Amputations Arising From Serious Highway Collisions

Experiencing a high-speed automobile crash can be some of the most frightening and deadly episodes in a person’s lifetime. While today’s cars, trucks and SUVs are designed with a great deal more safety than motor vehicles of the past, at interstate and beltway speeds, these safety features are more than just handy, they are almost essential to surviving a bad traffic wreck.

Here in the Baltimore area, as with many other parts of the state, such as Columbia, Annapolis, Rockville and even in Washington, D.C., roadway collisions occur all too frequently and cause injury to tens of thousands of Marylanders every year. Regardless of the reason for any particular traffic wreck -- be it drunk or distracted driving, failure to yield, reckless driving or road rage -- once a crash has happened, the victims and their families must inevitably pick up the pieces and try to get on with their lives.

As experienced personal injury attorneys, the legal team at Lebowitz & Mzhen Personal Injury Lawyers, knows that a fair number of car, truck and motorcycle collisions leave the driver and/or passengers in serious or critical condition at a local hospital with a questionable future ahead of them. Although cuts, burns and bruises may heal to some extent, and bones can mend over time, the loss of even one limb can turn a car accident victim’s life upside down.

Sometimes, the violent nature of a road accident -- whether due to excessive speed or other aggravating circumstances -- can result in the immediate loss of an arm or leg. In other instances, a critically injured car accident victim can end up losing a limb to amputation in order to save the individual’s life when no other options are available. Whatever the cause, amputation is hardly ever a first choice when it comes to treating injured patients.

As Maryland car and trucking accident lawyers, Lebowitz & Mzhen possess the legal know-how to help victims of roadway collisions and their families to recover damages in cases of negligence. It is amazing how the actions of one thoughtless, inattentive or reckless motorist can change the course of another innocent person’s life in the blink of an eye. Having to endure the amputation of one or more limbs due to no fault on the victim’s part, but due entirely to a negligent driver’s careless actions is most certainly a reason to consider a personal injury lawsuit against the responsible party(s).

In many high-speed automobile and motorcycle collisions, the force exerted on the occupants’ torso and limbs may be such that certain connective tissues are damaged beyond repair. As auto accident lawyers, we know that medical science can only go so far in saving an automobile accident victim’s life; there are occasional instances where some portion of the victim’s body must be sacrificed to save the individual’s life. The decision to amputate may save a life, but it also changes a person’s life, usually forever.

When talking about automobile and commercial trucking-related roadway accidents, the most common type of amputations are those involving removal of an arm or leg. Sometimes a physician will be able to save part of a limb by removing only the portion below the knee or elbow. Either way, losing a limb is usually a frighteningly and life-altering experience; and those individuals who are the victims of auto accident-related amputations need to consider if they should file a legal claim against the party(s) responsible for their injuries.

As personal injury experts, Lebowitz & Mzhen are fully aware of the emotional rollercoaster that amputation victims go through on a daily basis. These people, through no fault of their own, must come to grips with their new reality; a life where they can no longer easily perform those daily tasks that most of us take for granted. Amputation involves numerous physical and psychological complications, all of which must be considered when preparing a personal injury lawsuit against a negligent driver.

As professional trial lawyers, we endeavor to prepare our cases with our clients’ best interests in mind by taking into account the victim’s past and current medical expenses related to the traffic accident, as well as estimating the potential costs for further medical treatment down the road. We also consider various related costs, such as physical therapy, emotional rehabilitation, and lost wages due to extended stays in the hospital and long-term recovery periods outside of one’s job.

For those who have unfortunately undergone an amputation due to injuries received in a car or truck crash, compensation may be possible based on one’s medical expenses, lost wages or ability to work, pain and suffering, even emotional distress due to one’s injuries and treatments following those injuries. When it comes to amputation, there are several primary reasons for such a radical procedure. These include disease, loss of blood flow due to prolonged constriction, and as preventative surgery for a variety of conditions.

In the United States, most amputations occur due to medical complications affecting the body’s blood vessels, such as that caused by diabetes or frostbite; however motor vehicles accidents can also result in injuries that necessitate complete or partial removal of one or more limbs to save the victim’s life, or because the affected part of the body is no longer viable. Amputations arising from auto accidents can include:

• Leg amputation
• Ankle disarticulation
• Partial foot amputation
• Knee disarticulation
• Above-the-knee amputation (transfemoral)
• Below-the-knee amputation (transtibial)
• Hip disarticulation
• Arm amputation
• Metacarpal amputation
• Wrist disarticulation
• Forearm amputation (transradial)
• Elbow disarticulation
• Above-the-elbow amputation (transhumeral)
• Shoulder disarticulation
• Finger or toe amputation

Amputations due to violent accidents, such as during a car crash or motorcycle wreck, are usually very traumatic events that can reduce a victim’s quality of life in the blink of an eye. For those who have lost one or more limbs due to a tragic roadway collision, victims may suffer for quite some time from emotional discomfort and other psychological trauma. Because the remaining stump presents an area of reduced mechanical stability, the loss of a limb poses significant and even drastic practical limitations to many victims as they attempt to continue on with their lives following a serious automobile wreck.

Fortunately, thanks to technologic advances in the area of prosthetic design and development, many amputation victims can live relatively active lives with little restriction. However, for those individuals who can be fitted with a prosthesis, the costs of such devices can be quite expensive. For example, in the U.S., the typical cost for an artificial limb can range from $10,000 to $15,000; and this does not begin to address the numerous times during an amputee’s lifetime that a new replacement limb will need to be purchased as the old ones wear out or are grown out of.

The attorneys at Lebowitz & Mzhen understand the extreme emotional anguish that can follow such a traumatic event as losing an arm or leg in a car, truck or motorcycle accident. As experienced trial lawyers, we have the skills and training to represent individuals who have been terribly injured by the negligent actions of another motorist. Our job is to help victims recover damages from the responsible party(s) by proving negligence in a court of law.

If you or someone you love has suffered an amputation or sustained a serious bodily injury as the result of a motor vehicle collision, we recommend that you contact a qualified auto injury attorney to learn more about your legal rights as they apply to recovery of accident-related damages. These can include the cost of surgical and emergency room care, long-term hospitalization expenses, psychological counseling, rehabilitation and nursing home costs, lost wages and other financial consequences associated with a bad traffic wreck.

As skilled legal professionals, the legal team at Lebowitz & Mzhen offers a free, no-obligation consultation to those victims of Maryland road accidents. We are more than happy to speak with you regarding your car, truck or motorcycle accident-related injuries and to discuss your legal options when contemplating a personal injury claim against a negligent driver. Feel free to email either Jack Lebowitz or Vadim Mzhen to set up an appointment, or call our offices toll-free at (800) 654-1949 to speak with an attorney.