Serious Injury Attorneys Serving Rhode Island
Few events are more devastating than losing an arm, leg, or another part of your body. Even the loss of a finger or toe can impact your ability to perform your job duties or walk without difficulty. Amputations can also affect more than your body. Many amputees struggle with anxiety, depression, and self-esteem.
No one deserves to have their life permanently changed because of someone else’s negligence. If you have lost a limb or other body part because of someone’s careless or reckless behavior, you may be entitled to compensation for your physical, emotional, and financial losses.
The experienced amputation injury attorneys at Mandell, Boisclair & Mandell, Ltd have been helping injury victims in Providence and other areas of Rhode Island for 45 years. We understand the difficulties you may be facing during this time, and we are committed to helping you seek the justice and compensation you deserve.
What Is Traumatic Amputation?
Amputations involve the surgical or traumatic separation of a body part from the body. Traumatic amputations are caused by accidental events that result in the loss of a body part. Traumatic amputations can involve any part of the body, including the legs or arms. Traumatic amputations can occur for a number of reasons. In some cases, limbs may be lost at the moment of impact in an event such as a traffic wreck. In other cases, a limb may be damaged beyond repair due to a tear, severe burn, or crushing accident.
Amputations are generally classified as either “complete” or “incomplete.”
- Complete amputations: This refers to amputations in which the body part is totally severed from the body.
- Incomplete, or partial amputation: This occurs when some muscle, ligament, or tendon remains intact between the body and the amputated anatomy. While the body part may not be functional and complete amputation may be imminent, the body part remains connected to the body. In these situations, every effort should be made to preserve this connection.
Common Types of Traumatic Amputation
Traumatic amputations tend to involve specific types of amputation, also referred to as mechanisms of injury (MOI). The most common mechanisms of injury in traumatic amputations are:
- Crush injury: These tend to be the most common type of traumatic amputation, resulting in severe tissue damage and serious injury. Because of the destructive nature of crush injuries, it is often less likely that the severed body part will be successfully reattached.
- Guillotine injury: These types of amputations involve sharp edges. The body parts that are severed by guillotine forces are generally more likely to have positive reattachment and recovery outcomes.
- Avulsion injury: From the Latin “avellere,” meaning “to tear off,” these traumatic amputations involve injuries in which a body structure is torn off. These injuries tend to have the poorest reattachment outcomes.
What Can Cause an Amputation?
The accidents that most commonly result in the loss of extremities, digits, or limbs tend to be severe. Examples include:
- Car accidents can cause pinning, crushing, burning, severing, degloving, and broken bones that do not heal.
- Truck accidents can result in more catastrophic injuries than collisions involving passenger vehicles due to their sheer size and weight.
- Motorcycle accidents frequently lead to severe injuries, including amputations, as these crashes can throw riders with enough force to sever limbs on sharp objects or shatter limbs beyond repair.
- Construction site accidents caused by falls from heights, electrocutions, or being struck by or caught between objects can cause pinning, crushing, and burn injuries that may result in amputations.
- Defective products such as faulty car parts, gas grills, appliances, or other products that malfunction or explode can cause amputations.
- Severe burns resulting from chemicals, electrocutions, or fires can lead to irreparable damage that could lead to amputation.
Amputation Recovery and Care
Recovering from traumatic amputation can be extensive, expensive, and incredibly challenging. Treatment can involve reconstruction or the use of prosthetics. Following a traumatic amputation injury, patients are likely to:
- Be hospitalized
- Receive acute care for the loss of a body part
- Undergo inpatient rehabilitation
- Attend outpatient doctor visits
- Receive physical and occupational therapy
- Receive social and psychological therapy or support
- Purchase a prosthetic device
Potential Complications From an Amputation Injury
In addition to the initial injury, a number of associated health complications can potentially affect victims of traumatic amputation injuries. For example, patients may experience complications during surgery, or suffer skin problems from wearing a prosthetic. Some patients experience phantom pain – the sensation of feeling pain in the extremity or limb that was severed.
Life After Amputation
Many amputees struggle with numerous physical, emotional, and social adjustments that can take years to successfully manage. Professional services, such as medical treatment, counseling, physical and occupational therapy, and basic rehabilitation education are often required to help amputees move forward.
Some of the most common struggles experienced by amputees include:
- Learning to use arm or leg prostheses
- Relearning basic tasks such as walking, dressing, cooking, eating, and bathing
- Adapting to life in a wheelchair
- Modifying the home with lower counters and cabinets, wider entrances, and ramps
- Learning new transportation methods, such as riding a bus or using a modified vehicle
- Adapting to social situations that may involve stares, comments, discrimination, comments, and unwanted sympathy
- Adjusting to a new family role due to a shift in responsibilities
- Dealing with frustration, anxiety, and guilt from asking family members for assistance
How Much Is My Amputation Injury Case Worth?
Amputation injuries can affect nearly every aspect of your life, causing severe physical, emotional, and financial damages. Because these cases can vary so widely between injury victims, from the loss of a finger to the total loss of a leg or arm, the amount of compensation available in your case will depend on the unique circumstances of your injury.
Depending on the details of your case, you may be entitled to recover compensation for:
- Current and future medical treatment
- Ongoing physical and psychological therapy
- Assistive devices, such as prosthetic limbs
- Lost wages
- Diminished earning capacity
- Scarring and disfigurement
- Pain and suffering
Do I Need A Lawyer for My Amputation Injury Case?
If the negligence of someone else caused your amputation injury, you deserve compensation for your damages. In addition to high medical bills, amputation injuries can have a tremendous impact on your ability to work and quality of life. When seeking justice for your losses, it is in your best interest to seek experienced counsel in order to help you achieve the best possible outcome in your case.
The accomplished amputation injury attorneys at Mandell, Boisclair & Mandell, Ltd have extensive experience in handling these difficult cases. This provides you with a distinct advantage in your personal injury lawsuit. When protecting your rights and best interests, our attorneys will:
- Investigate the facts surrounding your injury
- Gather evidence to support your case
- Determine liability for your injury
- Analyze the value of your current and future damages
- Discuss settlement with the insurance company
- Take your case to trial if a fair settlement cannot be achieved
If you’ve lost a limb due to someone’s carelessness or recklessness, your first step toward the justice you deserve starts with a free consultation. Your amputation injury claim will be handled on a contingency basis, meaning you won’t owe us any attorneys’ fees unless we achieve a positive outcome in your case.
Amputee Resources and Support
Ongoing support is a vital part of the recovery process. Support groups can provide a place for families and individuals who have been affected by limb loss to connect with others who have overcome similar challenges.
Some resources for individuals who have lost a limb, extremity, or body part in a traumatic amputation injury include:
- The Amputee Coalition helps those impacted by the loss of a limb through education and advocacy to help them enjoy a high quality of life.
- Limbs for Life Foundation is a global nonprofit organization that helps to provide prosthetic care for those who have lost a limb.
- Moved United offers sports rehabilitation programs to those with permanent physical disabilities. Activities include fitness and special sports events, summer and winter competitions, winter skiing, and water sports.
Contact an Amputation Injury Lawyer in Providence Today
Mandell, Boisclair & Mandell, Ltd is committed to holding negligent parties accountable for their actions. We will fight relentlessly on your behalf to seek the full and fair compensation you deserve.
If you lost a body part because of someone else’s negligence, contact Mandell, Boisclair & Mandell, Ltd today online or at (401) 273-8330 for a free, no-obligation consultation. Our attorneys welcome injury victims from Providence and throughout Rhode Island.
