An amputation of a body part is one of the worst injuries you can suffer. An amputation is the removal or loss of a body extremity that is usually a result of an accident or an injury. The loss of a limb or other body part will permanently change your life. It will change the aesthetic look of your body and affect how you are able to perform daily activities. Generally, amputations result in a disfiguring and permanent injury that will significantly impact your overall quality of life.
A traumatic amputation is the total or partial removal of a body part. An amputation can result in a traumatic situation that can cause a body part to be completely severed. In other situations, a body part or limb is partially removed. While amputations may seem rare, the Amputee Coalition states that approximately 185,000 individuals suffer an amputation each year in the United States. That number is surprising and just goes to show that amputations are common.
Causes of Amputations
Amputations result from a number of different situations. Vascular disease and diabetes are main causes of amputations, but trauma is also been a significant cause of amputations. Traumatic amputations can result from:
Car Accidents. In serious car crash injuries a body part, such as a finger, hand, arm, toe, foot, or leg can be severed due to a high speed collision and the twisting or mangled metal of the car.
Work Accidents. Amputations also occur during work accidents. For example, construction workers can mishandle equipment, such as a table saw, and cause a finger or hand to be amputated. Likewise, landscapers or tree removal employees suffer amputations from chainsaws or lawnmowers. Of course, with the Massachusetts winters we have here, our office has represented workers who have had finger amputated in snow blowers.
Defective Products. Some products do not work properly or are defective and can cause the user of the product to lose a body part.
Treatment for Amputations
There are different treatment methods for amputations. The severity of the injury usually dictates what treatments are offered or available to accident victims. In more serious cases, where a body part is completely severed, the victim is left with the amputation and the stub is treated to stop bleeding, prevent infection, and minimize scaring. In other situations, doctors can perform replantation or reconnection of the severed limb to the body in hopes of restoring the body part. Some accidents can cause a significant injury to a body part or limb that doesn’t result in a detachment of the body part, but is so devastating that the limb must be surgically amputated.
Use Experienced Personal Injury Lawyers for an Amputation Claim
If you have been involved in a car accident or work accident in Massachusetts and have suffered an amputation of a limb or other body part, it is important to have an experienced personal injury attorney represent you in your claim for money damages. An experienced Massachusetts personal injury lawyer can help get you financial compensation for your medical bills, medical expenses, lost wages, pain, suffering, and scarring and disfigurement. If it is a work-related accident, a lawyer experienced with workers’ compensation claims in Massachusetts can help you get you the workers’ comp benefits you deserve, including disability and benefits.
Mahaney & Pappas have helped numerous accident victims get the financial compensation they deserve for injuries, including amputations, in Massachusetts. Our goal is to maximize the compensation and settlement for our clients.