Philadelphia Amputation Lawyer

The Marrone Law Firm, LLC works closely with families in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to fight for the rights of people who have endured a loss of limb or amputation.

Causes of Amputation / Loss of Limb

An amputation is the removal of a limb, such as your leg or hand. There are generally two categories of amputations/losses of a limb.

Traumatic amputations

In an accident, a limb may be severed from your body. This is known as a traumatic amputation.

In serious car or motorcycle accidents, traumatic amputations are often seen, resulting in one or multiple losses of limbs.

Traumatic amputations most commonly occur in serious motor vehicle accidents, often when the driver is thrown from the zone where they are protected by the vehicle’s safety structure. While riding a motorcycle, you do not have the protection afforded to car drivers. The rise of loss of limbs while in an open vehicle such as a motorcycle, especially when traveling at high speed, can be high depending on the circumstances.

In the workplace, traumatic amputations come along with dangerous professions. Machinists, meat industry workers, and others who work with heavy, sharp, powerful tools, are at risk of traumatic amputations. In these jobs, losses of limbs can range from finger amputation to loss of an eye or an entire hand. Often, those working with heavy machinery may have a limb crushed on the job, which could result in immediate loss of limb or loss of a limb as part of the medical treatment.

Surgical amputations

Surgeons are often forced to choose between a surgical amputation and leaving an infected limb that could potentially take your life.

Surgical amputations may also be a necessary result of a traumatic injury, where the limb was not fully amputated during the course of the injury but was left in a condition that was not viable.

Catastrophic Injury Cases Involving Amputation And Loss Of Limb In Philadelphia

The most common accidents that are severe enough to be found in an amputation case include:

• Car Accidents – These account for around 50% of all loss of limb scenarios.
• Truck Accidents – The driver of the other car often takes the brunt of the force in a truck accident, potentially resulting in the need for amputation.
• Motorcycle Accidents – Although only about 15% of drivers on the road are motorcyclists, there is a high rate of limb loss among motorcycle riders who have been in accidents.
• Vehicle Rollover – This can happen in any automobile accident and often results in the crushing of a limb, with circulation stopping, muscle rips, or shattered bones.
• Work-Related Accidents – The use of machinery or construction vehicles results in an uncomfortable number of limb loss cases.
• Agricultural and Home Accidents – Machinery with blades used to regulate crops and lawns can cause serious accidents that sever or partially sever an arm or leg.
• Explosives and Firearm Accidents – Fireworks and other explosives such as dynamite have an extremely powerful force behind them, making limb loss highly likely. Firearm projectiles shatter bones and tear muscles in a certain way, which may make an arm or leg removal necessary.
• Electrocution – Electricity can result in serious burns and destroy a limb’s functionality or blood flow.

Medical Malpractice Resulting In Loss Of Limb Or Amputation

Sometimes, the loss of a limb has nothing to with an accident but is instead caused by the poor decisions or incompetency of medical personnel working on a patient. Sometimes, individuals with partially severed limbs or other conditions can have the arm or leg saved if proper medical procedures are followed and diligence and expert medical knowledge are used. This means that doctors can definitely be the cause of your unnecessary limb loss, which may make you eligible for a medical malpractice case.

The most common medical malpractice situations that can result in loss of limb and amputation include:

• Infection caused by doctor mistakes or medication mistakes
• Amputation of the wrong limb
• Misdiagnosis of infection or other diseases and unnecessary surgery
• Failure to diagnose or treat post-op blood clots
• Surgery mistakes

There is also a wide variety of medical complications that can occur due to loss of limb. If the complications occurred due to poor medical services, or if the amputation had to happen due to medical malpractice, these complications and their resulting damages to the patient can also be compensated.

