring significant damage.

If you do not seek medical care promptly after a slip and fall incident, the attorney representing the other party will claim you did not sustain a traumatic elbow injury from a fall. 

Notify Management/Ownership

The manager on duty or the owner of the public venue where you slipped and fell is responsible for completing an incident report and sending a copy of the report to your slip and fall lawyer. This means you must inform a manager or the owner about the slip and fall incident. If you sustained a traumatic elbow injury from a fall, one of the venue’s employees should notify a manager or the owner of the establishment.

A slip and fall incident report should include the date and time of the accident, as well as the names and contact information of every witness. The report also should include descriptions of the physical evidence and where your attorney can access the physical evidence during an investigation.

Schedule a Free Case Evaluation with a Slip and Fall Lawyer at Morgan and Morgan

Contacting a highly-rated slip and fall lawyer from Morgan and Morgan helps you build a strong enough case to file a civil lawsuit that seeks monetary damages. Your personal injury attorney reviews the physical evidence, with a focus on examining the photographs shot at the accident scene and the footage recovered from the venue’s security camera system. Security camera footage represents the most convincing type of physical evidence referred to during a slip and fall lawsuit.

Your slip and fall lawyer also interviews witnesses who verify your version of events.

For an elbow injury from a fall, your Morgan and Morgan slip and fall lawyer seeks three types of monetary damages if you decide to file a civil lawsuit.

Economic Damages

Also referred to as special compensatory damages, economic damages cover the tangible costs associated with sustaining a traumatic elbow injury from a fall. Your attorney submits medical bills and records that confirm the monetary value of diagnostic tests, treatment programs, and physical therapy sessions. You also have the right to seek compensation that covers the costs of prescription medications and the use of an assistive device, such as a cast or sling.

Because a traumatic elbow injury can keep you out of work for a prolonged period, you also should ask the judge hearing your case to award your compensation to cover lost wages.

Non-Economic Damages

Unlike economic damages, non-economic damages do not cover tangible costs such as medical expenses. Instead, non-economic damages cover the costs associated with pain and suffering. Sustaining a traumatic elbow injury can cause much more than physical distress symptoms. You also might suffer from developing negative emotions, such as anger, anxiety, and depression. Losing income can produce emotional distress symptoms that negatively impact personal and professional relationships.

Your slip and fall lawyer calculates a value for non-economic damages by using a formula that factors in the value of economic damages.

Punitive Damages

Judges do not award punitive damages to help plaintiffs pay the expenses generated by a traumatic elbow injury. Punitive damages penalize defendants for committing one or more acts of negligence. If the defendant in your case committed an act of intentional negligence, the judge hearing your case might award you a value for compensation that exceeds the combined value of economic and non-economic damages.

Punitive damages also act as a deterrent to prevent future acts of negligence.

Morgan and Morgan assigns you an experienced personal injury attorney who specializes in handling slip and fall cases. Slip and fall cases introduce several unique factors that require the legal support of an attorney who has litigated similar cases.

Schedule a free case evaluation today to take action against another party that committed one or more acts of negligence.