Not all crash injuries are simple to treat. People can sustain traumatic injuries that may not respond to modern medical care, including crush injuries.
Crush injuries often occur in the worst types of car crashes. They can be the result of a vehicle crumpling in response to impact or a lack of physical protection during a collision. High-speed collisions, commercial vehicle crashes, bicycle collisions and pedestrian crashes can sometimes cause crush injuries.
The amount of damage done to a limb or extremity can make traditional trauma care ineffective. Crush injuries can break bones into many small fragments, trigger nerve damage and devastate connective tissue. In some cases, medical professionals cannot salvage body parts affected by crush injuries.
Surgical amputation can be devastating
Car crash crush injuries can lead to medical professionals deciding to remove a damaged limb or extremity instead of trying to salvage it. Surgical amputation is technically cleaner and therefore overall safer than a traumatic amputation that occurs during a wreck.
The removal of a body part in a controlled surgical environment is inherently safer than the physical trauma that causes an on-site amputation during a crash. While surgical amputations are cleaner, people may still experience nerve damage, phantom limb pain and functional limitations. They may have life-altering medical expenses to address, and their injuries may affect their future employment as well.
Seeking appropriate medical care and adequate compensation is critical for those adjusting to life after an amputation caused by a crash. For example, injured people may need help estimating their lifetime losses and identifying options for compensation after a motor vehicle collision causes limb loss or other life-altering injuries.