Charleston Amputation From Truck Accidents Lawyer

Large trucks can weigh up to 80,000 pounds which significantly affects their ability to slow down or avoid a crash or accident. When large trucks collide with passenger cars, the devastating crash can cause the loss of limbs. Limb loss in accidents is typically caused by trauma from the initial impact. The damage to limbs could be so great that medical treatment is not a viable option, and amputation becomes necessary.

Amputations from collisions cause about 45 percent of the nation’s amputations each year, the Amputee Coalition reports. Currently, about 2 million Americans live with the loss of limbs, while 28 million face various threats of amputation.

Aside from traumatic injury, another common cause of amputations after a truck accident in South Carolina is infection. Infection is particularly dangerous following vehicle collisions that result in serious injuries. An infection in a relatively isolated part of the body could spread and require limb amputation to prevent loss of life.

Loss of limbs from a truck accident costs more than $500,000 over a lifetime, John Hopkins Center for Injury Research and policy reports. Ongoing medical costs often include multiple hospitalizations for follow-up surgeries and treatments, prosthetic devices and rehabilitation services. Those costs generally are for the loss of a single limb. When colliding with a truck, it is very possible to suffer multiple losses of limbs, which greatly complicates treatments and significantly increases costs over time.

Loss of limbs during vehicular accidents also creates other issues for which legal compensation often is sought. Those complications include extreme pain and suffering, severe emotional distress, and loss of income over a survivor’s remaining lifetime. Those amounts could easily exceed $1 million.

Such costs often run very high, and insurance companies generally will encourage accident victims to settle for much less than they should receive to indemnify their losses. Experienced legal help can prevent insurers from taking advantage of accident victims and help to ensure proper compensation is paid.