A broken bone that pierces the skin.

"Broken bone" means the bone has cracked, split, or snapped enough to lose its normal structure. "Pierces the skin" is the part that makes a compound fracture more serious than a closed fracture: the injury creates an open wound, either because the bone comes through the skin or because trauma opens the skin down to the fracture site. Doctors often call this an open fracture. That opening raises the risk of infection, damage to nearby muscles, nerves, and blood vessels, and the need for urgent treatment such as cleaning the wound, surgery, antibiotics, and stabilization with a cast, rod, plate, or external fixator. In plain terms, it is a fracture with extra problems attached.

For an injury claim, the label matters because a compound fracture usually points to greater severity, more treatment, longer recovery, and higher medical costs. It can support claims for damages involving emergency care, follow-up procedures, lost wages, scarring, and pain.

In Oregon, that can affect how insurance negotiations play out after a crash or other accident. Oregon requires minimum auto liability coverage of 25/50/20, and a severe injury can exceed those limits quickly. Oregon also uses modified comparative fault with a 51% bar, meaning recovery is blocked if the injured person is 51% or more at fault.