Helping Serious Injury Victims Throughout the South Bay
Losing a limb after a serious accident can be the most traumatizing experience in a person's life. Whether you've lost a finger in your accident or have had to have your leg amputated in surgery, losing any part of ourselves is a major life event that can be challenging to adapt to, not to mention pay for. Amputations often come with serious physical, emotional, and financial consequences that no person is prepared to face, and nor should you have to.
That's why AgnewBrusavich is available to file your personal injury claim and get you the justice you deserve when you've been harmed by someone else's negligence.
Call (310) 793-1400 for a free consultation in English or Spanish today, or contact our team online. Meeting with us to learn more about your options after an accident costs you nothing.
What is an Amputation Injury?
Amputation injuries occur when a person's limb or body part is severed in an accident or as a result of medical negligence, such as in surgery. An amputation can be complete or partial; a partial amputation refers to a limb that may still be partially attached to the body, such as a severely damaged finger that needs to be removed, while a complete amputation means the limb or digit is completely separated from the body. Statistics show that 2.1 million Americans live with limb loss and over 185,000 people have amputations every year.
The most common amputation is the loss of one or more fingers and the second most common is the loss of an arm. Individuals can also lose digits and body parts such as toes, feet, legs, and hands. Around 70 percent of all traumatic amputations involve the upper limbs.
Though it's possible a limb can be reattached to the body, it's more than likely that losing a limb will be permanent and result in complete loss of function. Additionally, many amputation injury victims also suffer complications when they lose a limb or body part in an accident, such as excessive bleeding, shock, nerve damage, and infection.
How Amputations Occur in California Accidents
A variety of factors can contribute to amputations, though in personal injury cases it's more likely that a person's amputation was caused by trauma or surgery.
Severed limbs are often caused by the following types of accidents:
- Car accidents: We often associate car accidents with minor injuries like whiplash or abrasions, but serious accidents can also lead to amputations. Victims can lose their limbs entirely in accidents, or they may have their limbs crushed by vehicles and require amputations as a result.
- Construction accidents: Heavy machinery, falling debris and objects, unstable surfaces, and more all make the construction industry one of the most dangerous industries in the world. Thanks to the presence of dangerous equipment and possibility of fires or explosions, it's possible for construction workers to suffer amputations on the job.
- Defective products: Faulty or dangerous products can easily cause amputation injuries when they explode upon use and blow off a consumer's limb or digit. Products that cause fires can also result in serious burn injuries that may require amputations.
- Motorcycle accidents and pedestrian accidents: Because motorcyclists and pedestrians aren't protected in the same way occupants of cars and trucks are, they're more likely to suffer from serious injuries when they're struck by motor vehicles. Amputations can occur when limbs are crushed by heavy vehicles or completely severed upon impact.
- Medical malpractice: Unfortunately, the medical professionals we trust with our lives can sometimes make mistakes. Amputations can occur when doctors make surgical errors.
Why You Need a Lawyer
As a serious injury, an amputation often imposes massive financial and emotional costs on victims and their family members. Most amputations will require hospital stays, surgeries, and medication, all of which can easily add up to tens of thousands of dollars in emergency medical bills. Victims may also lose money when they take time off work to be in the hospital and/or heal at home.
Additionally, amputees have to consider future costs of care and specialized services that can help them when they're disabled and no longer able to use part of their bodies. These services can be expensive and include:
- Rehabilitation services such as physical therapy
- Prosthetic limbs, which are custom-made and involve ongoing costs to maintain and upgrade
- Home modifications such as modified ramps and railings
At AgnewBrusavich, our attorneys believe victims shouldn't have to pay more than they already have to treat their injuries and trauma. If your amputation was caused by another driver, medical professional, or other party, they must be held accountable for their actions. Our team works together to win our cases and recover damages for our valued clients. Your job should be to focus on healing – our job is to get you results.
Our team can find a solution to even the most complex issue. Call our amputation injury lawyers if you've been injured in Torrance or the surrounding areas today at (310) 793-1400.