2 reasons car wrecks sometimes result in amputations
When two vehicles collide, the occupants of those vehicles and any bystanders nearby are at risk of severe injury. The higher the speed of the vehicles and the bigger the difference in size between the two vehicles involved, the greater the possibility of catastrophic injuries.
Amputations are some of the most debilitating, expensive and life-altering injuries that people can experience. Although the leading cause of amputation in the United States is medical issues, often related to diabetes, traumatic injury is another top cause of amputations.
Motor vehicle collisions are responsible for a significant portion of the amputations that occur not because of a health issue but because of an injury. What are the two scenarios in which a car crash causes someone to lose a limb or an extremity?
The crash can cause a traumatic amputation
Despite the best attempts of motor vehicle manufacturers to design vehicles as safe as possible, severe injuries can still occur when your vehicle suffers massive damage or you get thrown from your vehicle. If the violence of the collision severs a body part, an individual will suffer a traumatic amputation and require immediate emergency medical care.
Emergency treatment can stem their blood loss, repair damaged tissue and help sanitize the wound to reduce the possibility of a major infection. There will likely be a long recovery process after a traumatic amputation, as nerve damage is very common in such scenarios.
Severe injuries may necessitate a surgical amputation
Many amputations do not occur at the scene of a car wreck but rather in the hospital after the crash. When someone suffers some major crushing injuries or breaks a bone in many places, medical professionals may realize that the body will never fully recover.
In some cases, the injury requires surgical amputation to remove the damaged tissue. Although surgical amputations are carefully-monitored procedures, the possibility of nerve damage and lingering pain symptoms is still there.
Those who lose a body part because of a car crash will inevitably have massive medical bills, lost income and support needs that could prove very expensive. Car insurance often isn’t enough on its own to pay for all of the expenses related to an amputation.
Looking into other options, such as a civil lawsuit, can help those struggling with a catastrophic injury following a car crash.
