This study evaluates the relative contribution of axial compressive force and bending moment during static and dynamic loading of the tibia/fibula complex. The efficacy of the Tibia Index, the current standard for predicting leg injury, is also determined. Ten unembalmed cadaver legs were tested in quasistatic three-point bending, and twelve were subjected to dynamic three-point bending to compare static versus dynamic bending strength and energy to failure, Nine legs were subjected to dynamic three-point bending with a superimposed static axial compressive load. Legs were mounted with simple supports potted to the distal and proximal ends of the tibia/fibula complex, with the soft tissue structure maintained in tact. Impacts were delivered at midshaft, and directed posterioanteriorly. Load-cells measured forces delivered to the simple supports and impactor. High speed video recorded impactor displacement. Strain gauges mounted to the anterior and posterior tibia and fibula measured strain and strain rate at the outer-most fibers. CT scans provided cross-sectional properties of the bones along the axis of the leg:​ Dynamic bending exhibited a 69% higher breaking strength than legs subjected to quasi-static loading, with fractures showing a greater degree of comminution. In tests where a 4448N axial compressive load was superimposed upon a three-point bending load, the strength of the leg complex decreased by 17%. Axial compression appears to increase the bending moment in the tibia due to the curvature of the bone.