Ankle and Knee Injuries

For most of us, an injury to the ankle or knee usually means a minor, nagging injury that fully recovers in due time. And while minor injuries to the ankle are indeed common, and may often mean just a few days of slight pain or discomfort, other kinds of ankle injuries aren’t the kind you can just walk off. A serious ankle injury can require months of recovery, missed time from work, expensive hospital bills and the inability to enjoy life the way you want to.

As with any injury, when someone else’s reckless or negligent behavior results in an ankle injury, you deserve financial compensation for any setbacks the injury caused to you. Whether the ankle injury prevents you from running, climbing stairs, playing tennis or golf, or from simply walking down the street on your own volition, you should consult an attorney about your rights to adequate compensation.

Norfolk, Virginia attorney Joe Perez offers those who have suffered severe ankle injuries experience and results when legal action becomes necessary. In March, 2002, Joe obtained a verdict of $1.5 million for a man whose ankle was crushed after the collapse of a balcony. While that case involved an extreme ankle injury that may prevent the plaintiff from ever walking again, injury victims who suffer ankle injuries such as fractures, sprains, strains, and other types of injury are equally eligible for financial compensation under the law. If you’ve suffered a serious and debilitating ankle injury that is affecting your life, Joe can help. Contact the Norfolk, Virginia Law Offices of Joe Perez today.

Legal Representation for Knee Injuries and Fractures

Usually, when we hear about knee injuries, a famous basketball player, football player or other athlete is the patient. In the relentless drive to keep athletes healthy in high impact professional sports, doctors and surgeons specializing in sports medicine and athletic injuries have revolutionized medical rehabilitation for the knee. Through knee reconstruction, arthroscopic knee surgery, and other advanced medical techniques, professional athletes are playing long past injuries that less than twenty years ago would have ended their careers.

The rest of us are vulnerable to knee injuries as well, but unlike millionaire athletes who receive the best possible medical care and speediest methods of recovery, we don’t always have access to the cutting edge of knee and ankle injury repair. In fact, many of us are lucky to get any medical attention at all for such injuries.

Insurance companies are notorious for declines and delays when it comes to injury claims they deem “minor.” Short of dismemberment, injuries to the lower legs (knees and ankles) are viewed by the insurance industry as injuries that patients can “tough out.” They’ve found that the best initial response to knee and ankle injury claims is a non-response. Maybe, they reason, that by ignoring the claim, it will simply go away.

Through tested policies of delay and procrastination, insurance companies rely on wearing down the will and patience of every claimant. Every insurance company understands that each time a policyholder gives up on the idea of getting any help from them, they are saving money. This is why many people who suffer serious knee injuries never get the adequate care they need, and live with significant functional impairment in their knees for the rest of their lives.

Many in Virginia who have suffered serious knee injuries have come to the Norfolk law offices of Joseph Perez after their insurance companies have failed to authorize sorely needed doctor visits, specialists, physical therapy, surgery and the compensation for missed work. Joe has helped these clients get the best medical care and compensation for injuries that were caused by someone else. If you’ve found yourself in a similar situation, contact Joe today.

Symptoms of Serious Knee Injuries:

• Deformity to the knee,
• Incapacity to bear weight on the injured knee.
• Heavy swelling within a few hours of injury
• Inability to fully straighten the knee
• Severe tenderness when you press the injured area.

Information about Ankle Fractures

The ankle is comprised of three joints, formed by the tibia and fibula (joints of the lower leg) joining with the talus. Ankle fractures usually involve either the tibia or the fibula. The fibula (also known as the shin) bears about 90 per cent of a moving person’s body weight. Fibula fractures are much more debilitating than tibia fractures, which bear 10 per cent of the body weight transferred through the leg.

About 1.2 million people suffer ankle fractures each year. While many of these injuries are sustained in athletics, many are also sustained on the job or in the course of daily life, such as when a slip and fall injury occurs. And according to the May issue of the Journal of Orthopaedic Trauma, feet and ankle injuries are occurring more frequently in auto accidents. With lifesaving technology of seatbelts and airbags now on board the majority of vehicles on the road, more people are surviving accidents. As good news as this is, survival also now means living with injuries that could be prevented.

In many cars, foot compartments are often crushed in head-on or multi-vehicle collisions. This leaves the feet and lower legs with little protection in the wake of a car accident, and leaves many victims of car accidents costly, long-term injuries that (depending on the injured person’s line of work), could adversely affect the victim’s financial and job outlook.

To discuss what can be done about the financial costs and quality of life consequences of your ankle injury, contact Joe Perez’s Norfolk, Virginia personal injury law offices today.