By Francis M. Smith

In many people's minds, the idea of suffering a sprain conjures up images of ice packs, compression bandages, and over-the-counter pain relievers – in other words, a relatively minor injury that is more inconvenience than crisis. That's certainly how an insurance company will try to portray your injury if you sustain torn ligaments in a car crash, slip and fall injury, or other preventable accident caused by someone else's reckless or negligent behavior. Unfortunately, the reality isn't quite as gentle as the insurance company's lawyers would have a jury believe. Torn ligaments in the knee can result in serious mobility issues that may permanently impact your ability to engage in activities and tasks that had been part of your normal lifestyle before your accident.

By Francis M. Smith

When most people think about traumatic car accident injuries, what most often comes to mind are back and neck injuries, head trauma, and broken bones. Dislocation injuries don't typically top the list of ways a person can be hurt in a car crash, but a particular kind of joint dislocation is a very real possibility in automotive accidents, and it can have serious consequences for the accident victim. People use their arms and hands as one of the primary ways they interact with the world, and an injury to those parts of the body severely limits the victim's ability to affect their environment and perform basic tasks. Unfortunately, that's exactly what can happen when an elbow dislocation injury occurs as a result of a car accident.

By Francis M. Smith

In slip and fall accidents, one of the most natural reactions to realizing that you're falling is to reach out with your hands to break your fall. It happens reflexively, and often spares the accident victim serious injuries to the face and head – but at a price. When the force of the fall is concentrated on the hand, the impact can travel up the arm and cause the victim's elbow to dislocate.