Dr Prem Global Healthcare Logo

Why Amputation Victims Need The Help Of A Personal Injury Lawyer More Than Other Injury Victims

Amputation Victims

Every year in the US, there are an estimated thirty-thousand people who suffer from traumatic amputation injuries. A traumatic amputation is the loss of a limb or extremity due to an accident or traumatic event. Forty-five percent of those amputation injuries happen in the workplace or an auto accident.

The financial toll of an amputation injury is tremendous, as is the psychological impact. An amputation injury requires extensive medical treatment including surgery, hospital stays, and rehabilitation, which often leads to a lot of loss; economic and otherwise.

Amputee victims typically have no idea the lifetime costs that they will suffer, nor do they understand what they are entitled to, which is why it is vital to hire an experienced amputation injury attorney.

The reason that you want to hire someone who has experience, specifically in amputation accidents, is the extreme nature of an amputation injury. If you don’t know all that you are entitled to, then you are guaranteed to get less than you need and deserve.

Prosthetics

prosthetics

If you lost a limb in an amputation accident, the cost of a replacement prosthetic could be anywhere from $5000 to about $50,000, but that isn’t just a one-time cost. This could prove to be quite expensive, if you are not already insured by someone like best injury law firm in austin tx. The original prosthetic that an amputee receives post-surgery is usually not the one that an amputee will keep.

The limb that is severed will need time to heal and for the swelling to go down, and then a new prosthesis is placed. Due to wear and tear, it might be necessary for an amputee to have their prosthetic changed every five years, and private insurance typically will not pay for the entire cost of replacement.

Adjustments that have to be made in the home.

Some people who have amputee injuries may have to be in a wheelchair forever, which is a cost that needs to be considered. Since wheelchairs don’t fit into the average house, accommodations need to be made so that the amputee can return home comfortably.

Renovating a house to make it wheelchair accessible is a significant expense; and, if it is not added to the cost of a settlement, then it is left up to the homeowner to pay.

Occupational, psychological and physical therapy.

physical therapyAmputees typically face a long, grueling, road back to recovery. They have to completely change all aspects of their lives based on whatever limitations they have due to their injuries. It might not be possible for them to return to work in the same capacity, which can reduce their earnings significantly if they don’t have vocational rehabilitation.

Emotionally, an amputee injury can lead to post-traumatic stress syndrome, bouts of depression, and a decrease in tolerance for everyday stresses. If they are required to take pain medications, then it can alter their ability to reason and think, and it may exclude them from specific activities they once could do.

Physically, although the limb might be missing, that doesn’t mean that the pain always dissipates. It is possible for them to suffer from nerve pain at the amputation site long after the limb is gone, and, in some instances, forever.

Pain and suffering.

The pain and suffering associated with an amputation injury is worse than other injuries. Two-thirds of all amputee victims experience something called phantom limb pain, which is chronic.

Caused by the brain and the spinal cord not being able to communicate as it once did, the limb that is missing continues to “send” signals of pain to the brain. The site of the missing body part is also highly sensitive, and, when it touches something, the nerves can cause severe pain. The pain from an amputee injury can last months to years to a lifetime.

When you are in an amputee accident, the injuries that you sustain are usually far more significant than with other types of injuries. Forever altering your life, you can suffer from physical, psychological, and emotional pain that can last forever.

To make sure that you anticipate all the costs of the here and now and beyond, it is vital that you hire a lawyer who specializes in amputee injuries to get all that you deserve and need.

Article Submitted By Community Writer

Recent Articles:

Scroll to Top