Being able to use our appendages is something that many people take for granted until they no longer have the ability to do so. When we lose a body part, we can experience profound effects on our lives. When someone else’s negligence is to blame for your amputation or loss of limb, you have the right to seek financial accountability and justice from the at-fault party. 

The amputation and loss of limb injury lawyers from Nowlan Personal Injury Law can guide you through the legal process of filing a personal injury claim. Contact us today for a free consultation. 

How an Amputation and Loss of Limb Injury Lawyer Can Help

After a devastating accident that results in the loss of a body part, your full attention needs to be on your recovery and health. A personal injury attorney can handle your legal claim and pursue justice on your behalf. 

The experienced personal injury attorneys at Nowlan Personal Injury Law approach these cases with care and sensitivity. We can only imagine how difficult the situation is for you and will do everything we can to assist you during this challenging time. 

When we handle catastrophic injury cases, we do the following:

• Explain Wisconsin law and how it applies to your case
• Investigate your case to determine how the accident occurred
• Identify all at-fault parties
• Identify, gather, and preserve compelling evidence in your case
• Leverage research, evidence, eyewitnesses, and expert witnesses to prove that negligence caused the amputation
• Consult with physicians, economic experts, and medical experts to understand your treatment plan and challenges you will likely face in the future
• Work with accident reconstruction experts to better understand the mechanics involved in the accident
• Meticulously document the full extent of your injuries 
• Provide emotional support throughout the lifeline of your personal injury claim and beyond
• File your legal claims in a timely manner
• Handle communications with insurance companies
• Negotiate for fair compensation and fight lowball offers from insurance companies
• Prepare a personal injury lawsuit if settlement negotiations do not yield a fair outcome

Our goal is to obtain maximum compensation for your life-altering injuries so you have the financial ability to rebuild your life and confront any challenges you experience in the future. Contact us today for a free consultation. 

Financial Compensation You Can Recover After an Amputation Injury

Amputations can be financially devastating. Amputees may face significant lifetime medical costs. Lost wages and earning capacity can worsen the situation. 

Additionally,  the victim could be suffering from significant pain and emotional distress. Through a personal injury claim, 

• All medical expenses related to your injury and medical treatment, including hospitalization, outpatient care, physical therapy, wound care, rehabilitation, counseling, medication, prosthetic costs, and pain management 
• Future medical expenses
• Lost income
• Reduced earning capacity 
• Property damage
• Pain and suffering
• Emotional distress
• Permanent disability
• Scarring and disfigurement
• Loss of consortium

If another party was responsible for your injuries, you should not have to pay the consequences. A personal injury lawyer can protect your right to recover compensation from negligent parties. 

Amputation Statistics

According to the Amputee Coalition, approximately 5.6 million Americans are living with limb loss or limb difference. Approximately 185,000 amputations occur each year in the United States. 

Trauma is the second leading cause of limb loss, responsible for approximately 45% of cases. According to Industrial Safety & Hygiene News, approximately 70% of traumatic amputations involve the upper limbs. 

Besides trauma, vascular maladies, such as diabetes and peripheral arterial disease, and cancer, are common causes of amputation. Vascular maladies are responsible for approximately 54% of cases, while cancer is responsible for another 2% of cases. 

Research indicates that the lifetime costs to treat an amputation injury can easily equal hundreds of thousands of dollars. The two-year healthcare costs for amputation injuries were $91,106, and lifetime healthcare costs were $509,275. These costs include initial hospitalization, rehospitalizations for acute care, inpatient rehabilitation, physical therapy, occupational therapy, doctor visits, and prosthetic devices.

Types of Amputations 

Amputation injuries are classified into the following categories:

Traumatic Amputations 

A traumatic amputation occurs when a body part is partially or fully severed in some type of traumatic accident, such as a car accident. 

In some situations, doctors can reattach the severed body part, while in others, they cannot. Factors that doctors consider when determining whether a body part can be reattached include the extent of damage, contamination, and the amount of time the body part was severed. Generally, if a body part does not receive blood for four to six hours, tissue death can occur, and the body part may not be viable for reattachment.

In some cases involving partial amputation, doctors may decide to amputate the remainder of the body part if any of the following situations apply:

• The bone in the limb cannot reseat and heal. 
• There is extensive damage to the tissue in the damaged body part.
• There is extensive damage to the blood vessels in the damaged area of the body.
• An infection is untreatable and could spread or be life-threatening.

Because the amputation is sudden and violent, the situation is more dangerous than in a controlled medical setting. The victim is also more susceptible to having the wound infected, as foreign objects may enter the wound tract. 

Accident victims who sustain a traumatic amputation are more likely to experience secondary injuries than those who have a surgical amputation. 

Surgical Amputations

Surgical amputations occur when a body part is amputated by a surgeon in a medical setting. Surgeons may decide to amputate a body part because it’s necessary to save a patient’s life, such as if the injury compromises the blood flow to a body part or region of the body. If there is insufficient blood flow, tissue can die, and the patient can suffer the life-threatening condition of gangrene. 

In a surgical amputation, the medical team identifies healthy tissue to preserve. The surgical team removes the damaged tissue and ties off blood vessels and nerves. They cut at this point and fashion a stump from muscle and skin in the area. 

