What many people don’t know about car crash amputations

Motor vehicle collisions are one of the leading causes of catastrophic injuries. People can hit their heads and sustain traumatic brain injuries. They can develop spinal cord injuries. They might also lose body parts.

Amputation or limb loss has the potential to permanently alter a person’s life. Limb loss can affect career options and earning potential. It can cause major medical expenses and changes to an individual’s daily life. Those who experience a crash-related amputation may require financial compensation from the party at fault for the wreck.

Many people are aware that motor vehicle collisions are among the top reported causes of traumatic amputations. People can lose their body parts almost instantly in a crash. However, many people underestimate the risk of limb loss because they only consider traumatic amputations.

Medical amputations may also follow crashes

Not every amputation occurs because of a sudden traumatic injury. Occasionally, amputation occurs in a controlled medical environment. Medical amputations, also known as surgical amputations, are sometimes the best treatment available after crash injuries.

People who sustain crush injuries during a collision, for example, may suffer such extensive tissue damage that health care professionals cannot save the affected body part. Crush injuries can break bones into minuscule pieces, destroy connective tissue and cause significant nerve damage.

While the injured person may exit the vehicle physically whole, health care professionals may have no choice but to amputate while providing them with trauma care. The only other option might be a series of surgeries with no guarantee of success.

In many ways, surgical or medical amputations are safer than traumatic amputations. They occur in controlled environments, which can limit the risk of infection. Additionally, surgeons can take steps to prevent nerve damage in many cases. However, even when an amputation occurs in a medical setting, it can have a profound impact on the patient’s quality of life, earning potential and mental health.

Those who sustain catastrophic car crash injuries often realize that their financial losses far exceed the amount of insurance coverage available. They may need to pursue a personal injury lawsuit to defray their collision expenses, and that’s okay.