The loss of a limb (arm or leg) or a digit (finger or toe) is known as an amputation. When an amputation results from an accident, doctors call it a “traumatic amputation.” In some cases, a medical amputation is required after a serious accident, such as a car crash or a worksite crush injury.
The loss of a limb or digit is a catastrophic injury that results in lifelong disfigurement and disability. Traumatic amputations can also cause profuse bleeding, which can lead to shock or infection, both of which are life-threatening conditions.
The lawyers of Marasco & Nesselbush, LLP, can help if you have suffered an amputation in an accident. You may be eligible for compensation to assist with your medical expenses, including therapy and the purchase of a prosthesis, as well as lost income, and your pain and suffering.
Contact us now for a free review of your claim and advice about your legal options.
What Causes A Traumatic Amputation Accident?
According to the Amputee Coalition’s Limb Loss Information Center, 1.7 million Americans live with limb amputations. That means that 1 out of every 200 people in the U.S. has had a body part amputated. Car accident amputations are the leading cause of amputations, but they also occur frequently due to accidents involving power tools and farming equipment. Amputations can also happen because of accidents in the workplace according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Accidental amputations can also happen as a result of medical negligence, when a surgeon mistake such as a wrong-site or wrong-patient procedure causes the loss of limb.
Workplace amputations occur in a variety of occupational activities, but happen most often when workers operate unguarded or inadequately safeguarded machinery, OSHA says.
Car Accident Amputation
A car accident, becoming caught in a piece of machinery can sever, crush, tear or mangle fingers, toes, hands, feet or even an entire limb. In some cases, an injured body part may be so severely damaged that reconstruction is not possible and surgical amputation is the only viable option.
In other cases, a severed body part may be reattached after a traumatic amputation. The National Institute of Health’s Medline Plus website says new techniques for limb replantation have been moderately successful, but incomplete nerve regeneration remains a major limiting factor. Many patients instead fare better with a well-fitting functional prosthesis, Medline Plus says.
Help With The Costs Of Accidental Limb Loss
If you have suffered an amputation, you are dealing with ongoing costs. A Rhode Island personal injury attorney from Marasco & Nesselbush can help ensure that you receive the compensation you need to move forward in life after a traumatic incident that caused an amputation. The healthcare costs associated with amputation or reconstruction of a limb-threatening injury can include, but are not limited to:
- Initial hospitalization.
- Rehospitalizations.
- Inpatient rehabilitation.
- Outpatient doctor visits.
- Outpatient physical and occupational therapy.
- Purchase and maintenance of prosthetic devices.
The costs for a patient with a limb amputation is about $10,000 greater than a patient who has had limb reconstruction surgery. Even with the costs of prosthesis, the average cost for reconstruction was $81,316 as opposed to $91,106 for amputation. Overall, the projected lifetime healthcare cost for patients who had undergone amputation was three times higher than the costs to patients treated with limb reconstruction.
It is obvious that, regardless of outcome, amputation patients face extensive medical bills as well as pain and suffering, both physical and emotional. Their lives will have changed forever, including their ability to earn a living in many cases.
It is crucial that a person who has suffered an amputation receive full compensation from the negligent party. Because insurers are for-profit companies, it takes experienced legal help to make them pay appropriate settlements to amputees who have been hurt in accidents.
That’s the kind of skilled legal representation the attorneys and staff at Marasco & Nesselbush are devoted to providing our clients. We are committed to helping accident victims recover appropriate damages from those responsible for injuries that have led to loss of a limb or any other type of amputation.
Talk To An Experienced RI Injury Lawyer About Your Amputation Claim
No one can undo the devastation of losing a limb or other body part in an accident, but Marasco & Nesselbush, LLP, can help you obtain compensation that ensures your financial security in the years ahead. We’ll work hard to make sure you get every dollar of insurance money you are due from those who were responsible for your injury.
Contact us now for a free claim review and consultation with no strings attached.
- Medline Plus – Amputation – traumatic