Common Causes of Amputations 

Amputations can occur for various reasons. Some of the most common include the following:

• Traumatic injuries from accidents: Sudden amputations may occur from car accidents, construction accidents, and accidents involving machinery or equipment that crush body parts. These accidents can cause severe tissue and bone damage to a specific body part, which may necessitate surgically removing it.
• Burns: Chemical, thermal, or electrical burns can destroy skin, nerves, muscle, and bone that cannot be repaired. Amputation may be necessary to remove damaged or dead tissue. 
• Bacterial infections: When bacteria enter the wound tract, serious infections, including sepsis and gangrene, can occur, requiring surgeons to complete emergency amputations to prevent death. 
• Frostbite: If a person is thrown from an ATV and knocked unconscious, they may suffer frostbite from extreme cold, which can damage tissue due to a loss of blood flow, necessitating amputation.
• Blood vessel damage: If blood vessels are severely damaged in a fall or other serious accident, cells do not receive the blood they need to keep the body part alive, necessitating the removal of the damaged body part. 
• Comminuted fractures: This injury occurs when a bone fractures into at least three pieces. Doctors may be unable to reassemble the shattered pieces, so an amputation may be necessary. These injuries can occur in accidents, such as motorcycle accidents and truck accidents. 

If your amputation was due to someone else’s negligence, contact an amputation injury lawyer today for immediate legal representation.

Consequences and Complications of Amputations

Amputations are catastrophic injuries. They can also lead to long-term consequences and complications, such as:

Infection 

Infections occur when microorganisms enter the body. These microorganisms may release toxic substances and try to use the body’s resources, causing cell death. The body inflames and swells in response to an injury, constricting blood vessels and trapping these dangerous microorganisms in the affected body part. This leads to dangerous infections.

Infections can also occur if the stump site breaks down and wounds reopen. Severe infections may lead to additional surgeries and further loss of the remaining body part.

Phantom Limb Syndrome 

Phantom limb syndrome occurs when the brain perceives nerve signals from the amputated body part. The brain misinterprets signals from nerve endings in the stump, leading amputees to feel pain, numbness, and other sensations in the limb that is no longer there. Traditional pain relief methods are often ineffective for dealing with this issue.

Physical Complications

Amputations can make it more likely for amputees to experience additional physical conditions, such as:

• Poor circulation
• High blood pressure
• Weight gain
• Heart disease
• Heart attacks
• Stroke
• Chronic pain

Amputees may lose strength, balance, and coordination, leading to additional problems.

Difficulty Working 

Losing a body part – especially a limb – may prevent you from returning to work. If your job involves walking, you may find it difficult to perform your regular job duties. If you type and have lost a hand, you may have difficulty performing this job-related task. 

Approximately one-third of people with a work-related amputation injury don’t return to work. Even if they do return, they may not be able to perform the same job as before. This can lead to a loss of income for many years to come. 

Difficulty Adapting 

Many amputees find it difficult to adapt to life changes caused by the amputation. They may be unable to walk. They could be confined to a wheelchair. This sudden loss of mobility may significantly impair their quality of life. 

They may also struggle to adapt to prosthetic devices. They may struggle to perform daily tasks, like cooking, cleaning, or driving. 

Using crutches, a wheelchair, or other mobility aids can be physically exhausting. It can also be emotionally exhausting. Being confined to a bed or wheelchair can also lead to painful bed sores.

Amputation wound care is often a long and ongoing process. Amputees might have to seek medical attention for wound openings, infections, blistering, and other medical issues, which can further disrupt their lives. 

Amputees might also have regular physical therapy due to the prolonged lack of use of a body part. This can create further demands on their energy, time, financial resources, and patience. 

Depression 

Losing a limb or other body part can be emotionally devastating. You may experience a range of emotions after an amputation, such as:

• Sadness
• Anger
• Shock
• Embarrassment
• Helplessness
• Hopelessness

Many times, these emotions transform into anxiety and depression. Approximately one-third of amputees suffer from depression. Depression can arise due to the trauma from the accident, grief over losing a body part, fear of the future, and an unwanted reliance on loved ones. 

Amputees may struggle with their body image, self-esteem, and loss of independence and mobility. They may also experience isolation after the accident.

 PTSD

Losing a limb or other body part can be a psychologically traumatizing event, leading many amputees to develop Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Amputees may have flashbacks or nightmares about the accident that caused their amputation. They may also actively avoid situations that remind them of the accident, such as refusing to get in a car after a horrific accident. 

Financial Consequences

As noted above, it can be very expensive to treat amputation injuries. Medical expenses alone may include surgeries, hospital stays, specialist visits, prosthetic devices, ongoing wound care, and medication. 

Other financial costs include lost income, in-home care, home modifications, and therapy costs.

Contact Us for a Free Case Review

Amputation injury cases are complicated. If someone else’s negligence was responsible for your or a loved one’s injuries, the amputation injury attorneys at Nowlan Personal Injury Law can work tirelessly to recover the compensation you deserve. 

We have successfully recovered millions of dollars in compensation for our clients and have over 55 years of experience building personal injury claims. We have the skills, resources, and experience to secure results. Contact us today for a free case evaluation.