Anytime a limb is amputated, it causes much more damage than mere physical pain. Often, you will have to adjust your life and learn to live with a new disability; some amputations may require minor changes, while others could make day to day life seemingly impossible. It is crucial that you are careful when partaking in any activity, whether at work or in your own leisure time, that could potentially lead to an amputated limb. Fortunately, if you were injured because of the negligent actions of another party, you could pursue financial compensation for reimbursement of your damages. You should not be expected to cover the numerous costs related to an amputation if you were not responsible for the injury. Our team of attorneys at Normandie Law Firm knows promises to help you every step of the way in pursuing a fair settlement for your injuries. Often, clients who have sustained amputations will call us and ask us questions about their cases or similar lawsuits that we have handled. Some of the questions they ask us include, “How much can you receive for an amputation?” and “How much is a body part amputation case worth?”
How Amputations Occur
Amputations can be the result of many accidents and the byproduct of different kinds of injuries. Unfortunately, there is no true recommendation for preventing amputations from happening; accidents can happen at any time, and the risk increases in certain situations. Some of the most common ways a limb can be amputated include:
- Work accidents: Accidents in the workplace can lead to amputations because of the sheer amount of machinery present in different jobs. Conveyor belts can snatch arms and fingers, saws and blades can slice limbs, heavy doors with no safety features can crush parts of your body, different vehicles like forklifts can strike you, materials and goods can fall of shelves and crush your feet and toes, and any number of infections can afflict you if you get wounded. You have numerous legal options depending on the circumstances of your injury.
- Car accidents: Car crashes happen every day. Both debilitating and minor car crashes can cause amputations of limbs; a high impact crash can trap your leg between the frame and the door, for instance, and a low impact accident can still break glass and slice your fingers off. Many twisted cars that have been slammed into trap the people inside, and rescue workers need to extract the victims; these victims may lose limbs because of the loss of tissue, nerves, and more.
- Motorcycle crashes: Motorcycle accidents are generally more dangerous than car accidents because the riders have no protection – no seatbelts, no roll bars, no airbags, and no way of being cushioned if they are struck. They may get trapped underneath the vehicle or pinned between two cars. The crushing damages could easily force a limb to be amputated.
- Slip and fall accidents: Slip and falls may not always be debilitating, but depending on the location, they could result in drastic damages. For example, someone who falls down a staircase or off a balcony because of a slippery floor could very easily damage a leg beyond repair. The chance of landing on something sharp or jagged like a fence could also cause a severed limb.
- Firearm and explosive accidents: Using firearms and other explosives can be extremely dangerous. The potential for a firearm to backfire is high and lesser explosions have caused severed limbs. It is crucial that you use proper protective gear and safety equipment when handling such volatile objects.
- Medical malpractice incidents: There have been numerous documented cases of doctors who mistakenly amputate the wrong limb or who amputate without the action being necessary. Some hospital staff may also have been negligent in cleaning surgical equipment or sanitizing the operating room, resulting in an infection that could compromise your limb.
The majority of amputations happen because the body part does not have the ability to be reliably reattached by doctors. The nerves and tendons may be too damaged, whether by crushing injuries or burns, or gangrene could have set in. Further, limbs that are infected and have no chance of recovery should be amputated to prevent the infection from spreading to other parts of the body. It is extremely risky to keep a limb that has essentially rotted away; the health effects could be fatal if you do not take drastic measures.
If you have been harmed because of the negligent actions of another party and, as a result, you lost a limb, you could have grounds for a lawsuit. Reach out to an experienced attorney today to learn more.
Average Settlement Value of an Amputation Lawsuit
The average settlement value of an amputation case cannot be outright determined by any compensation calculator. There is no tool that allows you to input your damages and a few seconds later will pop out a list of dollar amounts. Your case value will be determined by insurance adjusters and negotiated by lawyers. Further, there are numerous types of amputations, and certain limbs and digits will yield a higher value than others will. For example, the average nationwide payout for an amputated arm is about $3,200,000 while an amputated hand will yield less at $2,750,000. The latter case is worth less because it is less damaging and impactful.
You can receive much higher compensation depending on the severity of your injury and how impactful it is on your life. The more debilitating the damage, the more you deserve (an amputation below the knee may be worth less than an amputation above the knee, for instance). Insurance adjusters will also look at how the injury affects your life; if your career opportunities and abilities change because of the damage, you may be able to earn much more. The case could be worth more if you will not be able to hold the same job upon healing up.
When you talk to a lawyer about the average value of an amputation case, you have to understand that not every case is the same. Your case may be nearly identical to another lawsuit that has been settled and finished, but a slight difference in the circumstances – such as your occupation – could cost you hundreds of thousands of dollars. When clients ask us what some average settlement amounts of amputation cases are, we tell them that no two cases are alike. Rather, we recommend looking below to see various amputation lawsuit settlement amounts. Your case may be similar. Of course, these cases are not meant to reflect what you will earn if your lawsuit is similar, but rather to show what can potentially be won in a lawsuit.
