Amputations lead to life-changing disabilities. Some people never recover and find it virtually impossible to resume their normal lives. They could lose their careers and struggle with the emotional aftereffects of limited mobility and reduced independence. Working with an amputation lawyer can help injured persons recover compensation for their injuries and the additional losses incurred.
What Compensation Can an Amputation Lawyer Seek?
There are many different types of compensation a personal injury lawyer can seek on behalf of clients. The situation determines eligibility for each one.
Medical Expenses
Your attorney might seek both current and future medical expenses. These include the costs of prosthetics, physical therapy, and any other medical treatment needed due to the amputation. Note that complications often arise after the loss of a limb.
Lost Wages
If you missed work due to your injuries, your lawyer can seek lost wages as part of your settlement. This applies whether you’re unable to return to work or have had to take a pay cut.
Pain and Suffering
You may also receive compensation for the pain and suffering caused by your amputation. This can include both the physical pain of the amputation and the emotional anguish of coping with a life-changing disability.
Punitive Damages
Your amputation lawyer might successfully recover punitive damages, as well. However, he or she does not explicitly seek this. Instead, the court awards this at its discretion for cases it believes involve gross negligence.
How Much Can You Get for an Amputation Personal Injury Case?
Our team of Phoenix personal injury attorneys view the loss of limbs as serious. This is true in the medical, insurance and legal branches. Consequently, compensation in successful amputation cases ranges from six to seven figures. However, amputation alone does not determine how much money an injured person can receive. Consider the following factors:
- Severity of the Amputation: Partial amputations will not generally result in the same payouts as full amputations. That’s because partial amputations often allow a person to use the limb, albeit in a limited way.
- Location of the Amputation: The loss of a leg will have a different impact than the loss of an arm, for example. The difference in mobility and independence accounts for the disparity in compensation an amputation lawyer can potentially recover.
- Age of the Amputation Victim: A younger person will likely have a longer life expectancy. Younger victims are more likely to require decades of assistance and care, increasing the settlement.
- Injured Person’s Overall Health: If the amputation victim already had health problems, this will likely reduce the amount of money he or she can receive. This is because the preexisting condition complicates treatment and makes it more challenging to adapt to life without a limb.
Why Should You Hire an Amputation Lawyer?
Negligence determines whether the entity held responsible should pay damages. An experienced amputation lawyer can make a strong case showing the correlation between negligence and the resulting amputation. The more substantial the correlation and proof of negligence, the higher the potential payout. Contact Sargon Law Group to speak to an experienced attorney in Maricopa County, AZ.