Traumatic Amputations Can Change Lives
If you’ve lost a limb as a result of an injury sustained in an accident, your life may never be the same. In many cases, victims require mobility aids, expensive prosthetics, and years of occupational and physical therapy. If the accident in which you lost your limb was caused by someone else’s negligence, you may be able to obtain significant compensation for both your economic and non-economic losses. Call us today to discuss your legal options with a Redding personal injury lawyer.
Common Causes
Many kinds of serious accidents can lead to traumatic amputations, but they are commonly associated with the following:
- Traffic accidents, including car, truck, motorcycle, bicycle, and pedestrian accidents
- Accidents involving power tools, such as accidents on construction sites
- Industrial accidents
- Accidents factory workers encounter on the job
Medical Care and Costs
The medical costs associated with a traumatic amputation can last the rest of your life and rise well into the millions of dollars. Some of these expenses may include
- Immediate medical care
- rehabilitation
- Physical and occupational therapy
- Modifications to your home and vehicle
- Prosthetics
- Ongoing medical care
As an amputee, it’s important to keep in mind that any settlement you accept should compensate you for future losses as well as the losses you have already sustained. For this reason, be sure to talk to a lawyer before you accept a settlement.
Non-Medical Losses
If you or someone you care about has suffered a traumatic amputation as the result of someone else’s negligence, the long-term, overarching consequences (in addition to the medical expenses listed above) are likely to be extensive, including:
- Lost Wages – The severe physical limitations inherent to traumatic amputations can lead to a serious diminishment in your ability to earn and can crush your chosen career path in the process. This is if you are able to return to work at all (depending upon the nature of your injury and the nature of your work).
- Pain and Suffering – The physical and emotional pain and suffering caused by a traumatic amputation are difficult to overstate. Your life was irrevocably altered in that moment, and as a result of someone else’s negligence, you’ve been forced to forge a new normal in which you are burdened with serious physical limitations. Further, even though you’ve permanently lost a limb (or another body part), you can still suffer serious pain in that missing body part, which is known as phantom pain and which is quite common. The emotional consequences of a traumatic amputation can obviously be overwhelming.
In order to reach your fullest recovery, obtaining compensation that covers the complete scope of your damages is critical.
The Recovery Process
The emotional and physical hurdles you’ll need to overcome during the course of your recovery can include all of the following:
- The physical limitations associated with a traumatic amputation can limit your ability to not only participate in many of the daily activities that make up your life but also many of the activities that you engage in for your own entertainment, such as hobbies and avocations.
- The emotional toll of having your life upended in the blink of an eye leaves many victims with serious emotional and psychological consequences, such as increased anxiety, emotional lability, depression, irritability, and other PTSD-like symptoms.
- The emotional consequences of a traumatic amputation can even negatively affect your close personal relationships – just when you need that support and connection the most.
All told, the overall effects of a traumatic amputation can be so wide-ranging and significant that they are difficult to adequately calculate.
Special Considerations
According to The U.S. National Library of Medicine’s MedlinePlus, the long-term prognosis for amputees is closely associated with the early emergency care received and the management of critical care throughout the amputation process. Obtaining a well-fitting prosthesis and appropriate physical retraining in relation to the effects of the amputated limb can help speed the rehabilitation process.
You Need an Experienced Redding, California, Personal Injury Attorney Whom You Trust
An accident caused by someone else’s negligence that leads to traumatic amputation is one of the most emotionally and physically painful accidents you can endure, and the physical, financial, and psychological consequences are often immense. If you’ve suffered such an injury, the dedicated personal injury attorneys at Maire & Deedon in Redding, California, have not only the experience and resources to help but also have the compassion and commitment to zealously advocate for your case’s optimal resolution. Our formidable legal team is on your side, so please contact or call us at 530-246-6050 for more information today.