When Your Knee Injury is Related to an Accident

You may have slipped on a defective sidewalk and landed forcefully on your knees.  Alternatively,  your knee was injured when someone’s vehicle crashed into your car.  Accident related knee injuries are a common source of pain and frustration.  They can cause limitations on movement and possibly effect lifestyle changes.  Is someone else responsible for your accident related knee injury?

Personal Injury Claims

Every personal injury claim has two major components.  First, it is important to establish liability.  Obviously, your chances of recovery for a case where you were at fault are dubious, if not null altogether.  In New Jersey, you must prove that the other party’s actions made them at least fifty percent culpable for your injuries.

The next part of your lawsuit will depend on your damages.  In making a case for personal injury, it is necessary to determine the extent of your injuries.  Under some automobile policies, some knee injuries may not be considered permanent in nature or character.  Of course, this is not for you to decide.  This is a matter for an experienced personal injury attorney to analyze after reviewing medical records.  The Law Offices of Anthony Carbone has several years of experience in determining the viability of personal injury claims involving accident related knee injuries.

Types of Knee Injuries

Although cannot provide you with medical advice concerning your knee injury, we would like to share some basic information concerning some of the knee-related  injuries  we have come across in our office.  Here are some examples:

• Ligament Damage: This is the number one accident related knee injury that we run across in our practice. Ligaments are connective tissues that have a variety of purposes.  In the case of the ligaments around the knee, there are four ligaments that are subject to injury.  According to the Mayo Clinic, tears to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) are extremely painful and debilitating.  The ACL is the major ligament in the knee joint.
• Knee sprains: Knee sprains are also related to ligament damage. They involve stretching and straining of any of the ligaments found in the knee.  This type of injury can be minor, but can also be expansive if ligaments are torn.
• Knee fractures: Like every other bone, the force of an accident can cause the boney structure of the knee to fracture. This includes the kneecap, which is also known as the patella.
• Torn Meniscus: The meniscus is cartilage within the knee structure. They somewhat act as shock absorbers.  It is possible to tear a meniscus by any twisting motion.
• Dislocated knees: It is less common to dislocate a knee as a result of an accident. It simply means that the bones in the knee become displaced.  This can be a painful injury and often requires surgical intervention.

The foregoing information represents a brief list of some of the accident-related knee injuries we have seen in our office.  If you have suffered a knee injury, please contact our office to schedule an appointment.

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