An amputation is one of the most devastating types of injuries a person can experience. When you’re involved in an accident that leads to a major amputation, your life is forever changed. Understanding how amputation injuries happen, how they’re treated, and the common costs they incur can provide you with a glimpse of the road that lies ahead.
Once you see the high cost of an amputation injury, you’ll probably recognize that it’s worth your time to consult an amputation injury lawyer about your options for recovering personal injury compensation.
Types Of Amputation Injuries
Amputation injuries occur in two basic ways. The first is when an accident directly results in an amputation. Examples of these accidents include a car collision that cuts off a person’s leg or a workplace incident in which a piece of heavy machinery amputates a worker’s arm.
Amputation injuries can also occur as part of a treatment process. Suppose that an accident does not sever the injured person’s body part but injures it beyond recovery. During treatment, medical staff may determine that it is necessary to amputate at the injury site.
In some cases, a treatment team recommends amputation because the body part is damaged too badly to repair. In other cases, the site of the injury can become infected. A serious infection that does not respond to treatment can result in the need for amputation, even if amputation wasn’t an outcome of the accident itself.
Accidents That Frequently Result In Amputation
Amputation can be the outcome of a wide number of accident types, especially when an amputation must be performed at a later date by the treatment team. However, doctors frequently see two accident types that are most commonly associated with amputation injuries. These are motor vehicle accidents and workplace accidents.
Motor vehicle accidents involve a high risk of amputation injury. Types of motor vehicle accidents that can result in amputation injuries include:
- Car accidents
- Motorcycle accidents
- Truck accidents
- Bus accidents
- Bicycle accidents
- Pedestrian accidents
During a crash, it’s common for an individual to be pinned between pieces of heavy metal, which is a leading cause of immediate amputation. Car accidents also bring a high risk of being crushed or thrown a distance from the vehicle. Both of these accident types increase the risk of the injured body part suffering trauma that a treatment team can’t repair.
Workplace and construction site accidents are another leading source of amputation injuries. Common types of workplace injuries that can result in amputation include:
- Caught-between accidents
- Struck-by accidents
- Power tool accidents
- Forklift accidents
Workers who work near industrial equipment or heavy machinery are frequently involved in workplace accidents that can either lead to immediate amputation or require later amputation by the medical treatment team.
Diagnosing And Treating An Amputation Injury
It might seem like diagnosing amputation injury is a self-evident process, but it can be complicated. In the most straightforward type of situation, the injured person’s body part is immediately amputated at the moment of the accident. However, in other cases, the wounded area might still be attached to the body but is partially or internally amputated during the accident.
In other situations, the accident itself does not lead to amputation. However, the treatment team may decide that the level of trauma is too severe to restore the health and function of the injured body part. For example, if the bones in a person’s hand are completely crushed, the treatment team may deem it necessary to amputate the hand.
In one final situation, amputation may not initially be part of the treatment plan. However, certain types of infections, such as sepsis, can fail to respond to treatment and endanger the injured person’s life. When the injury site becomes seriously infected, the treatment team may ultimately determine that amputation is a life-saving measure.
The process of diagnosing and treating an amputation injury is highly individual. Even in cases in which a full amputation occurs during an accident, such as a worker’s finger being cut off by a piece of heavy machinery, it’s sometimes possible to reattach the severed body part.
Ultimately, doctors must consider many factors, such as the level of damage to the body part, the part of the body that was injured, and whether they believe attempting treatment or amputation will best serve the patient’s long-term health.
The High Cost Of An Amputation Injury
An amputation injury can be incredibly costly. Initial treatment costs alone can vary widely. These often depend on whether the treatment team must perform the amputation or whether they initially try to save the body part and later decide to amputate. In cases where amputation comes after attempts at treatment, injured individuals may also face bills for lengthy hospital stays in addition to surgery costs.
Once the initial treatment for an amputation injury ends, there’s still a long road to recovery ahead. Individuals who experience the amputation of major body parts such as the leg, foot, or arm may be fitted with a prosthetic body part. These can be quite expensive and incur additional costs due to the need for regular maintenance.
It’s also common for someone who’s experienced an amputation to participate in amputation rehabilitation therapy. This form of physical therapy teaches skills for re-learning how to accomplish daily tasks. In many cases, someone who has experienced an amputation must also make home renovations to allow for accessibility, such as installing ramps or stair lifts.
Finally, an amputation injury often results in the inability to return to work or leaves the injured individual unable to return to their former field of employment. The resulting lack of income can take a significant toll on a family’s finances when they are already facing substantial medical bills.
Amputation injury compensation can reimburse you for all these costs and more. The first step for recovering the compensation you need is to schedule a free consultation with a personal injury lawyer to learn more about your options.
Speak With Our Amputation Injury Lawyers In Laredo, Texas
Roderick C. Lopez Personal Injury Lawyers is a personal injury law firm serving clients in Laredo, TX. Our experienced amputation injury attorneys have a long track record of successfully helping clients recover the compensation they need.
An amputation is a serious form of injury that has a significant lifelong impact on your quality of life and finances. When you suffer an amputation injury, it’s extremely important to work with a skilled attorney with a demonstrated track record of success in similar cases. Our attorneys have the experience and reputation you need on your Laredo amputation injury case.
Contact our attorneys at Roderick C. Lopez, Personal Injury Lawyers, today to schedule a free consultation at (956) 529-7336 with our experienced amputation injury lawyers in Laredo, Texas.
