Failure to diagnose fractures can cause patients unnecessary pain or even permanent disability.
Failure to diagnose fractures can cause patients unnecessary pain or even permanent disability.
I am very happy and satisfied with the settlement you achieved for me and the service was excellent and thank you very much
Mrs E.Swaffield
Loughborough
Fractures, or broken bones, are a common medical issue. Most patients suffering from a fracture in the UK receive an excellent level of care, with a quick diagnosis and treatment delivery. However, some of those affected are misdiagnosed when they visit their GP or A&E, resulting in vital treatment being postponed.
Often, factors such as insufficient access to a patient’s scans or inadequate interpretation of x-rays are to blame for undiagnosed or misdiagnosed fractures. The circumstances surrounding the injury can also cause issues. For instance, if an older person suffers a spinal fracture during a fall at home, their symptoms might be misinterpreted as evidence of a stroke or other head injury, which would prevent them from receiving proper treatment.
An undiagnosed fracture doesn’t only prolong the pain experienced but can also lead to complications being more likely and progressing further. While rare, delay in fracture diagnosis complications can be severe and lead to life-changing effects and, in some case, can lead to amputations or even be fatal. If you’ve been affected by medical negligence when you had broken a bone it’s right that you should be able to hold those at fault to account. The legal system can provide you with a route to not only get the answers that you deserve but receive financial compensation too.
Read moreIf you’re interested in taking your fracture misdiagnosis claim further, we’re here to offer you the support and guidance you need. We have experience investigating medical negligence cases and representing those affected, including when cases have gone to court. We work on the behalf of all our clients to ensure the best outcome possible in each of their cases.
Read lessOur medical negligence team has years of experience working on a wide variety of misdiagnosis cases so we understand just how difficult a decision it can be to bring a fracture misdiagnosis case.
That’s why we are committed to guiding you through every step of the process. We ensure that your claim is handled carefully and professionally by our specialist solicitors, while working alongside medical experts, to guarantee the best results for you.
Read moreOur medical misdiagnosis team is headed by Laura Morgan who has a wealth of experience in leading complicated, high-value cases.
If you would like us to advise you as to whether you can pursue a fracture misdiagnosis claim, please call our freephone number or submit your details via the online form and we will contact you to schedule a free initial phone consultation at a time that suits you. If you decide that you want to proceed with a claim, one of our medical malpractice lawyers will be able to tell you whether you can enter into a No Win, No Fee agreement, meaning that in the event that your claim is unsuccessful, and you have co-operated fully with us throughout, you won’t have to pay any legal costs so there’s no financial risk to you.
Read lessWe'll never sell your data or contact you unnecessarily. Your Legal Friend is a secure and private website.
The effects of medical negligence can be devastating for the individual and their families, so securing appropriate compensation for them as quickly as possible is our top priority.
Director of Medical Negligence
“I found the staff to be friendly, helpful, courteous and they kept me well informed on a regular basis”
Mrs. Vora,
Loughborough
“They acted in a sympathetic and professional manner and resolved my case very efficiently”
Mr Dowse
Leeds
A fracture is a break in the bone. Fractures can occur to any of the 200 bones in the body but breaks are more likely to occur to the collarbone, arm, wrist, hip, or ankle. It’s possible to partially fracture a bone or completely break one and they’re most likely to occur in children and elderly people, as their bones tend to be weaker.
Read moreThere are different types of fractures, including:
If a delayed diagnosis of a fracture has caused you undue suffering or resulted in complications occurring, you may be able to make a successful failure to diagnose claim.
Failure to diagnose a fracture can have serious consequences but you must be able to show that those responsible for your care missed an opportunity to accurately diagnose you. Fracture misdiagnosis claims are all different and, as a result, how this is demonstrated can vary.
Read moreYou may show:
There are TWO main types of compensation that you can claim for an undiagnosed fracture:
Compensation cases of misdiagnosis of fractures must also show that you suffered as a result of the delay in treatment. This could range from the additional pain you experienced to long-term complications that are a result of treatment not being delivered quick enough.
