Few injuries are as catastrophic and life-altering as a traumatic amputation. Suffering this type of injury may seem unimaginable, but of the nearly two million Americans living with limb loss, 45% suffered their amputations through trauma rather than due to disease. A traumatic amputation not only causes devastating physical and emotional impacts to the injury victim, but it also has long-term impacts on every aspect of their lives going forward, from challenges in accomplishing daily routines to an inability to return to a former career—or to return to work at all. No one should have to manage the legal challenges of a compensation claim against the at-fault party at the same time that they are dealing with the tremendous effects of the amputation. Call the amputation lawyers in Denver at Dulin McQuinn Young at (303) 246-1111 so we can put a strong voice behind your claim.
Why Choose Dulin McQuinn Young as Your Amputation Injury Lawyers in Denver
The personal injury lawyers at Dulin McQuinn Young have been long-time advocates for victims, with a proud history of notable wins for clients injured due to the careless, reckless, or wrongful actions of others. We’ll advance your case with the following beneficial qualities:
- Over 20 years of experience with a results-oriented approach that individually tailors the right strategy for every client
- A history of record-breaking jury awards and settlements for our injured Colorado clients
- A team of lead lawyers and a legal staff who have dedicated their careers to recovering compensation for injury victims
- An in-depth knowledge of Colorado’s liability laws, insurance systems, and investigatory techniques
- Access to impeccable expert witnesses and important resources in the Denver area
After the trauma of an amputation, you’re likely facing medical appointments, physical therapy, and rehabilitation to adapt to assistive equipment and prosthetics. You shouldn’t have to add the challenge of a complex legal claim when you need to focus on reaching your maximum medical improvement. Your Denver injury attorney from Dulin McQuinn Young is ready to navigate your claim and apply their full attention to achieving the best possible outcome for your case.
What Is a Traumatic Amputation?
Some amputations are prescribed as a means of mitigating a disease or medical condition. This type of amputation is carefully carried out by a skilled surgeon in a sterile environment on a sedated patient. These amputations are certainly devasting and life-altering, but patients are informed and prepared for the process. When serious physical trauma causes the sudden forceful removal of a limb, it’s one of the most terrifying and painful experiences an individual can endure.
A traumatic amputation may be a total amputation that occurs at the scene, such as with cutting equipment in a workplace accident, or a partial amputation due to trauma in a car accident. After a partial amputation, the victim may have to undergo a medical procedure to complete the amputation if the trauma is extensive. Often, an accidental amputation requires further surgeries to prepare the limb for a prosthetic.
What Are the Most Common Causes of Traumatic Amputations?
When a sudden catastrophic accident severs a limb, it’s a life-threatening emergency requiring prompt action to mitigate bleeding and shock. Common causes of traumatic amputations include:
- Workplace accidents
- Construction and industrial accidents
- Agricultural accidents
- Car accidents
- Pedestrian accidents
- Motorcycle accidents
- Explosions
- Fireworks accidents
- Military combat injuries
- Electrocutions
- Intentional or accidental firearm discharges
- Medical malpractice
Even planned amputations are one of the most physically arduous and emotionally difficult medical procedures for a patient to endure, but sudden traumatic amputations cause extreme emotional distress as well as severe physical pain.
What Are the Short and Long-Term Impacts of an Amputation Accident?
Losing a limb often takes months of healing time and then intensive physical therapy, followed by fittings for a prosthetic and further rehabilitative therapy to adapt to the prosthetic. Many amputees go on to require occupational therapy and psychological counseling. Phantom pain, depression, and extended periods of grieving are common complications associated with traumatic amputations.
What Compensation Is Available In Traumatic Amputation Claim?
If someone else’s actions or negligence causes a traumatic amputation, the injury victim should not be left with the tremendous burden of expenses associated with living as an amputee, including a lifetime of disability. A successful compensation claim against an at-fault party such as a negligent driver, or the manufacturer of defective construction equipment, results in compensation for damages such as some or all of the following:
- Medical expenses
- Ongoing future medical and rehabilitative costs
- Costs for adaptive home and vehicle equipment
- Costs of a prosthetic
- Lost wages
- Disability
- Diminished future earning capacity
- Pain and suffering
- Loss of limb compensation
- Emotional trauma, PTSD, depression, grief, and emotional anguish
No two compensation claims are alike, just as no two injuries are the same. The compensation available depends on the limits of the at-fault party’s insurance, the number of liable parties named in the claim, and whether or not the victim recovers compensation through a settlement or jury award in court.
Proving Liability for an Accidental Amputation in Denver
When someone else’s carelessness, reckless behavior, or negligence causes the accident and traumatic amputation, they are liable for damages. In a car accident traumatic amputation, an at-fault driver is liable for the damages to the victim. Depending on the circumstances of the accident, the at-fault party could be a property owner, the manufacturer of a defective product, or a negligent employer. Proving liability requires showing the following:
- That the at-fault party owed a duty of care to take reasonable measures to avoid causing injury to others
- They breached this duty through an act of negligence
- The negligent breach of duty directly caused the injury
- The injury victim suffered significant economic and non-economic damages
When an amputation occurs due to medical malpractice, the standards for proving liability vary somewhat from the standards of general liability. Proving liability in a medical malpractice lawsuit for unnecessary amputation requires first proving that a doctor/patient relationship existed, the medical provider owed a duty to treat the patient at the standard of care accepted by the medical community, they breached this duty, and their breach of duty directly caused the amputation injury and damages to the victim.
Call the Denver Amputation Attorneys at Dulin McQuinn Young
Living with lifelong consequences of an amputation is challenging. Recovering compensation helps open doors the the best possible medical care and relieves financial hardships so you can focus on moving forward and maximizing your recovery. Contact the Denver amputation attorneys at Dulin McQuinn Young today for a free consultation so we can begin working on a strategy to put a powerful voice behind your claim and achieve the best possible outcome.