Orbital Fractures

Injuries which result from car accidents and work-related incidents can be serious and potentially life-altering. A fracture to either or both of your orbitals could result in a possible loss of vision and almost guarantees a long recovery time. In such a situation, working with an experienced Boston-based personal injury attorney from Altman & Altman is essential to guarantee you’re pursuing every legal opportunity available to you.

The orbital is the socket where your eyeball and its various muscles and appendages are located within the skull. It provides a recess and protection for the eyeball but will not prevent the eye from being damaged by direct blunt force trauma, such as what happens during a traumatic incident at work or a car or motorcycle accident.

Particularly damaging orbital fractures are sometimes referred to as “blowouts,” a name indicative of their traumatic and serious nature. These injuries are commonly caused by direct blunt force being exerted by an object larger than the eye socket, such as a baseball being hit in a line drive directly into the face of the pitcher or due to a person’s head launching forward and contacting the steering wheel in a car accident.

Healing from an orbital fracture can be a very difficult, costly and lengthy experience. Due to the possibility of creating further medical complications, those who have suffered an orbital fracture are advised to not even blow their nose in the immediate aftermath of injury. Surgery may be required to repair the socket, especially in the most severe of injuries where a majority of the socket is destroyed.

In the case surgery is needed, it may not be performed right away, as doctors would need to wait for swelling to go down prior to operating. In this case, waiting for surgery and recovering from surgery will add up to significant amounts of time missed from work, compounded by costly medical bills.

If surgery is needed, it is likely that the injury has resulted in some significant damage to the orbital area, which can include serious injuries to the eye and possible life-altering complications such as double vision or total blindness, infections and traumatic brain injuries associated with the trauma that fractured the orbital.

Any injury is problematic, especially when you rely on working consistently to pay your bills and live your life. However, injuries that occur due to a negligent employer or third party can be even more frustrating, as you have been injured and possibly debilitated indefinitely by the preventable actions of somebody else.

There is recourse available to those who are injured at work, when the work incident can clearly be proven to have happened during the natural course of the job. Workers’ compensation, short or long-term disability are all possible courses of action to take when you suffer an injury that leaves you unable to perform your job and collect a paycheck or renders you limited in your ability to work.

Likewise, if you were injured by a negligent third party, such as a distracted or drunk motorist who strikes you from behind while sitting at a red light, you have the ability to file a claim for damages against that individual to compensate you for money missed out on due to being unable to work, cost of medical treatment and money to compensate you for your physical and emotional pain and suffering.

Orbital fractures can result in emotional trauma in addition to physical, as they may permanently alter your appearance or rob you of the sense of sight, which can be incredibly difficult to cope with and necessitate additional mental health counseling and treatment in addition to treating the problem physically.

At Altman & Altman LLP, we have over 50 years of experience fighting on behalf of our clients throughout the Boston area and around Massachusetts. We take the time to understand your needs and craft a custom legal solution tailored to your unique situation.

Call us for a free consultation to go over the details of your case today at 617-492-3000 or toll-free at 800-481-6199. We are available 24/7.