Read lessFracture misdiagnosis compensation takes your personal experiences into account when deciding on the financial amount given. For this reason, it’s impossible to say how much your misdiagnosed fracture lawsuit could be worth without first speaking to you.
When you choose to work with Your Legal Friend, we’ll take the time to listen to you. Backed by years of experience, our fracture misdiagnosis lawyers will use their skills to give your case a value.
Read moreFinancial compensation is split into two areas – general damages and special damages – and we’ll consider both. Special damages reflect the pain and suffering that has been caused, for instance, your claim’s value will rise if you experienced misdiagnosed fracture complications. Special damages could include areas such as recouping lost earnings after not being able to work, travel expenses, and medical costs, or other areas where you have been left out of pocket due to the negligence.
Fracture misdiagnosis compensation claims combine both general and special damages. If you want to learn how much your case could be worth, you can speak to a fracture misdiagnosis lawyer at Your Legal Friend to start the process of taking a claim forward.
Read lessAll medical negligence claims must be made within a three-year timeframe. This time limit starts from the point that your first realised you had been let down by those responsible for your care.
If you do not claim within the set time period, your claim will be considered ‘statute barred’ or ‘out of time’ and will unfortunately not be taken further. There are two exceptions to this rule, in the case of children and if the negligence directly led to a fatality. In these cases suing the NHS for negligence is still possible as the date on which time begins to run is the date of the child’s 18th birthday, and in the case of fatalities, from the date of death.
Read moreIn some cases, it can be some time before you realise that mistakes have been made, especially if you have been misdiagnosed multiple times. We’ll help you understand exactly how long you have to act by listening to your experience and pinpointing the ‘date of knowledge’.
You have up to three years to make a claim but we advise our clients to take action as soon as they are able. We know that taking on a medical negligence claim after suffering from a misdiagnosed fracture is likely to be the last thing on your mind. But when you instruct us, you won’t have to worry. Our expert team will handle the case on your behalf, working with you to ensure the best outcome possible.
The reason we advise that you take action sooner rather than later is that is can help your case. We’ll use evidence to support your case, demonstrating the effect medical negligence has had. This will include a witness statement given by you. The more details you can include, the better we’re able to build your case. Most patients find that this is easier to do when they undertake the task sooner.
Read lessWhatever the nature of your fracture claim, we always seek the maximum level of compensation for our clients – and if your case is unsuccessful, we don’t charge you any fees. This is our guarantee for all standard fracture claims.
With our no win, no fee guarantee, you pay nothing, unless you win your compensation claim. At that point, you will only pay your insurance premium, if applicable, and the success fee, which will never be more than 25% of the amount you win.
Fractures to the scaphoid often occur as a result of a fall on to an outstretched hand, where the impact of the fall forces the hand and wrist back.
Difficulties in detecting scaphoid fractures have been widely reported as they are hard to diagnose because the bone is inside the joint. Misdiagnosis sometimes happens because of a lack of swelling and no visible injury.
A missed scaphoid fracture can lead to serious problems including:
MRI scanning for missed scaphoid fractures
Patients with a suspected scaphoid fracture and tenderness in the wrist area are recommended by medical guidelines to be given an MRI scan even if the X-ray comes back clear.
In more serious cases...
A serious fracture left undiagnosed can result in permanent disability because the bones re-grow in the wrong way, resulting in impaired movement or disability.
Other complications of a fracture, if left untreated, can include:
A fracture occurs when excessive force is applied to the bone, resulting in it breaking or shattering. This can happen from simply falling over to being involved in a serious accident. Bones are usually strong and will typically absorb pressure when force is applied, where the force exceeds the amount of pressure a bone can withstand, a fracture occurs.
Common ways bone breakages can occur include:
Some people are more susceptible to a fracture. For instance, those with osteoporosis, a disease that weakens the bone, are more likely to sustain a fracture, even when limited force is applied. Children are also more likely to break their bones, as they are still developing.
