Foot crush injuries often become very challenging if you rely on a Georgia workers compensation insurance company to pay for your treatment and lost wages.
Crushed bones in your foot and ankle may also involve:
- torn ligaments
- torn tendons
- avulsion fracture
- fractured tarsal bones
- fractured metatarsal bones
- fracture to the navicular bone
- ruptured achilles tendon
- broken toes
- broken ankle
- extensive soft tissue damage in your lower leg from trauma
and require very different treatment than what would be required in the case of a stress fracture or a non-displaced simple fracture. In other words, a crushed foot is not the same as a “broken foot” but the insurance adjuster may not want to recognize the difference.
If bones in your foot are crushed because a truck rolls over your foot or if a heavy object lands on you, there may not be solid pieces of broken bone for the doctor to repair. You may require extensive reconstruction that includes the installation, removal and re-installation of hardware or prosthetics. You may be immobilized and casted (arthrodesis), or placed in a splint and need crutches, not regaining weight bearing status for months.
As I discuss in the video above, you will likely be out of work for an extended period of time and require extensive rehabilitation. You can also expect future problems from arthritis and deformities in your foot as you age. Broken foot bones and fractures to the ankle joint or heel bone will likely limit your flexibility and range of motion, and you may experience tenderness, instability, residual ankle and foot pain for the rest of your life.
Most importantly, you will need on-going treatment from an orthopaedic specialist who has extensive training and experience with foot surgery and treating crushed feet. I will push the insurance company to approve treatment with either an orthopedic physician or a podiatrist who has the capacity to diagnose and treat crush injuries.
The workers’ compensation adjuster will balk at obligating the insurance company to pay for needed care. They will try to frame your injury as just a “broken foot” and push to settle for pennies on the dollar. I have represented dozens of workers struggling to recover from foot crush injuries and I can offer you the benefit of my experience and knowledge about how to get proper treatment and to negotiate a settlement that contemplates your likely future problems.