Each year, thousands of motor vehicle accidents occur throughout Arizona. Often, these accidents leave passenger occupants, bikers and pedestrians with injuries. At times, accident victims will lose a limb in these collisions.
When two vehicles crash into each other, the impact of the crash can be violent. The crash impact can cause occupants to suffer a loss of limb. Broken glass can cause the driver or passenger to lose a limb. During the crash, vehicle windows can shatter causing shards of glass to fly throughout the car. The glass can cut occupants and penetrate their nerves and arteries. When an individual’s limb has been severely injured, the limb may have to be amputated to keep the occupant from bleeding to death.
If you or a family member has lost a limb during a car accident, you may be eligible to receive compensation for your losses. In Arizona, an accident victim may be able to recover damages for medical expenses, lost wages and property damage. Contact an experienced attorney to discuss your legal options.
To find if you may be eligible to file a legal claim, fill out theFree Case Review form on this page.
Treatment for a Loss of Limb
If it is necessary for an individual’s limb to be amputated, a doctor will schedule the surgery. Depending on how severe the injury is, the surgery can be a simple operation or a complex one.
Once the surgery has been completed, the patient may need additional medical treatment and oversight. For example, an injury victim may have a prosthetic limb built for them. Prosthetic limbs allow accident victims more functionality.
Even if an injury victim does not receive a prosthetic limb, they will still likely need physical therapy to help to rebuild the strength in their limb. Additionally, occupational therapy may be prescribed to help patients re-learn ordinary tasks.
Sometimes accident victims who lose a limb may require therapy to handle the psychological impact of the vehicle crash. Many Arizona accident victims find that the emotional aftermath of an accident is difficult to do alone. Therefore, many passenger occupants involved in car crashes seek medical care to treat the following post-accident emotions:
- Depression
- Denial
- Grief
- Anxiety
- Suicidal thoughts
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Speaking with a medical professional may help accident victims to learn to manage with their new injury. Those who do seek this type of care find that they are may have a more optimal recovery.
If you or a loved one has been involved in a crash resulting in a loss of limb, you may be entitled to compensation for medical bills, lost wages, and any other associated costs. Phillips Law Group is prepared to help you to seek this compensation. Contact our Phoenix office to learn more.
Contact our Experienced AZ Auto Accident Attorneys
A loss of limb can leave individuals with severe emotional and physical trauma. If you or a loved one had a limb amputated due to a car accident injury, you may be eligible to seek legal action against the negligent party. At Phillips Law Group, we advise all accident victims to seek legal guidance after a vehicle crash. A knowledgeable attorney can explain state laws and how they may apply to your accident.
At Phillips Law Group, our PHX personal injury lawyers are dedicated to fighting for the rights of injured individuals. We believe everyone should have access to legal representation, regardless of their financial situation. That is why our legal practice operates on a contingency fee basis. This means that you do not owe us a fee, unless we recover compensation for you through a jury verdict or settlement.
Those who are uncertain of what action they would like to take are encouraged to speak with an attorney. Many Arizona accident victims are shocked to find out the number of options that they have.
To schedule a free and confidential case evaluation, please fill out the contact form on this page.
When Arizona car accidents occur, people tend to get hurt. This has always been the case, as the majority of Arizona car accidents lead to at least one injury. Clearly, the severity of the injuries suffered by those harmed in these situations can vary widely, but one of the most severe and instantly life-changing types of injuries is the loss of a limb.
Below you’ll find information regarding how a limbs are typically lost in Arizona car accidents, the medical steps that could be necessary in the aftermath of such an occurrence, the potential costs that someone who has lost a limb in an Arizona car accident could face going forward and finally how you should proceed if you or someone you love has lost a limb in a car accident and you need the help of experienced Arizona personal injury lawyers.
How Limbs are Lost in Arizona Car Accidents
When vehicles collide with each other, the impact is usually extremely violent. This is a logical result when two large metal structures traveling at a high rate of speed collide. Therefore, those who are involved in an Arizona car accident can lose at least one limb in more than one scenario. One common cause of lost limbs involves flying glass that can penetrate deep into the nerves and arteries of an occupant. When this occurs, it could be necessary to amputate a limb after extreme steps have been taken to stop the blood flow that would otherwise be fatal.
Another common cause of lost limbs in Arizona car accidents involves the immediate and radical compression of the passenger compartments in vehicles when they are involved in collisions. This can force a person to endure the pain of metal crushing around their body, and this crushing can trap and all but destroy an arm or a leg. In this situation, amputating a limb is necessary because there is no possibility that the arm or the leg will ever be of use to that person again.
Necessary Medical Steps When a Limb is Lost
Clearly, there are several medical steps that are not only necessary, but critical in the aftermath of a severe Arizona car accident in which a limb needs to be removed as a result. The initial medical step that’s taken is the surgery to remove the limb. This can be a relatively simple procedure or extremely complicated depending on the specifics of the injury suffered.
Beyond the initial amputation procedure, though, someone who has lost a limb in an Arizona car accident will need additional medical care and oversight. For instance, most people who lose a limb will have a prosthetic limb built and provided for them so that they can regain some form of their normal routine.
However, regardless of whether someone is provided with a prosthetic limb, a person this injured person will need extensive and ongoing physical therapy so that he or she can learn how to handle even basic tasks either with the help of that new prosthetic limb or without any replacement limb. This can be a grueling, painful and expensive process.
Potential Costs to Someone Who Loses a Limb in an Arizona Car Accident
Obviously, steps such as surgery, hospital stays and ongoing physical therapy can be enormously expensive, even for someone who has health coverage. It’s not uncommon for these medical costs to exceed one million dollars, and few if any health insurance policies have traditionally covered this amount.
In addition to the immediate medical attention that’s necessary, the costs for a prosthetic limb and the physical therapy can also be exorbitant to most people. There are situations where health insurance coverage does not cover these products and services, and this can make the opportunity to even obtain a prosthetic limb too expensive.
Finally, someone who loses a limb as a result of an Arizona car accident could also face substantial adjustments to his or her working life. It’s entirely possible that this person will not be able to return to his or her position, or the injured person could face a long stint of rehabilitation before this return ever becomes a possibility. Finally, even if a person is able to return to work, he or she could face substantially reduced duties and a reduction in pay as a result.
How a Lawyer May Be Able To Help
If you or someone you love has lost a limb as a result of an Arizona car accident, you need to be sure to dedicate every ounce of your energy and focus to the recovery. Therefore, now is not the time to attempt to deal with insurance companies and defense attorneys, none of whom are working on your behalf. Instead, contact the experienced Arizona personal injury lawyers at Phillips Law Group today to schedule a free initial consultation, as the firm has been holding those responsible for this type of harm accountable for many years.