Broke a bone in a crash? See if you have a claim.

A fracture is a crack or break in a bone. When the bone breaks through the skin, it's called an open fracture. Crashes can break bones in the arms, legs, ribs, hips and other places.

Some breaks are easy to see. Others only show up on an X ray. A doctor needs to check any area that hurts after a crash.

• Pain, which can be severe
• Swelling, bruising or bleeding
• A limb or joint that looks bent or out of place
• Numbness or tingling
• Trouble moving the limb or putting weight on it
• Bone poking through the skin

• The person isn't responding or is passing out
• You think the head, neck or back may be broken
• You think the hip, pelvis or upper leg may be broken
• Bleeding is heavy
• The skin below the injury is pale, cold, clammy or blue
• Bone is sticking out through the skin
• You can't keep the injury still on your own

Broken bones usually come with clear medical proof, like X rays and a treatment plan. Even so, your records do more than show the break. They show the casts, surgery, follow up scans and therapy you needed, and how long healing took.

Notes about work limits, driving limits or help you needed at home also matter. They show how the injury changed your daily life while you healed.

• Emergency care, imaging and surgery
• Casts, splints, crutches and other equipment
• Physical therapy to get strength and motion back
• Pay you lost while you couldn't work or could only do light duty
• Future care, like another surgery or hardware removal, if your doctor expects it
• How the injury affected your ability to care for yourself, your family or your home

• X ray results and surgery reports
• Every follow up visit and therapy session
• Costs for equipment, travel to appointments and help at home
• Your doctor's notes on when you can work, drive or lift again
• Photos of your injury as it heals

It's free to check your claim, and you don't have to go ahead.