Having a limb amputated is a terrible experience. Not only is the pain and recovery difficult, but the lasting damage to one’s quality of life is traumatic. Losing a limb is considered a catastrophic injury requiring significant changes to one’s daily routine. While an amputation is already terrible, knowing the incident was avoidable can make the loss of your limb even more devastating. According to medical research, 185,000 Americans lose a limb each year. Many of those amputations are from employees, patients, and accident victims suffering from catastrophic injuries due to no fault of their own.
Types of Accidents Associated With Amputation
There are many causes of amputation, the vast majority are from disease complications. Cancer and diabetes are responsible for 57% of all amputations. The remaining 43% of amputations are caused by trauma. The cause of the trauma varies from accidental causes to negligence. Many victims with personal injury claims struggle to recover after an amputation.
Personal injury cases usually have amputations from the following types of incidents:
- Vehicles Crashes: Surviving an automobile accident can be a harrowing experience, and car accidents are traumatic events, even without losing a limb. Crashes with catastrophic injuries typically result from certain vehicle accidents, like motorcycle accidents, pedestrian accidents, and biking accidents.
- Work Incidents: Some jobs require considerable risk, and workplace injuries are a common cause of amputations. The accident could be due to employer negligence or not depending on the type of work being conducted. The nature of the work being performed has a lot of bearing on whether the job has inherent risk. For example, logging, forestry, and roofing jobs have high injury and fatality rates.
- Malpractice: Medical injuries are traumatic because they were inflicted while healed of an illness or injury. Sometimes doctors make mistakes, a hospital misses the mark, or a procedure goes awry. Depending on the injury, amputation could be required, which could lead to a personal injury claim.
Whether the injury was negligent or not, all amputations are catastrophic. The intersection between personal injury claims and amputation is wide. Because of the nature of personal injury claims, and the severe injuries in most cases, it’s not surprising so many claims would involve amputation and limb loss.
Chronic Medical Issues Associated With Amputation
Losing a limb is a serious medical issue. Even after the limb has been excised, there are ongoing medical concerns and risks associated with amputation, including:
- DVT (Deep Vein Thrombosis)
- Limb Pain
- Infection
- Body Dysmorphia
- Depression
The lack of mobility associated with limb loss can change the trajectory of someone’s life. An amputation can mean serious financial issues, from the loss of income to the accommodations that would need to be made to one’s living environment.
Call RisCassi & Davis, P.C. About a Personal Injury Amputation Case
At RisCassi & Davis, P.C., our attorneys have many years of experience helping our clients seek justice and fair compensation for their injuries and losses. If you or someone you love was forced to have a limb amputated due to the negligence of an employer or a third party, contact our attorneys today. Our firm works tirelessly to help clients meet their legal objectives. Call (860) 245-2412 to schedule a consultation with RisCassi & Davis, P.C team.