The loss of a limb is a catastrophic injury that is life-changing and emotionally traumatizing. It can impact your self-image, wreck your self-confidence, limit your mobility, and leave you unable to care for yourself. The painful road to recovery may be long and expensive, involving significant medical bills including long-term rehabilitation and aftercare. If you have suffered a loss of limb in Las Vegas, you don’t have to face this situation alone. A loss of limb lawyer specializing in these injuries will listen to your story, explain your legal options to you, advise how liability or negligence is investigated and determined, and offer the compassion, understanding and professionalism you deserve.
WHAT IS AMPUTATION?
Amputation is the surgical removal of all or part of a limb or extremity such as an arm, leg, foot, hand, toe, or finger. It may occur as the result of an injury, accident, illness, medical malpractice or defective drugs or medical devices.
WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF AMPUTATIONS INVOLVING LOSS OF LIMBS?
Lower limb amputations range from removal of toes, the entire foot, foot, and ankle, below the knee and above the knee amputations, or the entire leg with pelvis involvement. Upper limb amputations range from the loss of a finger, below the elbow amputations and above the elbow amputation, loss of an entire arm, or the entire arm with part of the shoulder.
According to the Amputee Coalition, about 2 million people in the U.S. have lost a limb, and about 185,000 amputations occur each year.
WHAT TYPES OF ACCIDENTS RESULT IN LOSS OF LIMB INJURIES?
Collisions involving moving vehicles (automobiles, trucks, motorcycles, bicycles, taxis) result in the greatest number of medically necessary traumatic amputations, followed by industrial/manufacturing accidents, construction site accidents, farming, agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting accidents, accidents involving explosions, fire, and electrocution. To give you an idea of the frequency of amputation injuries in the workplace, in a snapshot eighteen-month study (January 2015 to August 2016) conducted by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), almost 5,000 people suffered amputation injuries in the workplace.
You may also be entitled to compensation if you suffered an injury caused by the negligence of another person or entity that resulted in an amputation.
WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR A LOSS OF LIMB INJURY?
Determination of liability is not always straightforward; circumstances, equipment, and people need to be investigated thoroughly. If somebody’s negligence at work contributed to your injury, that person might be liable for compensatory damages to be paid to you. In addition, there is a legal distinction made between fault and liability for your injury claim. The person or entity at fault is not always the person or entity who is considered liable for the injury under the law. In a product liability case, the defendant also can be sued under theories of both strict liability and negligence. Liability determination is one of the areas in which an experienced loss of limb attorney will provide invaluable assistance.
If the injury leading to an amputation occurs at work, you will most likely be covered under workers’ compensation. Workers’ comp covers accidents that can’t be prevented. Employer or product liability covers a wider range of circumstances.
TYPES OF COMPENSATION FOR A LOSS OF LIMB INJURY
There are three types of compensation that a victim may be able to pursue as a result of a loss of limb injury: economic damages, non-economic damages, and punitive damages.
ECONOMIC DAMAGES
Monetary damages, which are awarded to the victim of a loss of limb injury to cover medical bills, rehabilitation, aftercare, and loss of income. In most cases, there is no cap in Nevada on the amount of economic compensatory damages you can be awarded. The Nevada Supreme Court has consistently held that any loss actually or proximately caused by the negligence of another can be recovered, including medical and hospital bills, ambulance charges, loss of wages, property repair, replacement costs, or loss of use. See Hornwood v. Smith’s Food King No. 1, 772 P.2d 1284 (Nev. 1989).
NON-ECONOMIC DAMAGES
Monetary damages, which are awarded to a victim to compensate for pain and suffering. In Nevada “no definite standard or method of calculation is prescribed by law which to fix reasonable compensation for pain and suffering.” See NV Jury Instruction 5PID.2; Canterino v. The Mirage Casino Hotel, 16 P.3d 415, 418 (Nev. 2001).
PUNITIVE DAMAGES
Monetary damages, which are awarded when the degree of negligence is severe and is intended to punish the negligent person or company.
WHY YOU NEED A LOSS OF LIMB LAWYER
Proving and winning a loss of limb case involving compensatory damages is a difficult task. Attempting to represent yourself is a mistake that you do not want to make.
The insurance company will make it as difficult as possible for you to win your case; after all, their job is to protect their client’s assets. They have tried-and-true methods to deny your claim or delay it to the point where you can no longer file the claim. The insurance company will also have medical experts that they frequently call upon to testify in cases of this type; you will have to produce your own medical who can provide objective evidence of the seriousness of your injury. The insurance company has their own private investigators; you need an investigator who is on your side. The insurance company representatives are experts at this; you are most likely an amateur. You need to fight experts with experts. An experienced loss of limb attorney will know how to defend your rights and will work for YOU.
Contact an experienced Las Vegas loss of limb lawyer as soon as possible after suffering a catastrophic injury.
Finding the Best Las Vegas Loss of Limb Lawyer
Loss of limb cases are complex. An attorney can provide you with a number of services that are important to your case, including a case valuation, timely filing of paperwork, skilled negotiation in an attempt to garner a fair settlement offer for you, the collection and organization of evidence and witness testimony, litigation, and assistance collecting your settlement or award. Find a lawyer that can give you a fast, effective evaluation to help you make important decisions. The best lawyers can take your case without charging you ANY fees until we recover! The personal injury law team at Drummond Law Firm has your best interests in mind with our Reduced Fee Guarantee®. You don’t pay anything until we WIN your case.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How long is recovery from leg amputation?
The physical wound from a leg amputation should generally heal in about 4-8 weeks. However, the recovery process can take significantly longer as the amputee builds up the strength to adapt to the missing limb.
Can I sue for an injury that caused me to lose a limb?
If you or a loved one suffered a loss of limb injury that was due to someone else’s negligence or intentional actions, they may be held responsible for your injuries. In this case, it may be possible to file a personal injury lawsuit in order to get the compensation you deserve. Contact our office for a free consultation and case review.
How can a loss of limb injury lawyer help my case?
A good loss of limb injury lawyer will begin representing on your behalf so that you can focus on your recovery. They will obtain all the necessary documentation, medical records, and police reports needed to build your case. An experienced Las Vegas loss of limb injury lawyer will help place the liability for your injuries on the negligent party and get you the compensation you deserve.
TOP-RATED LAS VEGAS LOSS OF LIMB LAWYER
If it happened in Vegas®… Call us. We are not just loss of limb lawyers — We are Las Vegas Loss of Limb Lawyers and we are committed to YOU! Drummond Law Firm ALWAYS offers a FREE initial consultation, we’ll even arrange transportation. You only pay when we WIN your case — Our loss of limb injury lawyers are focused on getting you the maximum compensation for your recovery. If you are suffering from a loss or limb injury that was caused by another person’s negligence — We are here to help.
- Have financial peace of mind! We are the only firm in Nevada to offer the Reduced Fee Guarantee®
- FREE initial consultation
- An experienced, award-winning law firm
If you have been injured in an accident the first thing you need to do is seek medical assistance. Once safe to do so, call our office before speaking with the insurance companies – We can provide you with professional, effective advice for how to move forward and begin to build your case. We make the entire legal process as simple as possible for you, our team will handle your claim on your behalf while keeping you in the loop. We are by your side to help you get the compensation you deserve.
Our #1 goal is getting you the money you need to relieve the financial burden that can follow after a loss of limb. Don’t pay the price for someone else’s negligence — Let our Las Vegas Loss of Limb Lawyer do the hard work for you. Contact us today for assistance with your loss of limb case.