Houston Amputation Attorney

Losing a limb in a traumatic accident or workplace incident can have lifelong, devastating effects. People who suffer amputations may need physical, emotional and financial support for the remainder of their lives. Many accidents that involve severed limbs leave their victims permanently disabled — and could have been prevented if not for someone else’s negligence.

The pain associated with nerve damage as well as the physical constraints caused by losing a limb can prevent victims from resuming their jobs or enjoying their previous quality of life. Injuries sustained can be diverse and may include:

• Loss of an arm
• Loss of a leg
• Severed hand
• Severed foot
• Amputated finger
• Amputated toe
• Loss of a thumb

At The Krist Law Firm, P.C. our team of Houston amputation attorneys can guide you through the legal process if you’ve been injured in a maritime accident or are entitled to Jones Act compensation.

Common Causes of Severed Limbs

A limb may be severed in a wide variety of accidents and workplace incidents. These may include:

• Car accidents
• Shipping accidents
• Longshore or harbor accidents
• Offshore oil platform accidents
• Refinery or chemical plant accidents
• Construction accidents
• Limbs mangled or severed by factory presses, gears, pulleys or other complex equipment
• Fingers severed by power saws or other industrial equipment injuries
• Injuries from falling objects
• Conveyor belt injuries
• Factory incidents
• Burn injuries that require amputation
• Motorcycle accidents
• Pedestrian accidents
• Semi-truck and tractor-trailer wrecks
• Dangerous and defective products
• Other accidents that result in a severed or amputated arm, leg, toe, hand, finger, thumb or other body part

Defining Amputated Limbs

A limb is considered severed when an accident, injury or surgery causes the limb to become unattached from the human body. If the limb is completely severed, the victim is considered to have suffered a “complete amputation.” However, a limb may be reattached and function may be regained if proper medical attention is received immediately. For example, a severed finger may be reattached to a hand and only suffer partial mobility loss.

If some soft tissue is causing the limb to continue to be connected to the body, this is known as a “partial amputation.” The severed limb may or may not be able to be reattached to the body, depending on the severity of the injury. In some accidents, a digit or limb is not severed completely, but it sustains such serious trauma or damage that it must be surgically removed. Serious complications can arise from complete or partial loss of a limb, including bleeding, infection, permanent nerve damage, and shock.

Side Effects of Severed Limbs

Severed limbs and traumatic amputation may leave the victim with dramatic side effects. Poor circulation in the remaining part of the limb can cause intense pain. This condition is often intensified during cold weather, which reduces blood flow to the affected area. Victims may also require massage therapy or ongoing treatment for pain management.

Upper limb amputations make up the majority of all trauma-related amputations, and males are at a significantly higher risk than females.

Many victims who have suffered severed limbs must make extraordinary adjustments to their lifestyle to cope with the loss. They may need extensive rehabilitation to manage fundamental skills including standing, walking, bathing, and dressing themselves. Everyday tasks that most people take for granted might be made more difficult or impossible in the event of an amputation.

Other complications that may arise include an increased risk of infection at the wound site, sores and cysts at the injury site, the need for psychological counseling or pain-killing medications, and phantom pain in the missing limb or digit.

Many victims who suffer the loss of a limb often require prosthetic limbs and attachments in order to aid with their mobility. In the wake of ongoing military conflicts around the world, these devices have become quite advanced but can be very expensive.

How a Houston Amputation Attorney Can Help

Legal action does more than just hold negligent parties and companies accountable. The resources gained from litigation allow victims who have suffered a severed limb or amputation the means to access programs that speed recovery, rehabilitation and reintegration back to daily life. Resources gained from litigation helps victims get the support they need.

The experienced Houston amputation attorneys at The Krist Law Firm, P.C., work hard every day to help amputees and victims who have suffered severed limbs access the resources they need. These resources may include:

• Advanced prosthetic evaluation and application
• Reconstructive surgery at the site where a limb was severed
• Job retraining or reassignment to a new job that accommodates the amputation
• Compensation for fighting sepsis or infection
• Compensation for scarring and deformity
• Compensation for emotional anguish due to a traumatic accident

Our track record of earning a significant number of multi-million dollar recoveries speaks for itself and demonstrates our devotion to you as our client.

In addition, we work closely with our clients, doctors and other professionals to determine appropriate compensation for:

• Surgical procedures
• Rehabilitation and medical care
• Prosthetic limbs
• Wheelchairs
• Home or vehicular modifications
• Life-long impairment
• Loss of earning capacity
• Career retraining
• Disfigurement
• Long-term pain
• Mental anguish
• Reduced quality of life

Contact Our Houston Amputation Lawyers

Compensation depends on many factors, including age and earning capacity, as well as the severity of the injury that caused the severed limb or amputation. We can recover compensation for lost fingers or toes, severed hands or feet, and full or partial or complete amputation of arms and legs, including double amputees. We are committed to obtaining the compensation that guarantees your future financial needs can be met and enables you to live with a high quality of life with a strong support system.

If you or a loved one has suffered a severed limb or traumatic amputation, talk with someone who can advocate for you to get you the resources you need. Contact the Houston amputation attorneys at The Krist Law Firm, P.C. at 281-283-8500 to receive your free consultation today.