Amputated limbs affect more than just your physical body. There are psychological consequences of the injury that may be even harder to overcome. We’ll unpack more below about how to cope with a traumatic amputation.

Psychological changes accompany amputations

Medical researchers studied seven cases of traumatic amputations in patients. They found that some common themes emerged regarding the effects of the amputation on the victims:

• Need for emotional balancing
• The emotional impact of the loss of limb
• Tendency to isolate themselves
• Constraints and limitations
• Phantom limb pain

These psychological changes result from the loss of limb and the struggles that accompany patients as they try to adjust to their new normal.

Obstacles to return to normal life

Patients were determined to need a psychological calibration to be able to return to normal life. They all struggled with issues of low self-esteem. Many experienced depression and despair over their post-accident physical limitations.

Depression rates higher in amputees

It’s important to note that those with amputations suffer from depression at a higher rate than those without limbs amputated. Researchers also discovered that the sooner a prosthesis can be worn by the victim, the better their chances of suffering fewer mental health issues related to the amputation.

Cost of treatment, prostheses high

Amputees often need lifelong medical treatment and a series of prosthetic limbs, as the fit may be altered by growth or weight loss or gain. These prosthetic limbs are expensive and custom-fitted for the amputees.

Settlements are final. Once you accept it, you can’t go back and ask for more, even if unexpected complications surface or your expenses grow. Here’s what you need to consider before signing anything.

Know the full value of your claim

To decide if a settlement offer is fair, you need to know what your case is worth. In other words, you should have a complete picture of the damages you’re entitled to. They include:

• Medical expenses (present and future)
• Lost wages and reduced earning capacity
• Pain and suffering 
• Emotional distress
• Property damage, among others

Some of these damages, like medical bills, are easy to quantify. Others, like pain and suffering, are more subjective but very real. Don’t let an insurance adjuster convince you they’re worth less than they are.

Beware the red flags or a lowball offer

Be cautious if the insurance company pressures you to accept a settlement offer quickly. Initial settlement offers are often far below what your claim is really worth. Additionally, if they dismiss your long-term medical needs or downplay the seriousness of your injuries, it’s a sign the offer may fall short of your expenses.

You should also be wary if they try to shift blame onto you without solid proof or refuse to explain how they calculated the settlement amount. These are common tactics used to minimize their payout.

You have the right to negotiate

You don’t have to accept the first offer from the insurance company. You have the right to negotiate for a fair settlement that fully reflects your damages and future needs. Seeking legal guidance can help protect your rights and interests as you navigate the settlement process, which can be complex and overwhelming.

But what if the injury came from someone else? Can a property owner be held liable for damages after a visitor is injured by a criminal on the premises?

The answer depends on the exact circumstances of the case. In this blog post, we will discuss the basics of how the law responds to this question.

Premises liability

If you were injured because you fell on a broken step at a restaurant, you may be able to recover compensation for your damages through a lawsuit against the restaurant owner. The area of the law that makes this possible is known as premises liability.

Under premises liability law, property owners have certain duties to their visitors to repair or warn of safety hazards. The extent of their duties depends on various factors, including the reason the visitor was on the premises. For instance, a restaurant owner has a greater duty to protect their customers than to a plumber who is fixing the restaurant’s bathrooms. The store owner has very little duty toward a trespasser who wanders the restaurant’s parking lot at night.

Negligent security

Here’s where the notion of negligent security comes in: What if the trespasser is a criminal who assaults and robs a restaurant customer as she heads toward her car? Does the restaurant owner have a duty to protect customers from the safety hazard of muggings in the parking lot?

When this question comes up for a court, one of the deciding factors is the owner’s knowledge. If a reasonable owner knew there was a history of muggings in their parking lot, they would take steps to protect their customers. This might mean installing lights in the parking lot, or just putting up warning signs for customers.

Still, the outcome of this type of case depends heavily on the exact details. Those who have been injured due to negligent security would be wise to discuss their case with experienced professionals.

