Some car crashes only cause minor injuries. People heal and move on with their lives after receiving appropriate treatment. Other times, car crash injuries can forever change the course of someone’s life.
Between the medical expenses generated and the change the injuries may create for their careers, the injuries incurred in a collision can have catastrophic consequences. Amputation or limb loss is a catastrophic injury. Someone who loses a body part is likely to experience a major shift in their day-to-day life and numerous major expenses.
Car crashes are one of the top causes of amputations in the United States. How can collisions lead to limb loss?
Traumatic amputation
For some people, the force of the initial impact is what causes limb loss. Traumatic amputations that occur at the scene of a collision can endanger someone’s life. Both blood loss and infection are serious concerns. Limb loss may also put someone in a state of shock, which can sometimes be deadly. Those who suffer traumatic amputations at the scene of a crash typically require immediate emergency transportation to a medical facility and surgical intervention.
Crushing injuries
Some amputations related to car crashes occur because of tissue damage. Medical professionals realize after looking at the damage to a limb or extremity that treating the trauma is unlikely to be successful. In some cases, extensive damage to the bones, soft tissue or nerves might make surgical amputation the only viable treatment plan for a severe crash injury.
Severe infection
Open fractures and other major traumatic injuries caused by a crash can lead to secondary medical consequences. Infections can set in despite had injured party receiving medical care in some cases. Other times, infections result from trying to handle injuries without proper treatment. Severe infections may lead to amputation because of the damage they cause to nearby tissue and the risk they pose to the injured individual.
Regardless of the reason that amputation occurs, limb loss can be a very costly car crash injury. Negotiating insurance claims and possibly taking a matter to civil court can be necessary for those who need compensation after losing a body part in a motor vehicle crash. People who understand their injuries and their rights can potentially hold the appropriate party accountable for catastrophic car crash harm.