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Injuries

What is Compound Fracture?

A severe bone break where the broken bone pierces through the skin, creating an open wound and high risk of infection.

Understanding Compound Fracture

Also called open fractures, these injuries require emergency surgery to clean the wound, realign the bone, and often install hardware. Recovery is longer than closed fractures due to infection risk and soft tissue damage. Multiple surgeries may be needed.

Examples

  • 1Leg bone protruding after pedestrian accident
  • 2Open arm fracture from motorcycle crash
  • 3Severe bone break requiring emergency surgery
Last updated: January 24, 2026
Reviewed by: Quilia Legal Content Team

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