Complications from amputation or loss of limb include:

• Death
• Angina (chest pain)
• Heart attack or stroke
• Infection (which can lead to sepsis)
• Blood clots (also known as deep vein thrombosis)
• Blisters and swelling
• Oedema (excess of watery fluid collecting in the cavities or tissues)
• Skin blistering (can result in scarring)
• Tissue necrosis (death of tissue cells)
• Phantom pains (pain felt in an area that has been removed from the body)
• Complex regional pain syndrome (neuropathic pain disorder from limb trauma)

Potential Coverage Areas For Loss Of Limb Victims In A Philadelphia Catastrophic Injury Case

Losing a limb is not an easy medical situation to deal with. Whether you or a loved one lost an arm or a leg, amputees can experience a wide variety of difficulties and pains, including ghost pain (pain for a limb that used to be there), limited mobility, walking difficulties, ability to work (which can affect anything from typing to driving to operating machinery), serious surgery costs, rehabilitation therapy and handicap challenges, and much more. Losing a piece of one’s body can flip a person’s world upside-down and restrict a victim in every part of their life.

Due to the severity of amputations and their effects, there are a lot of costs that a client can potentially get covered in a Pennsylvania medical malpractice claim scenario.

Costs that can be covered in a PA medical malpractice amputation settlement include:

• Medical Costs – Hospital bills, surgeries, medications, and prosthesis (artificial limbs)
• Pain and Suffering Costs – Actual physical pain, mental distress, depression or anxiety, PTSD, and limiting daily activities someone once loved and committed a lot of time to
• Career Costs – Loss of wages, loss of promotions, and loss of job
• Other Financial and Miscellaneous Costs – Therapy costs, paid-held, time given by family and their own loss of wages, family and relationship damages, etc

Establishing Liability in an Amputation / Loss of Limb Case

Where a limb has been lost, there is often fault to be apportioned, which is why it is critical to consult with an experienced law firm such as The Marrone Law Firm, LLC if you have lost a limb due to accident, injury, or medical malpractice.

Cars are designed to protect their occupants just as machines are designed to afford basic protection to people trained to use them in the workplace. However, when something goes wrong due to recklessness which results in a loss of a limb, whether that be due to poor design, faulty maintenance, surgery error, or other types of negligence, it is important to hold the at-fault party responsible for your injuries.

If you have had a limb amputated through a series of events that were not your fault, you may be entitled to compensation for your life-altering injuries. Because amputation and loss of limb cases tend to be complex, the process can be stressful for litigants. Always rely on an experienced plaintiff’s injury attorney with expertise and experience dealing with amputation/loss of limb cases.

Contact an Attorney In Philadelphia For Legal Support For Your Loss Of Limb Or Amputation Case

Losing a limb is no laughing matter. When someone else is liable for such a serious situation, whether it stems from a medical mistake or an accident, Pennsylvania amputees will often seek compensation. Amputations and the resulting after-effects are costly and can involve many complications, a lot of post-medical treatment and appointments, loss of a job, inability to take care of your family, and a lot of other personal suffering and pain.

If you have been the victim of medical malpractice, a car accident, or some other serious accident resulting in amputation injuries, contact us online or call us at our Philadelphia office to get the legal support you deserve.

Frequently Asked Questions About Amputation / Loss of Limb Lawsuits in Philadelphia

Does The Marrone Law Firm, LLC have experience in amputation/loss of limb cases?

Yes. We regularly work on behalf of clients who have sustained a loss of a limb. We look at the specific details of their case to find the best strategy to win our clients the compensation the law affords them.

My doctor didn’t see that I had a preexisting medical condition that may have contributed to my amputation. Could I have a case here?

Yes. Doctors commit medical malpractice when they fail to treat a patient according to the required standard of care. Where a doctor overlooks aspects of your medical history that result in you losing a limb, there may be a viable medical malpractice case to pursue.

I lost a limb while on the job and I was partially at fault. Am I barred from making a claim?

No. Workers are entitled to workers’ compensation benefits and disability payments for an injury suffered while on the job even if they had some degree of fault in the incident. Even if you had some fault for the accident in issue, The Marrone Law Firm, LLC can help you get the compensation you legally deserve.