The most common symptom of a fracture is pain. Most people that suffer from a fracture experience pain in the bone and surrounding area. When the fracture occurs, you may be able to hear a popping or snapping sound.
Other symptoms of a fracture may include:
If you’ve experienced a compound fracture, where the bone breaks through the skin, you will also be left with an open wound, where the bone may protrude.
The most common way for a broken bone to be diagnosed is through an x-ray. This will give medical professionals an image to assess how severe the fracture is.
In most cases, where the fracture is only minor, treatment will make sure the bones are in the correct position and allow them to heal naturally, sometimes with the aid of a splint, brace, or cast. Where fractures are more severe, surgery may be needed to insert metal rods or plates that will hold the pieces of bone together.
In most cases, an x-ray will clearly show where a fracture has occurred. But that doesn’t mean that misdiagnosed fracture cases don’t happen.
While some fractures are easy to identify, others can be mistaken for a sprain and an x-ray may also not be conducted. If this has been the case it can lead to treatment being significantly delayed, potentially leading to long-term issues. Even if an x-ray is undertaken the results can occasionally be misinterpreted, especially if the fracture has occurred in small bones or an area that is difficult to see, such as the pelvis, wrist or hip, leading to fracture misdiagnosis cases.
Read moreIn some cases, doctors would have been able to do little to treat the fracture. But in other circumstances delayed treatment can mean long-term pain and issues that can have an impact on areas such as mobility. If your fracture misdiagnosis has had an impact on your mobility, or another area of your life, you may be able to make a successful fracture misdiagnosis lawsuit against those to blame.
Read lessWhere a late fracture diagnosis has occurred, it’s possible for complications to develop. The misdiagnosis of a fracture can not only mean that the recovery process is longer but can lead to other, long-term conditions developing that may also need further treatment.
Among the conditions that can develop after a wrong fracture diagnosis are:
While you may be able to make a claim for a doctor misdiagnosed fracture, if the symptoms of a complication were not recognised, you may also be able to make a claim for this. You should be able to rely on those responsible for you care to first accurately diagnose a fracture and then treat any complications that arise. If this hasn’t occurred, fracture misdiagnosis claims can help those that have been affected.
Read lessIn many cases, a misdiagnosed fracture isn’t linked to another serious condition but the symptoms are instead dismissed as a minor bump or sprain. This is more likely to happen if you’ve experienced an incomplete fracture or a fracture in a part of the body that is difficult to assess, as the results of an x-ray will be less obvious.
A missed fracture diagnosis can lead to longer recovery periods, as patients may continue to use the area rather than resting, and in some circumstances, a wrong diagnosis fracture can lead to long-term complications. If you have experienced an A&E or GP misdiagnosis fracture that has affected how you recovered, you may be able to make a claim for compensation, reflecting the pain and suffering that the delay in vital treatment has caused.
There aren’t any official statistics showing the percentage of facture misdiagnosis in the UK. However, research in the British Medical Journal found that junior doctors miss around a third of abnormalities on x-rays, it’s findings led to some hospitals introducing a new process to ensure specialists review x-ray results. The findings highlight how it’s possible for a delay in fracture diagnosis to occur within hospitals.
Among the most common reasons for missing a fracture are misreading the results of tests or a failure to perform radiography.
Read moreCase studies of misdiagnosis of fracture include:
Fractures are a common medical issue in the UK, with around 1% of the population experiencing breaking a bone every year.
A fracture is a break in the bone. Fractures can occur to any of the 200 bones in the body but breaks are more likely to occur to the collarbone, arm, wrist, hip, or ankle. It’s possible to partially fracture a bone or completely break one and they’re most likely to occur in children and elderly people, as their bones tend to be weaker.
Read moreThere are different types of fractures, including:
If a delayed diagnosis of a fracture has caused you undue suffering or resulted in complications occurring, you may be able to make a successful failure to diagnose claim.