If you have been injured in a car accident that was caused due to another party’s negligence or recklessness, you probably know that you may have a valid personal injury claim to pursue. It may help to know some of the basics of such claims as you evaluate your chances of success.

Personal injury basics

The term negligence, mentioned above, is probably the most common legal basis for personal injury cases. In short, negligence means that someone did or did not do something – something they should have done or something they should have avoided doing. In a car accident frame of mind, this means that someone, for example, was speeding, engaged in distracted driving or perhaps even was drunk driving. No driver should be engaging in those behaviors. Or, it might mean that a driver did not yield the right of way, did not obey a traffic signal or maybe didn’t use a turn signal. Drivers have obligations to do certain things and avoid doing other things.

So, when a car accident occurs and some type of conduct like this was the cause – and injuries occur – then the victim may be able to successfully pursue a personal injury claim. If this sounds like your situation, be sure to have the facts of your potential case reviewed carefully so that you know your legal options.

While you might be able to recover some of these damages by pursuing a medical malpractice lawsuit, it helps to have an understanding of how these egregious errors occur in the first place. By gaining this understanding, you can better make sense of your circumstances and develop a clearer path toward the recovery that you want.

The top causes of medical malpractice

There can be a lot of contributing factors to medical malpractice. However, here are some of the most common that you’ll want to be on the lookout for as you navigate your case:

1. Misdiagnosis or missed diagnosis: Medical professional should give you the time and attention necessary to accurately diagnose your condition. Proper tests should be ordered, and the results must be appropriately interpreted. If they’re not, then your medical condition could worsen, leaving you in a dire predicament. Your condition may even worsen to the point that it becomes untreatable.
2. Hospital-related infections: Infection is a risk when you undergo a medical procedure, but strict controls should be implemented by your providers to reduce your risk of severe infection. Yet, all too often patients die when hospital-related infections go unchecked. To prevent such as outcome, medical professionals should exercise proper hygiene practices, including washing their hands, wearing gloves, and using clean medical equipment.
3. Poor communication: Effective communication is key in a hospital setting where you may have multiple individuals caring for you. Any lapse here could put you in danger, as you may be subjected to issues like being double dosed with medication or not receiving testing and care that could positively impact your condition.
4. Medication errors: Medication errors are excessively common in the healthcare setting. A doctor may give you medication without fully understanding your medical history and any potential adverse reactions you might have to a medication, or a doctor or nurse might give you the wrong dosage of a potent medication. These mistakes can have tragic consequences, sometimes even resulting in death.
5. Surgical errors: Although surgeons are highly skilled, they’re susceptible to mistakes, too. They might operate on the wrong part of your body, leave sponges inside of you, or accidentally nick an organ, any of which can cause significant harm and potentially lead to life-threatening infection.
6. Birth injuries: The birth of a child should be exciting, but all joy can be quickly dashed when a child is injured during the birthing process. While some of these injuries are truly accidents that aren’t preventable, others are attributable to doctor error. The child may be unnecessarily deprived of oxygen, causing brain damage, or improper techniques might be used to remove the baby, thereby resulting in broken bones.

Are you ready to build your medical malpractice case?

As you can see, there are a lot of ways that medical malpractice can occur. If you or a loved one has been subjected to any of these issues, then now is the time to start thinking about taking legal action. Doing so is probably the only way that you’re going to find accountability for the wrong that was done to you and recover the compensation necessary to spur your recovery forward.

We understand that navigating the legal process can be scary. But this isn’t something that you have to face alone. By finding support, you can gain the confidence and comfort that you need to properly build your case and fight for the outcome you deserve.

Common mistakes people make

Here’s where folks often go wrong:

• Underestimating injuries and not getting full and proper care. You might think, and insurance adjusters will abet you in this thinking, that if the vehicle sustained minimal or no damage your injuries must be negligible as well. This is a false correlation.

Some injuries present slowly. If not accounted for properly by a health practitioner trained in detecting these hidden injuries, your treatment may not be paid for when it’s needed.

