Amputation

In our country today, there are over 1.7 million people living with an amputation and roughly 335,000 new amputations happening each year. This type of injury is extremely traumatic. It affects the victim as well as the surrounding family. The trauma is not just the immediate injury, but the ongoing difficulty that the person has coping with daily life without an arm or leg or without multiple limbs.

Few who have not experience such a loss themselves can really understand what it’s like to have difficulty buttoning a shirt or blouse with one hand, being unable to walk, much less run or dance, or to need help with such everyday tasks as bathing, dressing, cooking and eating, getting in or out of bed, using the bathroom, or traveling to the doctor or family events. In many instances, a person may lose the ability to perform their previous job or to work at all.

Unfortunately, all too often people disabled as a result of an amputation may face cruel discrimination and even social ostracism by those who do not understand that their situation is not their fault, and that they remain people, with the full range of human emotions and needs we all experience. Those who are wheelchair bound as a result of their amputations often find that many buildings, including restaurants, workplaces, and the homes of friends and family may not easily be accessible for them any longer. Indeed, often an injured person’s own home must be modified in major and expensive ways and equipped with special furniture and fixtures to make entrances, bedrooms, kitchens, and bathrooms accessible and useable by the amputee.

Thankfully, there is increasingly help and support waiting for victims of an amputation(s).

The main causes of amputations are vascular disease (circulation complications), cancer, trauma, and congenital (caused from birth). In some instances, workplace injuries may also be involved. A trauma situation such as auto accidents, motorcycle accidents, falls, and the like, can destroy blood vessels and cause the soft tissue to die. When this happens, an amputation may unfortunately be necessary to prevent serious uncontrollable infection and possible death. Some amputations may be the result of medical malpractice in failing to promptly diagnose and properly treat controllable diseases such as diabetes or to prevent or control infections following surgery.

There are now many support groups available and medical steps you can take after receiving an amputation to help you adjust to your new circumstances. There are also increasingly prosthetic devices, therapeutic treatments, and mechanic devices and aids that can help in making the best of a bad situation and better enabling a person who has tragically lost one or more limbs to cope with everyday life tasks. Physical and occupational therapy can help the amputee learn to better perform many necessary everyday tasks without the missing limb or limbs and how to compensate for the physical abilities that have been lost.

If you have suffered an amputation because of someone else's negligence or fault, a personal injury attorney can help you receive enough money to be able to help you with needed support for the rest of your life by making those responsible pay for what they have done. No amount of money, of course, is ever adequate to truly make up for the loss of one or more limbs, but an award of damages in a lawsuit can mean the difference between coping as well as is possible as opposed to a person being denied the help they need. Damages can be awarded to pay for past and future medical expenses, needed physical and occupational therapy, needed prosthetic devices, mobility aides, wheelchairs, lost income and earning capacity, and pain and suffering. There is hope, and things can get better for you and your family.

In California, the law imposes a statute of limitations, which sets a maximum amount of time that legal proceedings can occur after the date of the accident or other incident. Each year at our Law Office, people call me to ask me for help that have legitimate cases, only to find their statute of limitations has already run out. It is one of the most difficult things for me to tell them I can’t help because they waited too long. If you wait to take action, you may have the best case in the world, and be very deserving of receiving compensation, but your claim is harshly lost forever. Don't let this happen to you!

Another important reason to contact an amputation attorney as quickly as possible after an amputation occurs or even when a person is informed that one will be necessary is to make sure that all possible needed evidence in the case that will be required to present a legal claim is preserved, including medical and accident records, witness statements, and the identities of those responsible. Our office knows all the steps that must be taken, so that all your legal rights will remained preserved.

If you or a loved one have been injured and have required an amputation, you will need a lawyer with specific experience dealing with such cases. Call Moseley Collins at (916) 444-4444 for a free consultation.

Moseley Collins is a personal injury lawyer serving those badly hurt throughout California. There is absolutely NO FEE to discuss your case and there is absolutely no fee unless we win and get you the money you are entitled to.

WWe are on your side and know exactly what to do to get you compensation and justice. Additionally, we have frequently worked with many other amputees and their families who have faced the difficult challenges that you are now confronting. We truly understand your situation, and will do everything possible in our power to help you!

Moseley Collins Law
980 9th St, 16th Floor
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: (916) 444-4444