It takes roughly 1,100 pounds of force to fracture a human skull. That is the figure most commonly cited, and published biomechanical estimates range above and below it depending on where the blow lands. The cranium is one of the strongest bones in the body and holds up well against most impacts, so cracking a skull normally takes high-energy trauma: a hard fall, a car crash, a heavy object, or a sports injury. The temples are the thinnest, weakest points, and they tend to give way first.
If you or someone you love fractured a skull or any other bone because of another person’s carelessness, 844-SEE-MIKE can review the case for free and explain what compensation may be available.
Dangers and Consequences of a Fracture to the Adult Human Skull
A fracture to the human skull involves the breaking of the bone structure of the cranium. While the human skull can withstand some force needed to cause damage, in serious accidents such as car crashes, motorcycle accidents, pedestrian accidents, or bicycle accidents, the trauma, often intensified by kinetic energy, can crush or crack the cranium. Fractures frequently occur at the thinnest portion of the skull, where the bone offers the least resistance to impact.
TV shows like Game of Thrones or movies such as Star Trek may make you believe that a man’s skull can be crushed by bare hands. However, human hands, even those belonging to the strongest human, do not have the capability to crush a human head all on their own.
The majority of fractures to the human skull are usually minor, though even a small fracture can cause other serious dangers and consequences to victims in accidents of all kinds. Children have greater risk as their skulls are thinner compared to adult skulls. In the event that you or your child have endured an accident that resulted in a blow to the human skull, you should seek prompt medical attention. Complications of a simple fracture could result in an intracranial hemorrhage, which is bleeding in the brain tissue. Ignoring it may even lead to brain damage, meningitis, blood clots, seizures, or paralysis. Head injuries need to be taken seriously as a minor injury can leave behind permanent effects when left untreated.
Common Causes of Skull Fractures
In order for the cranium to sustain a fracture, it requires much force. Typically, these forces come from impact injuries. An object must hit your head or you must collide with your head into an object with enough force to cause it to crack. Different mechanisms produce very different injuries, which is why blunt force head trauma is evaluated so carefully after any serious accident.
A prime example is when someone is riding a bicycle and a motorist crashes into them. Most bicyclists wisely wear protective helmets in the event they lose balance and fall off onto the pavement. These helmets are supposed to protect the head in accidents, as supported by a bike helmet study published in 2018. However, if the driver of the vehicle negligently continued to drive over the bicyclist they ran down to the ground, they could easily produce enough pressure to potentially fracture the skull. The force needed to cause such an injury would far exceed what standard bike helmets are designed to withstand.
Head injuries that result in skulls with fractures are also caused by falls, such as on construction sites or even in slip and fall accidents. Sports injuries and violent actions involving using blunt force can also crack the skull. Essentially, the forces required to cause these injuries involve applying pressure to the extreme and compressive strength, something that human hands simply can’t accomplish on their own.
In conclusion, if you wonder about the forces required to crush the head, someone’s hands can’t put forth that kind of mass. It takes the force of a fall, a vehicle collision, crushing from a heavy object, or wielding weapons to create that result.
Know the Signs of Damage to the Human Head
After any kind of accident that involves impact to the skull, you should know how to spot any sign of serious injury. Swelling, bumps, or lumps on the head may indicate a fracture, though bruising around where the eye nerves are located or even behind the ears are far more concerning. If blood is oozing from the area of impact, the nose, or the ears, or the fluid is clear, emergency medical care is needed.
Injuries that affect the brain may also cause a victim to be confused and experience nausea, vomiting, slurred speech, vision loss, loss of coordination, loss of sensation in other parts of the body, and fatigue. The full range of symptoms of skull fractures can take hours or even days to show up, so a normal first exam does not always mean the injury is minor.
How Do Doctors Treat Crushed or Broken Skulls?
Most personal injury cases involving head injuries or cracked skulls will require CT and MRI scans to assess the full extent of the damage. If you suffer an injury like this, you will likely be kept in the hospital for a short time to monitor your condition. The healing time may be a few weeks for a minor fracture, though for more serious cases, it could be several months.
In the most extreme accidents where crushing of the skull has occurred, there will be extensive damage. Unfortunately, victims of these catastrophic occurrences may not survive. Those that live to tell about this crushing experience will likely never be the same as they were before the accident.
Legal Options for Real Life Skull Injuries
Although it’s impossible for bare hands to provide the force required to crush skulls, these types of head injuries can occur in different accident scenarios. If you or someone you love has suffered this type of painful injury due to the negligent actions of another person, the law allows you to seek compensation through a lawsuit.
