"The Fugitive" -- what was wrong with the kid?

Cafe Society
1

I’m watching the movie version of The Fugitive, with Harrison Ford.

In the scene where he goes back to the hospital in order to try to find records of the one-armed man, he’s dressed as a janitor. He’s standing in the ER/trauma unit, while a doctor is examining a kid (Joel). As the doctor is speaking with the kid (who appears to have a contusion of some sort on his chest), Kimble mutters “check the film.” As the doctor starts to look at the Xrays, he’s pulled off of the kid by Julianne Moore’s character. Moore is told the kid has a “possible fractured sternum,” but that he’s stable.

Moore asks Kimble to take the kid to observation. Instead, he takes the kid to surgery (after writing on the kid’s chart to illustrate the need).

Later, Moore is being interviewed by Samuel Gerard, and she tells him that Kimble’s changing the order saved the kid’s life.

So…what was wrong with the kid?

2

Presumably the kid is going to have surgery or be sent for closer observation to make sure he doesn’t have anything beyond a fractured sternum. He could have a pneumothorax or internal bleeding or other nasty stuff.