A 26-year-old man was running across a field when he caught his right foot in a rabbit hole. As he fell, the right foot was violently rotated laterally and overeverted. On attempting to stand, he could place no weight on his right foot. On examination by a physician, the right ankle was considrably swollen, especially on the lateral side. After further examination, including a radiograph of the ankle, a diagnosis of severe fracture dislocation of the ankle joint was made. The following statements concerning this patient are correct except which?