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Losing a limb through traumatic or surgical amputation alters a person’s life forever. Lower limb amputations involve the removal of any part of the leg, from a toe to an above-the-knee amputation. Upper limb amputations can involve a single finger or the entire arm up to the shoulder. No matter how severe an amputation, a skilled catastrophic injury lawyer could assist in taking legal action against those at fault.
If you have lost all or part of a limb because of someone else’s negligence, contact a Chicago amputation lawyer for help receiving the compensation you deserve.
Traumatic amputations occur at an accident site. They may result from automobile collisions or crush injuries in which a limb is trapped between objects. Surgical amputations occur when a medical professional determines limb removal to be essential to sustain an individual’s life. If the original injury was due to another party’s negligence, the injured individual is entitled to compensation for medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering.
Whether traumatic or surgical, amputations add physical and emotional stress to an already overwhelming event. Worrying about the financial and physical impacts of an injury can delay recovery. Contacting a Chicago amputation attorney could help alleviate stress and allow accident victims a chance to heal.
To receive compensation, injured parties must prove that the at-fault party’s actions were negligent. This requires collecting witness statements, gathering evidence, and securing accident reports. Proving liability may also mean consulting medical and financial experts or accident reconstructionists to strengthen a legal claim. An experienced amputation lawyer in Chicago could help victims collect the necessary evidence to establish liability. The following materials could serve as evidence in a personal injury claim.
Depending on where the accident occurred, law enforcement or local authorities may file an accident report outlining their findings. These reports often serve as the basis for approving or denying a claim.
Medical information is essential to demonstrate an injury’s severity. Electronic health records (EHR) should contain pertinent information regarding diagnosis, treatment plans, and prognosis.
Surveillance cameras may have captured the accident. Bystanders may also have snapped a picture with their smartphone’s camera. This visual data helps create an image of how the accident might have happened.
Gathering contact information from witnesses enables attorneys to take their statements to support negligence claims.
Injured parties are entitled to compensation for physical, financial, and emotional losses if an amputation resulted from someone else’s negligence. However, accident victims only have two years to file a claim. Once the statute of limitation passes, they may not be able to receive compensation for the following:
Many amputees have ongoing expenses as a result of their injuries. They may require prosthetic limbs, physical therapy, and rehabilitation services, as well as changes in living or transportation accommodations. Depending on the injury, the individual might require long-term medical follow-up with physicians, psychiatrists, and surgeons.
When someone experiences an amputation, they will need time away from work to recover. In most cases, individuals can receive compensation for lost wages. If the injury prevents them from continuing to perform their job or work in their previous field, they could be compensated for current and future income loss.
Depending on the severity, recovering from an amputation can take weeks, months, or even years. In some cases, amputees may never be able to enjoy the activities, hobbies, or relationships they did before the injury. While financial compensation cannot make up for changes in one’s quality of life, it could help ease the transition into their new normal.
A Chicago lawyer could examine a case to determine what compensatory damages may be available after an amputation injury.
Anyone suffering from traumatic or surgical amputations because of someone else’s negligence is entitled to compensation. An experienced Chicago amputation lawyer could help accident victims pursue compensation for those injuries. Contact our office today.