Leg & Knee Injuries Attorney in
Santa Barbara County, California

Leg & Knee Injuries

A serious injury to the leg or knee can be crippling. A severely broken leg, a serious tear to ligaments supporting the knee, or the entire loss of the leg in an accident can be a lifelong, disabling injury.

Individuals who suffer serious leg and knee injuries face steep medical costs, lengthy recoveries, and loss of income while out of work, as well as permanent disability in cases of amputation or injuries that do not fully heal. If you have sustained a leg or knee injury caused by the negligence of another, you deserve compensation for your medical bills and lost income as well as for pain and suffering.

Our Santa Barbara injury attorney at Andrade Law Offices investigate and pursue personal injury lawsuits that take into account all of our clients' losses, and we press hard for the full compensation our clients are due. Our team works with California residents who have suffered significant leg and knee injuries caused by the negligence of others in cases such as:

• Car accidents

• Motorcycle accidents

• Bicycle accidents

• Dog attacks

• Slip and fall accidents

• Other incidents

We help our clients obtain insurance settlements that provide the compensation necessary to ensure their financial recovery from the injuries they have suffered.

Call our offices for a free review of your injury claim.

Injuries to The Knees & Legs

The knee is the body's largest joint. The kneecap (patella), the thighbone (femur), the shinbone (tibia), and several large ligaments that connect the bones form the knee joint. Soft cartilage between the upper and lower leg bones, called the meniscus, cushions the knee as it moves and flexes. Tendons connect muscles to the bones. A direct blow, abnormal or abrupt twisting or bending, or falling onto the knee or knees are common causes of knee injuries.

The most common knee injuries are:

• Fractures of the patella, the ends of the tibia (proximal tibia), or the femur (distal femur).

• Dislocation, in which the bones are forced out of normal alignment or position.

• Meniscus tear and ligament tears, such as to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) or the medial collateral ligament (MCL). These are caused by sudden twisting, such as from being thrown about in a car crash, while trying to escape an attacking dog, or in a fall.

A blow or other undue stress, such as from twisting or crushing, on the femur or tibia can result in a fracture. A leg fracture may range in severity from an incomplete or greenstick fracture to a compound fracture, in which the bone breaks the skin, or a comminuted fracture, in which the bone shatters.

Knee injuries and leg fractures can, in many cases, heal over several weeks with immobilization with a cast or brace. Afterward, the patient may undergo physical rehabilitation to restore function to the knee and leg, and strengthen leg muscles.

Leg & Knee Injuries: A Long Road to Recovery

Many people who have suffered leg and knee injuries never fully recover. Bad knees are a common complaint of workers who suffer knee injuries caused by the wear-and-tear of overuse, or from former sports enthusiasts with knee injuries. The damage is the same in a traumatic accident like a car or motorcycle wreck, and the lingering pain and loss of mobility hampers the victim's lifestyle in significant ways. In addition, older people who suffer broken legs find that older bones do not heal as well as younger ones, and a fracture has lasting effects.

An accident victim who has suffered the traumatic amputation of a leg or the surgical amputation of a leg crushed in an accident beyond repair may eventually be fitted for a prosthetic limb. After extensive therapy they can often learn to live productively, but medical procedures and prosthetics are expensive.

We Seek Compensation for Accident Victims with Knee & Leg Injuries

Your leg constitutes about half of your body and is therefore easily injured in a motor vehicle accident, a fall, an animal attack, or any incident that results in traumatic personal injury.

• The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons says a knee injury is one of the most common reasons people see a doctor.

• A report by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says lower-extremity injuries – leg, knee, thigh, hip, pelvic, ankle, and foot injuries – are the most common motorcycle accident injuries.

A significant knee or leg injury can cause permanent loss of mobility, which may affect earning ability and income for many workers, as well as general enjoyment of life. This makes it important to ensure that any insurance settlement for a leg or knee injury accounts for all of the accident victim's losses. Though insurance companies like to offer quick settlements to close the book on accident cases, it is a mistake to accept any offer made before all losses are understood.

Andrade Law Offices can work with you to ensure that your insurance settlement meets all of the accident victim's past, current, and future medical expenses and other losses. This includes seeking compensation for medical care, property damage, lost income or earning capacity, pain, suffering, and more. We consult specialists to develop life care plans with detailed accounting of projected needs when we work for clients who have suffered permanent or long-term disabilities. In the case of a client who has lost a leg, this includes calculating ongoing costs to adjust, maintain, repair, and eventually replace a prosthetic leg.

As part of an accident investigation, we work to maximize compensation recovered for clients by holding third parties who contributed to our client's injury accountable. For example, if you are in an accident caused by a commercial driver, the at-fault driver's employer may be held liable. Manufacturers may be held liable for faulty vehicles or automotive parts that cause accidents, as can local governments or contractors responsible for roadway defects that contributed to an accident.

Talk to A Skilled Santa Barbara Injury Attorney Today

If you or a loved one of yours has suffered a significant knee or leg injury in a car, truck, or motorcycle accident, a slip and fall accident, or in another accident, a Santa Barbara personal injury lawyer at our firm may be able to help you obtain the compensation you deserve.

The legal team at Andrade Law Offices understands the lengthy, difficult, and expensive recovery that victims of catastrophic injuries face, and we work to maximize the compensation recovered through negotiations or court action, including in third-party liability claims where possible.

Contact us for a free discussion of your case.