Over 30,000 traumatic amputations occur every year because of car accidents, trucking accidents, product defects, falls, and other traumatic events. A traumatic amputation can involve any body part, including the arms, legs, hands, fingers, feet, toes, and even the head. Upper limb amputations account for over 65% of traumatic amputations.
For a traumatic amputation to occur there must be some force of impact involved whether it is s a crush injury, laceration guillotine or avulsion. Common examples include:
The amputation results in either a complete or incomplete separation. A partial amputation, or incomplete loss, is one in which the body part is still intact but partial severed. Although it still may not function, it remains connected to the body and may require complete removal later on. A complete amputation is where the limb is severed from the body. Depending upon the condition of the limb and the time it has been separated by the body will determine if it can be reattached and saved.
Aside from the physical loss of the body party, poor blood circulation and nerve damage can cause intensive and chronic pain often made worse with climate change, age, or several other factors. Life-long medical care and treatment will be necessary to permit a victim to cope physically and emotionally from this loss. They may need extensive rehabilitation to manage fundamental skills of daily life to learn to walk, stand and even dress themselves. They will likely also require physical therapy and pain management to address the manifestation of phantom pain, numbness and burning. In addition, the victim will require ongoing medical management site infections as well as psychiatric and psychological care. Finally, there would be a host of adaptive equipment such as prosthetic, vehicle modifications and other devices that would be implement in the treatment plan to give as much independence back to what the amputee lost.
Even with aggressive pursuant of therapy and treatment options, the prognosis normally does not return the victim to the pre-accident state. Spinal cord injury survivors are then left with significant costs and expense to manage their diminished quality of life with essential life care needs and supportive equipment. As the people living with these injuries age, the costs associated also go up.
The aftermath of a tragic accident that causes spinal cord injuries and related physical and mental despair is devastating. Working with a spinal injury lawyer who can offer the care and attention necessary to make a difference should be part of the team to help on the recovery journey. Call us to see what we can do for you or your loved one.
Traumatic amputations are serious and expected to require life-long care at a significant cost. A lawyer with the skill and insight in dealing with this condition, not only will explore and investigation for all companies and persons possibly responsible for this loss, but will also walk with these victims one step at a time on the road to recovery with exceptional medical care and life care planning. If you help addressing the disastrous amputation of a body part, call us to see how we can be of service.