Amputation Injury Attorneys in Mobile, AL
The loss of a limb, whether by accident or as treatment for a serious injury, is a severe injury in and of itself. It can cause lifelong pain and mental anguish, in addition to limiting a patient’s mobility and freedom. Those who go through an amputation have a long road to recovery ahead of them, one with substantial pain medications, counseling, physical therapy, and occupational therapy.
Of course, this type of treatment is not inexpensive. An amputation victim can expect to accrue hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical debt, all while being unable to return to work.
If you have suffered an amputation or loss of limb injury, you need to find out if you are entitled to compensation. Burns, Cunningham & Mackey is here to help. Give us a call at 251-432-0612 to learn more about your options.
Common Causes of Loss of Limb Injuries
A wide variety of accidents and illnesses can trigger a loss of limb injury. On the medical side of things, a serious infection, tumor, diabetes, or vascular disease could lead to an amputation. In some cases, this is unavoidable and is the result of a patient’s overall health or lifestyle. In others, it is the result of a delayed or missed diagnosis. In these situations, the amputation could have possibly been avoided if the care provider had been more competent.
Many accidents can also lead to the loss of a limb. One common cause of amputations is workplace injuries. Those who work in construction, manufacturing, repair shops, or other facilities that use heavy machinery are at serious risk of an amputation injury. Other common causes include car accidents, animal bites, and even slip and fall accidents.
Types of Amputations
There are several types of amputation injuries. Understanding the details of your accident can help you better explore your legal options. First, there are both upper limb and lower limb amputations. Upper limb amputations include the arms, shoulders, hands, or fingers. The majority of amputation injuries are upper limb related. Lower limb amputations include the pelvis, legs, feet, and toes.
The other categorization refers to how the amputation is done. A traumatic amputation is one that occurs naturally in the course of an accident. For example, if your leg gets caught in your seat during a car accident and you get thrown from the car, your leg could rip off where it is trapped. If you are operating a piece of heavy machinery at work and your leg gets caught under it and subsequently torn off, this is also a traumatic amputation. A surgical amputation is one that is done by a surgeon in response to illness or injury. It is often done if the affected tissue is too damaged for repair or if the affected tissue is likely to cause systemic infection.
Complications Associated with Loss of Limb Injuries
Unfortunately, the trauma does not stop after the amputation itself. The loss of a limb can cause a whole slew of side effects, many of which require additional medical treatment and pain management. Some common complications include:
- Phantom limb pain. Some patients experience pain in the amputated limb for weeks, months, or years after the loss of the limb. This is a unique type of neuropathic pain that can last for the rest of your life.
- Edema occurs when fluid from blood vessels is absorbed by nearby tissues. This is fairly common at the site of the amputation, where excess fluid can build up and lead to significant pain and discomfort.
- Physical weakness. The loss of a limb often requires a victim to compensate by using other body parts to perform daily living tasks. This can put enormous strain on rarely used body parts, causing pain and stiffness.
- It should come as no surprise that PTSD is a common outcome of a loss of limb injury. Patients may suffer from serious grief, a poor body image, and hopelessness with regards to their future.
- This is particularly common in traumatic amputations. Exposure to the elements can leave a victim at risk of systemic infection, which may become fatal.
Getting the Compensation You Deserve
As you may expect, the costs associated with an amputation are enormous. A surgical amputation can cost tens of thousands of dollars, and that’s before you consider anesthesia, follow-up appointments, physical therapy, and occupational therapy. If you have additional side effects, such as edema or phantom limb pain, those will also add to your overall bill.
Medical bills aren’t the only financial loss you will suffer after an amputation. Such a serious injury often requires you to be out of work for weeks, months, or even the rest of your life. A fair settlement will make up for the income you have lost, allowing you to keep meeting your financial obligations and providing for your family.
Fair compensation should also make up for your non-financial losses. The physical pain of an amputation or loss of limb injury, the mental anguish of such severe injuries, and the decreased quality of life you may suffer because of your injury should all come into play in a fair settlement.
How Our Team Can Help
At Burns, Cunningham & Mackey, we believe that accident victims deserve full and fair compensation for their injuries. If someone else’s negligence caused your injuries, it’s not fair for you to be left with the physical, emotional, and financial fallout. However, we also know that insurance companies won’t just offer to write a check and give you a fair settlement. It’s something you’ll need to fight for.
That’s where we shine. We know how insurance companies trick consumers into accepting unfair settlements, and we make sure that they don’t try those techniques on you. By investigating your accident and getting a clear understanding of what happened, we will hold the liable party accountable and fight for every dollar you deserve.
Contact Burns, Cunningham & Mackey Now
After a loss of limb injury, you have a lot to process and handle. You don’t need to tackle your own legal issues at the same time. Let us fight for the money you’re due while you recover. Schedule a consultation now by calling us at 251-432-0612 or reaching out to our team online.