In Illinois, you generally have two years from the date of the injury to file a personal-injury claim (735 ILCS 5/13-202), and evidence like scene photos, vehicle damage, and early imaging tends to get harder to gather the longer you wait. Two exceptions change that math. If a city, county, park district, transit agency, or other local public body or its employee is responsible, the deadline is only one year (745 ILCS 10/8-101), which matters for falls on public property and crashes with government vehicles. If the injured person is a child, their own two years generally does not start until they turn 18 (735 ILCS 5/13-211). Being partly at fault does not automatically end a claim either. Illinois follows a modified comparative fault rule, so damages are reduced by your share of the fault and recovery is barred only if you are found more than 50% responsible (735 ILCS 5/2-1116).
Depending on the severity of your injury, it may take you a long time to heal. Your injuries may continue to cause hardships for you on a chronic basis, making your life more difficult than before this event occurred. An injured victim should not be forced to take on all the medical expenses involved with these treatments. The at-fault party should be held responsible for all of the damages associated with your injuries, including the emotional trauma and all related financial costs. Skull fractures often come packaged with a traumatic brain injury, which can drive long-term care costs and lost earning capacity well beyond the initial hospital bill.
Unfortunately, many victims attempt to file injury claims on their own, only to discover that the insurance company for the at-fault party is offering a low settlement or denies their claim. You have enough to deal with while you focus on following doctors’ orders to heal from your injuries. This is why it is essential to work with a personal injury attorney who believes in advocating for victims and their legal rights.
After an injury like this, the quality of your life could be greatly diminished. You may require ongoing medical care all because someone else was careless. We will do everything we can to keep the legal side from adding to what you are already carrying.
Talk to 844-SEE-MIKE About Your Head Injury Claim
At 844-SEE-MIKE, we see you as a person, not just a client, and that makes us better at the work we do. We listen. We learn your story. And we handle the parts of a claim that are hard to manage while you are still healing.
Helping our clients is about counseling, advocating, and ultimately solving problems. With years of experience representing injured people rather than insurance companies, the team at 844-SEE-MIKE will deal with the adjusters, your medical bills, your property damage, and your lost wages, and monitor your treatment so you can focus on healing and getting your life back to normal. You can read what past clients have said in our client testimonials, or look through the full range of Illinois personal injury lawyer services to see how a skull fracture case would be handled.
You pay nothing unless we recover money for you. Contact 844-SEE-MIKE anytime for a free, no-pressure consultation.
Frequently Asked Questions About Cracked and Fractured Skulls
How much force does it take to crack a skull?
Roughly 1,100 pounds of force is generally cited as the amount needed to fracture an adult human skull. The exact figure varies with the point of impact, the angle, the speed of the object, and the age and bone density of the person, and the temples fracture at lower loads than the thicker areas of the cranium.
Can a person crush a skull with their bare hands?
No. Human hands cannot generate anywhere near the force required to crush a cranium, even though films and television often suggest otherwise. Cracked and crushed skulls come from high-energy events instead, such as vehicle collisions, falls from height, heavy falling objects, or blows from a weapon.
Is a crack in the skull serious?
Any crack in the skull should be treated as serious until a doctor rules out complications. Many linear fractures heal on their own, but the same impact can cause bleeding around the brain, infection, blood clots, or seizures. Clear fluid or blood draining from the nose or ears, bruising around the eyes or behind the ears, confusion, repeated vomiting, or trouble staying awake all call for emergency care.
How long does it take to recover from a cracked skull?
A minor fracture may heal in a few weeks, while more severe fractures can take several months. Recovery from an associated brain injury often runs much longer than the bone healing itself, and some people live with lasting cognitive, vision, or balance problems.
What do doctors do for a cracked skull?
Diagnosis usually starts with a physical exam and a CT scan, sometimes followed by an MRI. Most fractures are then managed with observation in the hospital, rest, and pain control. Depressed, open, or basilar fractures are more likely to need surgery to lift the bone, close the wound, or address a fluid leak.
How long do I have to file an Illinois claim for a skull fracture?
Illinois generally gives you two years from the date of the injury to file a personal-injury lawsuit (735 ILCS 5/13-202). Two situations change that timeline: a claim against a city, county, or other local public body must be filed within one year (745 ILCS 10/8-101), and an injured child’s two years generally runs from their 18th birthday (735 ILCS 5/13-211). It is worth confirming your specific deadline early rather than assuming two years applies.
Can I still recover money if I was partly at fault for the accident?
In many cases, yes. Illinois uses modified comparative fault, so any award is reduced in proportion to your share of the blame, and you are barred from recovering only if you are found more than 50% at fault (735 ILCS 5/2-1116). Insurers frequently overstate an injured person’s share of fault, which is one reason to have the claim reviewed before accepting an offer.
The information here is general and educational, not legal advice about your specific situation.