- $8,000,000 Verdict: The plaintiff lost three fingers and underwent numerous surgeries to save her hand. A conveyor belt was detected to have a defect and caught her hand in it, leading to extremely debilitating damages.
- $150,000 Verdict: While he was operating machinery in a school, the plaintiff severed the tip of his finger. Thanks to the efforts of medical professionals, the finger was reattached; when he pursued legal action, he was found partially at fault and had a 35% reduction of his verdict.
- $1,200,000 Settlement: A young boy, age 11, suffered partial leg amputations after being struck by a train. He was playing on the railroad tracks and was caught. A Minneapolis jury was set to hear the case, but a settlement was reached beforehand.
- $400,000 Settlement: A 45-year-old man in Minnesota was working on a tri-roller machine at a bakery when the rollers snatched his glove. His arm was pulled into the machine, causing irreparable damages that resulted in amputation below his elbow.
- $325,000 Verdict: A man, nearly 40 years old, suffered an amputation after the cast he wore on his broken arm was applied too tightly, causing ischemia.
- $5,000,000 Settlement: A man was struck by a semi-truck while on his motor bike. The crash caused severe damages to his leg. Despite numerous surgeries, the leg could not be adequately fixed, and was amputated below the knee.
- $1,950,000 Settlement: A woman in Tennessee was struck by a dump truck and dragged down the street. The truck ignored the right of way and made a right-hand turn into the intersection. Her leg was amputated as a result of being trapped beneath the truck.
- $320,000 Settlement: A woman was at a nail salon receiving a pedicure when one of the technicians cut her big toe. An infection set in, causing inflammation; the infection was severe enough that despite weeks of treatment her big toe needed to be amputated. The nail technician was revealed to not be licensed to perform the procedure that caused the injury.
You should not hesitate to contact an amputation lawyer in Los Angeles today if you want more help in filing a claim.
Compensation You May Earn
The compensation you can earn in an amputation lawsuit can cover various types of damages related to the injury and the incident. Our team of expert attorneys can help you win the recovery you need to be fully taken care of. We will do our best to bring you compensation for:
- Medical expenses, including surgery costs, medication fees, hospitalization fees, prosthetic costs, physical therapy expenses, and more. Any future treatments or procedures that you need done can also be covered.
- Lost wages, including any future earnings that you will be unable to collect because of recovery, injury, or additional medical help.
- Property damage, or any belongings or items you have that were lost, damaged, or broken in the incident, such as your vehicle, laptop, cell phone, and more.
- Pain and suffering, or emotional damages, which are meant to cover non-economic expenses. Any fear, anxiety, PTSD, mental scarring, psychological stress, and other damages can be covered.
- Punitive damages, which are handed out when the responsible party is grossly negligent in his actions or intended to cause bodily harm. These damages are purely additional forms of monetary compensation that are meant to further punish the defendant. Many courts do not see these damages as necessary, however, and as a result, will not often award them. Thus, only a skilled lawyer will be able to win them for your case.
Free Second Opinion
Many clients who have suffered amputations come to us with questions about the average compensation or settlement value of their lawsuits because they already have legal representation and want to be certain they are being accurately represented. They want to know if their lawyers are doing all they can to bring them fair offers.
Unfortunately, many attorneys are content to deceive their clients and bring them the lowest offers from the insurance agencies. They do this because it is much quicker to settle a low amount and there is no need for negotiation and arguing. The lawyer will be able to collect his fee, the insurance agency will have a meager pay out, and the law firm can move on to the next case. These attorneys will often pressure clients to accept the offer and will claim that they cannot earn anything more than what they have brought.
If you come to us with your case, we will give you a free second opinion on your current legal representation. If we believe that your present lawyer is misrepresenting you, we will tell you and let you decide how to proceed. The value of your case may be much higher than what you have been led to believe, and you deserve to have a lawyer who will not deceive you.
How Normandie Helps
Our law firm, Normandie Law Firm, is here to help you if you have suffered an amputated limb in an accident or an incident. We know how hard it can be to bounce back from such a disastrous occurrence, and we also know pursuing legal action may very well be the last thing on your mind. Let us do our job and we will pursue compensation for you while you rest and recover. You should not be on the receiving end of even more stress that can delay your recovery.
Call us today to receive a free legal consultation with an experienced attorney with expertise in amputation lawsuits. You can ask questions about your case and we will be glad to give you the answers. We believe that all of our clients should have as much information available to them as necessary, whether it is in the form of details about the law or knowledge on other similar cases. All of our consultations are completely confidential; you will never have to worry about your personal details leaving our offices.
If you select us to represent you, you will also receive a zero fee guarantee, which promises that you will not have to pay any out of pocket expenses for our services. We will only have our fees paid if we win your case, and the payment will be taken out of the settlement we bring to you. The insurance agency, therefore, will essentially be responsible for your legal bills as well as medical bills and other damages. If we lose your case, you are off the hook and don’t owe us anything whatsoever. We do this to protect your financial standing and ensure you do not spend any of your own money on legal help.
To learn more about what the value of your amputation lawsuit may be worth, call our team of accomplished lawyers today at Normandie Law Firm.
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