Femur fracture accident lawyer

The femur is the strongest bone in the body, and breaking it in an otherwise healthy adult requires substantial force. That fact alone makes a femur fracture powerful evidence of the severity of a collision, and it usually means other injuries should be looked for. Law Offices Of SRIS, P.C. handles orthopedic injury claims in Virginia, Maryland, the District of Columbia, New Jersey and New York.

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What the imaging and records show

Radiographs establish the location — femoral neck, intertrochanteric, shaft or distal — and the pattern, which together determine the operation. CT is used for fractures extending into the hip or knee joint. Because the force required is so high, the imaging is itself evidence about the energy of the incident, which is useful where a carrier characterizes the collision as minor. Associated injuries to the hip, knee, pelvis and the opposite limb should be excluded.

Why this injury meets the legal threshold

A femur fracture is objective injury of a high order, and the operative fixation that almost always follows establishes severity independently. Blood loss can be significant and may itself have required transfusion. The contested questions are the durability of the result and the long-term effect on gait, work and the adjacent joints.

Typical treatment course and prognosis

Shaft fractures are usually fixed with an intramedullary nail inserted down the center of the bone. Fractures near the hip are fixed with screws or a plate-and-screw device, or in some cases treated with replacement. Fractures at the knee end are plated. Recovery involves protected weight bearing and prolonged rehabilitation to restore quadriceps strength, which is commonly slow. Recognized outcomes include leg length discrepancy, rotational malalignment, persistent weakness, hardware irritation, nonunion and arthritis where a joint was involved.

How insurance carriers attack this diagnosis

That the fracture healed and the person walks unaided. That weakness reflects deconditioning rather than injury. That any leg length difference is trivial. That future hardware removal or joint surgery is speculative. The answers are measurements: leg lengths compared, rotation assessed, quadriceps strength tested objectively against the uninjured side, gait analyzed, and a surgeon’s opinion on permanence obtained.

Proving the accident caused it

Rarely contested, given the force required. The work is documenting consequence and looking for what else was injured — hip, knee, pelvis and the opposite limb are commonly involved in the same mechanism and are sometimes missed while attention is on the obvious fracture. Objective strength and alignment measurements over time, and a surgeon’s opinion on residual impairment and future care, are what establish the claim.

Available insurance coverage

What can be recovered is limited by what coverage exists. The at-fault party’s policy is the starting point, but it is frequently not the only source: the injured person’s own uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage, household policies, employer coverage where a vehicle was used for work, umbrella and excess layers, and the coverage of any additional responsible party can all apply. Underinsured coverage typically requires notice and consent before any settlement with the at-fault party — settling first can forfeit it. Identifying every available layer is early work, not closing work.

How damages are categorised and proven

Damages are not a single number that gets negotiated. They are separate categories, each proven by different evidence. Past medical expense is proven by billing records and the reasonableness of the charges. Future medical expense requires a physician’s opinion that the care is reasonably certain to be needed. Lost income is proven by employment and tax records; lost earning capacity is a different and larger question requiring vocational and economic analysis. Non-economic loss — pain, limitation, and the effect on daily life — is proven through the medical record and through testimony from people who can describe specific changes rather than general decline. No one can responsibly tell you what a case is worth before that evidence exists, and any figure offered at the outset is a guess.

Filing deadlines

Every injury claim is governed by a statute of limitations, and the periods differ by state and by claim type. For personal injury actions the period is two years in Virginia under Va. Code § 8.01-243(A), accruing at the date of injury; three years in Maryland under Md. Code, Cts. & Jud. Proc. § 5-101; three years in the District of Columbia under D.C. Code § 12-301(8); two years in New Jersey under N.J.S.A. 2A:14-2; and three years in New York under N.Y. C.P.L.R. § 214(5). These are general periods. Discovery rules, tolling for minors and incapacity, claims against government entities — the District imposes a six-month notice-of-claim requirement for claims against the District government — and claim-specific statutes can shorten or extend them. Do not rely on a general period for your own case; have the deadline confirmed on your facts.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much force does it take to break a femur?

Substantial. In a healthy adult it generally requires high-energy trauma such as a significant motor vehicle collision, a motorcycle crash, a pedestrian strike or a fall from height. In older people with reduced bone density it can occur with less force. The fracture itself is therefore evidence about the energy involved.

What is an intramedullary nail?

A metal rod inserted down the hollow center of the bone and secured with screws, used for most shaft fractures. It allows earlier weight bearing than a plate in many cases. The rod is often left in place permanently, though it can be removed if it causes symptoms.

Will one leg end up shorter?

It can happen, particularly with comminuted fractures where length is harder to restore precisely. Small differences are often well tolerated; larger ones alter gait and load the spine and the opposite hip and knee. Leg lengths should be measured objectively rather than estimated, because the measurement is what documents the problem.

Why is my thigh still weak months later?

Quadriceps weakness after a femur fracture is common and can persist for a long time, particularly where there was significant muscle injury or a prolonged period of restricted weight bearing. Objective strength testing comparing both sides documents it, which matters because a carrier will otherwise characterize it as deconditioning.

Should anything else have been checked?

Yes. The mechanism that breaks a femur commonly injures the hip, the knee, the pelvis and the opposite limb, and those injuries are sometimes missed while attention is on the obvious fracture. If you have pain elsewhere that has not been assessed, raise it specifically with your treating physicians.

How long do I have to bring a claim?

Two years in Virginia and New Jersey, three years in Maryland, the District of Columbia and New York for personal injury actions, subject to tolling and discovery rules and to much shorter notice requirements where a government entity is involved. Confirm the deadline on your own facts.

About Mr. Sris

Mr. Sris is the owner and founder of Law Offices Of SRIS, P.C., which has practiced since 1997. He is a former prosecutor and is admitted in Virginia, Maryland, the District of Columbia, New Jersey and New York. Of Counsel attorneys contract directly with the firm and handle matters alongside him. In 2019 Mr. Sris testified before the Virginia House Courts of Justice Committee on House Bill 635.

Speak with Mr. Sris

Injury claims are governed by filing deadlines that vary by state and by claim type, and evidence degrades quickly. Request a consultation. Reach our location at (888) 437-7747. Consultations are by appointment.

Last reviewed: August 22, 2026.

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