A broken bone injury claim in New York can be worth significant compensation — but only if you handle it correctly. Broken bones are among the most straightforward personal injury injuries to document — X-rays confirm them, treatment is well-established, and courts understand them. But that doesn’t mean insurance companies will pay you what your claim is actually worth.
Fractures That Qualify as Serious Injuries in New York
In car accident cases, New York’s no-fault system requires injuries to meet the “serious injury” threshold to qualify for pain and suffering damages. Bone fracture is explicitly listed in the statute as a qualifying serious injury. This means if you broke a bone in a car accident — a wrist, ankle, leg, rib, or any other bone — you have met that threshold and can pursue damages beyond your medical bills and lost wages. This is one of the cleaner categories in New York no-fault law.
What a Broken Bone Injury Claim Is Worth in New York
Fracture value depends on: which bone broke, whether it required surgery, how it was treated (cast vs. surgical hardware), recovery time, complications, and permanent effects. A clean non-displaced wrist fracture treated with a cast and fully healed in 8 weeks is worth significantly less than a comminuted femur fracture requiring surgery, hardware, 6 months of physical therapy, and leaving permanent range-of-motion limitations. Permanent hardware, arthritis, or visible deformity from a healed fracture increases value considerably.
Compound Fractures and Open Fractures
Open fractures — where bone breaks through the skin — are serious injuries requiring emergency surgery, carry high infection risk, and often result in longer recovery and permanent limitations. These cases carry significantly higher damage values, and insurance companies know it. If you sustained an open fracture, do not accept any settlement without having an attorney review what you’re entitled to. These cases also require detailed future medical projections if arthritis, hardware failure, or secondary surgery is likely.
Documenting Your Fracture Claim
X-rays, CT scans, operative reports, surgeon notes, physical therapy discharge summaries, and records showing functional limitations are all essential. If the fracture healed with deformity, comparative photos help. If you missed work, wage records and employer letters documenting missed time matter. Keep every medical bill and record from the day of injury through the end of treatment.
Get a Fair Settlement for Your Fracture in White Plains
At GMR Law Office, we ensure fracture cases are valued correctly — not at what the insurance company’s first offer says. We serve White Plains and Westchester County. No fee unless we recover. Call (914) 342-7004 for a free consultation. We speak English and Spanish.
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