Few things can be worse than suffering a traumatic amputation injury for no fault of your own. Losing a part of your body can not only be traumatizing, but can also restrict your mobility and affect your ability to perform day-to-day activities.
Under Virginia law, amputation injury victims have the right to sue the party that caused the injuries and seek damages. With the help of an experienced Virginia personal injury attorney, you can hold the at-fault party accountable for their actions and recover compensation to cover all your tangible and intangible losses.
Common Causes of Amputation Injuries
The most common causes of traumatic amputation injuries include:
- Motor vehicle accidents
- Agricultural accidents
- Workplace accidents involving heavy machinery
- Accidents involving firearms or explosives
- Electrocution accidents
How an Experienced Virginia Personal Injury Attorney Can Maximize the Value of Your Amputation Injury Claim
The expenses associated with treating a traumatic amputation injury can be quite substantial – in the short term as well as long term. This is why it is extremely important to hire an experienced amputation injury attorney who can maximize the value of your tort claim to the extent possible and recover a substantial settlement or award that can cover all your injury-related expenses and losses.
Your personal injury attorney might work with the following experts to establish the severity of your injury and to maximize the value of your claim.
Medical Illustrators
Medical illustrators can create drawings and illustrations that accurately portray your injuries. These drawings are similar to the ones you can find in medical textbooks. Using these drawings, your attorney can show the judge or jury exactly which part of your body was injured and what led to the amputation.
This is necessary because an x-ray, MRI, or CT scan might not accurately depict the extent of your injury – particularly to an untrained eye. Medical drawings, on the other hand, can reveal just how badly you are injured, which can go a long way in convincing the judge or jury that you deserve the compensation you demand.
General Physicians and Specialists
Your attorney will obtain the medical records they need from the physician who treats your injuries. They will also talk to surgeons, physical therapists, and other specialists to find out if you might need more treatment in the future.
For instance, a surgeon might be able to surgically re-attach your amputated digit. In some cases, they might be able to reconstruct your amputated finger or thumb through reconstructive surgery. Nerve reattachment is also a possibility – especially if you have lost your lower limbs.
These are all procedures that can cost a significant amount of money. Even if you have a healthcare plan, it might not cover the entire cost of the surgery. So, your attorney will take the cost of these procedures into account while calculating the value of your claim.
Mental Health Experts
A traumatic amputation injury can not only result in the loss of a limb, but can also take a toll on your mental health and leave you psychologically scarred. You might require therapy and counseling to deal with the effects of your injury.
This is why your attorney will take the psychological impact of the injury into account while building a case against the at-fault party and make sure you are sufficiently compensated for the mental anguish caused by your injury.
Your attorney will talk to psychologists and try to understand the impact of the injury on your mental health, based on which they can calculate the pain and suffering damages you are owed.
Vocational Counselors
Even an injury as minor as a sprain can affect your ability to perform your work-related duties – especially if you have a physically demanding job. An amputation injury, on the other hand, might severely restrict your ability to work, as a result of which your wage earning capacity might be reduced to a significant extent. This is why loss or reduction in earning capacity is one of the key elements of any personal injury claim.
Your attorney will work with a vocational counselor to calculate the loss of your earning capacity. Based on the highest amount of wages you earned in your career and your average earnings throughout your career (up until you got injured), your attorney can calculate the amount you have lost – and will lose in the future – due to your injury.
Suffered an Amputation Injury? We Can Help You Get the Settlement You Deserve!
At Shapiro, Appleton, & Washburn, we know that amputation injuries can be hard to deal with – especially for those who have a family to take care of. It is why we take amputation injury claims extremely seriously and fight hard to get the victims the compensation they deserve.
If you or any of your family members have suffered an amputation injury due to a third party’s negligence, we can help you sue them for damages. We can work with experts from different fields, gather the evidence required for your claim, negotiate aggressively with the other party, and do everything in our capacity to recover the restitution you deserve.
Call us today at (833) 997-1774 or contact us online to schedule a free and confidential consultation with one of our Virginia amputation injury attorneys.
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