Failure to diagnose a fracture can have serious consequences but you must be able to show that those responsible for your care missed an opportunity to accurately diagnose you. Fracture misdiagnosis claims are all different and, as a result, how this is demonstrated can vary.
Read moreYou may show:
There are TWO main types of compensation that you can claim for an undiagnosed fracture:
Compensation cases of misdiagnosis of fractures must also show that you suffered as a result of the delay in treatment. This could range from the additional pain you experienced to long-term complications that are a result of treatment not being delivered quick enough.
Read lessFracture misdiagnosis compensation takes your personal experiences into account when deciding on the financial amount given. For this reason, it’s impossible to say how much your misdiagnosed fracture lawsuit could be worth without first speaking to you.
When you choose to work with Your Legal Friend, we’ll take the time to listen to you. Backed by years of experience, our fracture misdiagnosis lawyers will use their skills to give your case a value.
Read moreFinancial compensation is split into two areas – general damages and special damages – and we’ll consider both. Special damages reflect the pain and suffering that has been caused, for instance, your claim’s value will rise if you experienced misdiagnosed fracture complications. Special damages could include areas such as recouping lost earnings after not being able to work, travel expenses, and medical costs, or other areas where you have been left out of pocket due to the negligence.
Fracture misdiagnosis compensation claims combine both general and special damages. If you want to learn how much your case could be worth, you can speak to a fracture misdiagnosis lawyer at Your Legal Friend to start the process of taking a claim forward.
Read lessAll medical negligence claims must be made within a three-year timeframe. This time limit starts from the point that your first realised you had been let down by those responsible for your care.
If you do not claim within the set time period, your claim will be considered ‘statute barred’ or ‘out of time’ and will unfortunately not be taken further. There are two exceptions to this rule, in the case of children and if the negligence directly led to a fatality. In these cases suing the NHS for negligence is still possible as the date on which time begins to run is the date of the child’s 18th birthday, and in the case of fatalities, from the date of death.
Read moreIn some cases, it can be some time before you realise that mistakes have been made, especially if you have been misdiagnosed multiple times. We’ll help you understand exactly how long you have to act by listening to your experience and pinpointing the ‘date of knowledge’.
You have up to three years to make a claim but we advise our clients to take action as soon as they are able. We know that taking on a medical negligence claim after suffering from a misdiagnosed fracture is likely to be the last thing on your mind. But when you instruct us, you won’t have to worry. Our expert team will handle the case on your behalf, working with you to ensure the best outcome possible.
The reason we advise that you take action sooner rather than later is that is can help your case. We’ll use evidence to support your case, demonstrating the effect medical negligence has had. This will include a witness statement given by you. The more details you can include, the better we’re able to build your case. Most patients find that this is easier to do when they undertake the task sooner.
Read lessWhatever the nature of your fracture claim, we always seek the maximum level of compensation for our clients – and if your case is unsuccessful, we don’t charge you any fees. This is our guarantee for all standard fracture claims.
With our no win, no fee guarantee, you pay nothing, unless you win your compensation claim. At that point, you will only pay your insurance premium, if applicable, and the success fee, which will never be more than 25% of the amount you win.
Fractures to the scaphoid often occur as a result of a fall on to an outstretched hand, where the impact of the fall forces the hand and wrist back.
Difficulties in detecting scaphoid fractures have been widely reported as they are hard to diagnose because the bone is inside the joint. Misdiagnosis sometimes happens because of a lack of swelling and no visible injury.
A missed scaphoid fracture can lead to serious problems including:
MRI scanning for missed scaphoid fractures
Patients with a suspected scaphoid fracture and tenderness in the wrist area are recommended by medical guidelines to be given an MRI scan even if the X-ray comes back clear.
In more serious cases...
A serious fracture left undiagnosed can result in permanent disability because the bones re-grow in the wrong way, resulting in impaired movement or disability.
