Amputation involves the separation of a body part from the body. While medical conditions account for some planned surgical amputations, many more are the sudden result of trauma to the body. Injuries resulting from traumatic amputations cause a great deal of physical and emotional trauma for the victim. Often, these injuries result due to negligence on behalf of another person or entity.
Long Term Consequences of Traumatic Amputations
Amputation injuries will physically limit you for the remainder of your life, permanently removing a body part. Common body parts removed due to car, truck, motorcycle, and other accidents include legs, hands, feet, toes, ears, nose, eyelids, arms, and genitalia. Not only will an amputation result in physical harm, it can also lead to several mental issues and can require significant therapy and aftercare. Accident victims can require months and even years to fully recover from their physical and mental wounds, and even then their recovery will never truly be complete as the body part cannot be recovered.
Those who experience a traumatic amputation due to the negligence of another deserve to be compensated for the costs associated with treating and living with the injury. These include, but are not limited to:
• Medical bills
• Lost wages
• Physical therapy and rehabilitation expenses
• Psychological counseling
• The cost of prosthetic limbs or other ambulatory aids
• Expenses for the modification of the home or workplace to accommodate the injury
Other potential damages that must be taken into account are harder to quantify. These damages include pain and suffering, as well as emotional pain and suffering, and the impact of the loss of the body part of your quality of life. Your attorney will assist you in evaluating these losses and attempting to assign a value to these very real, but hard to quantify, damages.
Liability for Amputation Injuries
Liability for an amputation injury will depend upon how the injury occurred. Common causes of traumatic amputations include traffic accidents, such as car, truck, motorcycle, and pedestrian accidents. The force involved in a traffic accident can result in a traumatic amputation, along with other serious injuries.
Many other amputations stem from work place injuries. Work related accidents, especially in the construction, manufacturing, and agriculture fields, can result in amputations. Employees who lose a body part due to a work place accident should consult with an attorney right away so that your attorney can evaluate the victim’s right to receive compensation, which can stem from worker’s compensation but could also include a third party claim.
Source:
http://www.emsworld.com/article/10322826/tramautic-amputations
