Causes of Amputation Injuries
Severed limb injuries can occur in a wide range of different ways. Even if you were partially at fault for the accident, California law may still allow you to recover compensation. Liability often depends on who controlled the dangerous condition, vehicle, equipment, or medical decision that caused your injury. In most cases, an amputation follows a severe accident in which a victim’s limbs are exposed to a violent, devastating trauma.
Some of the most common causes of severed limb injuries include:
- Auto accidents
- Motorcycle accidents
- Large truck accidents
- Pedestrian collisions
- Workplace accidents
- Crush accidents
- Defective product claims
- Medical malpractice cases
If your amputation happened at work, you may have more than one legal option. While workers’ compensation may cover basic medical care and partial wages, it does not pay for pain and suffering or full future income losses. In many cases, a third-party lawsuit may still be possible.
The Consequences of a Severed Limb
The consequences of a severed limb are almost unimaginably devastating. A victim who loses any part of their body faces many challenges. To make matters worse, severed limbs can often result in severe, even life-threatening medical complications. Immediate emergency medical attention is always required. Beyond the direct effects of the severed limb, medical attention must be obtained to protect the injured victim against the following:
- Dangerous infections
- Substantial blood loss
- Sepsis and tissue death
- Other difficult medical complications
Victims Must Be Able to Access Full Compensation
With severed limb injuries, maximum financial compensation must be made available to the injured victim in order to ensure that they can make the best possible physical recovery. This includes the lifetime cost of prosthetics, replacements, fittings, upgrades, and assistive technology. Many prosthetic devices must be replaced every few years, and future care costs are often far greater than the initial hospital bills. This is necessary to allow the victim to return the highest quality of life.
After an accident, victims and their families face an enormous financial, physical, and emotional toll. Yet, even in a victim’s time of greatest need, defendants and insurance companies are still difficult to work with. Insurers use a wide array of tactics to try to limit the total compensation paid out to victims in severed limb cases. Insurance companies often pressure amputees to settle before the full medical prognosis is known. Accepting an early settlement can leave you responsible for future surgeries, prosthetics, and lost income out of your own pocket.
If you or a loved one suffered a severed limb injury, it is imperative that you are represented by an experienced California catastrophic injury lawyer. When you contact a severed limb injury lawyer, the process typically begins with a detailed case review, evidence preservation, and coordination with medical experts. Your attorney handles communications with insurers while your medical condition stabilizes, and no settlement decisions are made without your approval. Your lawyer will help you get the full recovery that is owed under the law.
At GJEL, our Bay Area amputation attorneys help our clients recover the full available money damages for:
- Emergency medical treatment
- Surgeries and other medical bills
- Long-term physical therapy and rehabilitative care
- Medication
- Medical equipment
- Psychological counseling
- Disability compensation
- Lost wages
- Diminished earning capacity
- Pain and suffering
- Mental distress
- Permanent impairment
- Reduced quality of life
Get Help From our California Catastrophic Injury Lawyers
You do not pay legal fees upfront. Attorney fees are only collected if compensation is recovered, and case costs are typically advanced so you are not forced to choose between legal help and medical care.
At GJEL, our dedicated catastrophic injury attorneys are fierce advocates for victims. If you or a loved one sustained a limb-loss injury in an accident, please do not hesitate to contact our law firm for free legal guidance and support. With offices throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and Northern California, our legal team fights aggressively to help victims, and their families maximize their compensation. Where your case is filed can affect jury attitudes, timelines, and settlement value. Local experience allows your attorney to choose the most favorable venue and anticipate how insurers defend catastrophic injury cases in specific counties.
ABOUT THE REVIEWER
Andrew (Andy) R. Gillin is a founding partner of GJEL Accident Attorneys and has practiced personal injury law in California state and federal courts since 1970. He earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Chicago Law School and co-founded GJEL in 1972. Over the course of his career, Andy has helped hundreds of injured plaintiffs recover compensation, including multiple seven-figure settlements and verdicts. He specializes in serious injury and wrongful death cases and holds an AV Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell, with recognition from Super Lawyers and Best Lawyers in America.
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