WV Amputation Injuries: What Happens Next?

The experienced lawyers at Burke, Schultz, Harman & Jenkinson help victims of WV amputation injuries pursue and secure the compensation they need to recover and rebuild their lives after amputations due to accidents or surgeries. In this blog, we’ll discuss how amputation injuries happen, their impacts, and how patients can recover physically and financially.

Dealing with the Impacts of WV Amputation Injuries

Losing a limb or other part of the body is a life-changing event for accident victims, surgical patients, and their loved ones. These serious injuries result in significant financial, emotional, and personal impacts that can be extremely challenging to overcome. In West Virginia (WV), people who are injured due to someone else’s actions or negligence are entitled to compensation for their resulting losses.

Causes of WV Amputation Injuries

Around 45 percent of amputations are the result of a traumatic injury, like those that can occur in car crashes or workplace accidents. Medical conditions that require surgical removal of a limb or body part account for the remaining cases. Of these, about 54 percent are the result of complications of a condition that affects blood flow, like diabetes or peripheral artery disease (PAD). Serious infection and frostbite are other potential causes of surgical amputations.

In some cases, the actions or negligence of another person or entity create the conditions that result in amputation. These are some examples of scenarios where another party may be liable for an amputation injury:

• A distracted driver hits someone, resulting in amputation or the need for amputation due to extensive injury;
• A medical provider fails to diagnose or properly treat a serious medical condition, and surgical amputation becomes necessary as a result;
• A manufacturer distributes unsafe or faulty equipment, and an amputation injury happens when someone is using the equipment;
• An employer refuses to implement and require proper safety practices and equipment to save money, and a worker is seriously injured on the job; or
• A property owner knows there is a potential hazard on their property that could cause an accident or injury but does not address it, and someone sustains an amputation injury resulting from the hazardous conditions.

Of course, these are just a handful of the potential ways an amputation injury can happen. In each case, the party or parties responsible for the accident are different, and a claim or lawsuit to recover damages needs to be pursued accordingly. A West Virginia amputation injury lawyer at Burke, Schultz, Harman & Jenkinson will give every case the individual and personalized counsel and representation required to recover as much as possible under WV personal injury laws.

Impacts and Recovery after an Amputation

The road to recovery after an amputation is long and challenging—and life will likely never be the same as it was before the accident or procedure. An amputation can impact a person’s physical, mental, and emotional well-being, finances, and relationships.

After an amputation injury or surgical removal of a limb, patients can experience extensive physical pain, phantom pain and sensations, loss of mobility, muscle weakness and/or spasms in remaining limbs, nerve damage, loss of sensation, and more. And while a prosthesis can help accommodate for a lost limb, adjusting to a prosthesis can be difficult and painful, and it can even introduce new medical issues.

Most people also have difficulty adjusting mentally and emotionally after an amputation. The psychological impacts of losing a limb can include post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD); depression; anxiety; issues with self-image, self-esteem, and confidence; grief; isolation; anger; and hopelessness. Relationships often become strained as families adjust to a new, unexpected version of life.

Amputation can also create significant financial challenges. The expenses of ongoing medical treatment, physical and occupational therapy, prosthetics and assistive devices, modifications to homes and vehicles, and other related costs can add up quickly to an unmanageable mountain of debt. Meanwhile, the amputee likely has to take substantial time away from work, if they can continue doing their job at all.

When someone else’s actions or negligence causes traumatic amputation or creates the need for surgical amputation, an amputation injury victim is eligible for compensation for these damages and losses.

Talk to an Experienced West Virginia Amputation Lawyer

Life will probably never be the same after you are involved in a WV accident resulting in amputation or must undergo surgical amputation for medical reasons. However, recovery and a productive, fulfilling life can still be on the horizon. Getting the compensation you need and deserve can help you rebuild and move forward after an amputation.

If you believe another person or entity is responsible for your WV amputation injuries, you should speak with an experienced attorney. A West Virginia amputation lawyer at Burke, Schultz, Harman & Jenkinson can evaluate your case and help you through the legal process if you are entitled to compensation. Contact us to schedule a consultation by calling 304-263-0900 or completing this online contact form.