Other complications of a fracture, if left untreated, can include:
A fracture occurs when excessive force is applied to the bone, resulting in it breaking or shattering. This can happen from simply falling over to being involved in a serious accident. Bones are usually strong and will typically absorb pressure when force is applied, where the force exceeds the amount of pressure a bone can withstand, a fracture occurs.
Common ways bone breakages can occur include:
Some people are more susceptible to a fracture. For instance, those with osteoporosis, a disease that weakens the bone, are more likely to sustain a fracture, even when limited force is applied. Children are also more likely to break their bones, as they are still developing.
The most common symptom of a fracture is pain. Most people that suffer from a fracture experience pain in the bone and surrounding area. When the fracture occurs, you may be able to hear a popping or snapping sound.
Other symptoms of a fracture may include:
If you’ve experienced a compound fracture, where the bone breaks through the skin, you will also be left with an open wound, where the bone may protrude.
The most common way for a broken bone to be diagnosed is through an x-ray. This will give medical professionals an image to assess how severe the fracture is.
In most cases, where the fracture is only minor, treatment will make sure the bones are in the correct position and allow them to heal naturally, sometimes with the aid of a splint, brace, or cast. Where fractures are more severe, surgery may be needed to insert metal rods or plates that will hold the pieces of bone together.
In most cases, an x-ray will clearly show where a fracture has occurred. But that doesn’t mean that misdiagnosed fracture cases don’t happen.
While some fractures are easy to identify, others can be mistaken for a sprain and an x-ray may also not be conducted. If this has been the case it can lead to treatment being significantly delayed, potentially leading to long-term issues. Even if an x-ray is undertaken the results can occasionally be misinterpreted, especially if the fracture has occurred in small bones or an area that is difficult to see, such as the pelvis, wrist or hip, leading to fracture misdiagnosis cases.
Read moreIn some cases, doctors would have been able to do little to treat the fracture. But in other circumstances delayed treatment can mean long-term pain and issues that can have an impact on areas such as mobility. If your fracture misdiagnosis has had an impact on your mobility, or another area of your life, you may be able to make a successful fracture misdiagnosis lawsuit against those to blame.
Read lessWhere a late fracture diagnosis has occurred, it’s possible for complications to develop. The misdiagnosis of a fracture can not only mean that the recovery process is longer but can lead to other, long-term conditions developing that may also need further treatment.
Among the conditions that can develop after a wrong fracture diagnosis are:
While you may be able to make a claim for a doctor misdiagnosed fracture, if the symptoms of a complication were not recognised, you may also be able to make a claim for this. You should be able to rely on those responsible for you care to first accurately diagnose a fracture and then treat any complications that arise. If this hasn’t occurred, fracture misdiagnosis claims can help those that have been affected.
Read lessIn many cases, a misdiagnosed fracture isn’t linked to another serious condition but the symptoms are instead dismissed as a minor bump or sprain. This is more likely to happen if you’ve experienced an incomplete fracture or a fracture in a part of the body that is difficult to assess, as the results of an x-ray will be less obvious.
A missed fracture diagnosis can lead to longer recovery periods, as patients may continue to use the area rather than resting, and in some circumstances, a wrong diagnosis fracture can lead to long-term complications. If you have experienced an A&E or GP misdiagnosis fracture that has affected how you recovered, you may be able to make a claim for compensation, reflecting the pain and suffering that the delay in vital treatment has caused.
There aren’t any official statistics showing the percentage of facture misdiagnosis in the UK. However, research in the British Medical Journal found that junior doctors miss around a third of abnormalities on x-rays, it’s findings led to some hospitals introducing a new process to ensure specialists review x-ray results. The findings highlight how it’s possible for a delay in fracture diagnosis to occur within hospitals.
Among the most common reasons for missing a fracture are misreading the results of tests or a failure to perform radiography.
Read moreCase studies of misdiagnosis of fracture include:
Fractures are a common medical issue in the UK, with around 1% of the population experiencing breaking a bone every year.
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