• Failing to document and vigilantly preserve evidence. At the scene of the accident, if humanly possible, photos and videos should be taken of vehicular damages, how the cars are positioned in relation to one another, roadway marks and the surrounding environment. Names of witnesses and their contact information should be collected as well.

In addition, you’ll need your own written, detailed account of what took place and what you experienced.

Finally, evidence of injuries, medical expenses, lost wages, rental expenses and out-of-pocket expenses should be carefully catalogued.

• Relying too much on the insurance adjuster and not reckoning with the fact that the adjuster’s incentivized to limit damages recovery. Don’t provide more information than the polite, legal minimum to the adjuster. Don’t apologize or blame yourself for the mishap. Discuss these perceptions with your attorney. Don’t be rushed into a settlement.
• Relying too little on an attorney experienced in this area of the law. Consulting with knowledgeable counsel while events are unfolding is critical to protecting your rights and navigating towards a positive outcome.

If car accidents are a fact of life, then these are skills one must hone. While the guidance of counsel is essential, how you assist in your case is critical to its success.

The Center for Disease Control states that “about 75% of TBIs that occur each year are concussions or other forms of mild TBI.” Experiencing repeated TBIs can results in deficits in cognitive and neurological functions that are cumulative or fatal if occurring in a short period of time. Short-term changes can affect a person’s emotion, sensation, language and thinking. 

Mild TBIs usually result in only brief changes, but these changes can disrupt life for the victim. Over time, a person suffering from a TBI can experience an increase in brain disorders such as Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease. There is also an increase in epilepsy in TBI sufferers. 

Following a vehicle accident, TraumaticBrainInjury.com provides a list of mild TBI symptoms to look for. A person may experience issues with concentration, seizures, fatigue, loss of balance, depression feelings, headaches, sleep disturbances or memory loss. Some people experience mood changes, loss of smell, slowness in thinking, nausea, becoming confused or develop a sensitivity to sounds and light. 

These symptoms can help a person recognize they may have suffered an injury when no other outward signs are available. Seek medical attention immediately if these symptoms arise following an accident. Some of these symptoms may appear days to weeks after the injury. 

Forbes explains that experts are not wrong about the dangers of electric scooters. Up until recently, there was not enough information to create studies or back research, but now there is, and it shows these scooters are capable of causing serious injuries to riders.

Most of the injuries were fall-related. This is often due to rider error or inexperience. However, when renting a scooter, there is really no requirement other than that you can pay for the rental. You are often sent on your way with only the basic instructions about operation. Of course, this would lead to injuries and accidents.

Some of the more severe injuries include broken bones and head trauma. It is not uncommon to hear about electric scooter accidents with vehicles.

One of the reasons why accidents result in such severe injuries is that riders do not wear proper safety gear. In many accidents, riders are not wearing helmets.

It seems the combination of lack of knowledge and lack of safety gear is really leading to people getting seriously hurt by electric scooters. If you want to ride one, you should always ask for help learning how to properly operate it and always wear the provided safety gear to minimize your chances of a severe injury. This information is for education and is not legal advice.

We know children get hurt – it’s just something that is going to happen. They’re exploring, pushing their boundaries, getting used to their bodies. There will be stumbles and bumps and scrapes – and, of course, there will be crying. When an accident is more than just a boo-boo, it is normal to start wondering if you made the right choice. Much of protecting your child at daycare comes from your first choice of where to send them.

Before committing to a location, you should visit the center on multiple occasions both on tours and while there are children present. You want to see firsthand how the daycare runs. While you’re there, keep an eye out for industry credentials, get in touch with the other parents for their opinions. When you get back home, seek out third-party references.

Taking all these precautions will help soothe your worries, but if your child was injured and you suspect negligence was the cause, there are a few things to consider. Was there supervision during the accident? Were there damaged toys, or unsecured materials such as bottle warmers and food? Your initial research should go a long way to clue you in to the level of safety the daycare exhibits, but situations can change.

If you suspect that your daycare may have neglected your child, seek out the police or the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline (1-800422-4453). If you need legal advice, contact us at 202-296-0666 for legal consultation.