HOUSTON AMPUTATION LAWYER

The out-of-pocket cost for amputation medical treatment without health insurance generally ranges somewhere between $20,000 to $60,000. The extremity being amputated, as well as the surgeon’s fee and the specific location, all factor into the total amount.

Facility fees, anesthesia costs, and medical supplies also play a part. However, this estimate does not include aftercare expenses, such as prosthetics and physical therapy, which can add tens of thousands of dollars to the total cost.

For those with health insurance, their provider generally covers most of the cost of an amputation. However, patients may still need to contribute a copay, which can be about ten or twenty percent of the total cost.

Can You Sue for Amputations?

Losing limbs through accidental amputations not only impacts people physically; it also has a dramatic impact on their mental and emotional well-being. These are all things that must be considered when assessing how much an amputee may receive in compensation. Amputations are also a form of incapacitating injury, which means that they will impair victims after they have fully healed.

Compensation for an amputation claim should be enough to cover every expense and loss the victim experienced due to their injury.

Economic Damages for Accidental Amputation

The amount should cover the entirety of economic costs, such as:

• Medical bills and expenses
• Emergency care, surgery, ongoing treatment
• Physical therapy
• Prosthetics
• Medication
• Medical supplies and assistive devices
• Wheelchairs, crutches, etc.
• Lost income
• Loss of future earnings and working capacity
• Assisted care expenses

Non-Economic Damages for Accidental Amputation

In addition, the compensation an amputee receives should also cover all noneconomic costs.

These include but may not be limited to:

• Pain and suffering
• Emotional trauma
• Emotional distress
• Loss of enjoyment of life
• Physical impairment
• Disability or disfigurement

With all of these expenses and losses in mind, a leg amputation case can sometimes exceed over $1,000,000 in compensation. Of course, each case depends on the specific details surrounding the accident and the skill of your Houston personal injury attorney.

Does Losing Your Limb Shorten Your Life?

Several adverse effects come along with the amputation of an extremity.

The adverse effects associated with an accidental amputation include but aren’t limited to:

• Loss of mobility
• Phantom limb pain
• Muscle contractures
• Deep vein thrombosis
• Risk of infection
• Fatigue or exhaustion
• Body image issues
• Mental health issues
• Fatigue and exhaustion
• Overexertion of other extremities
• Social isolation

While the loss of the limb itself might not shorten your lifespan directly, some of the side effects of an amputated limb (especially for a major lower extremity amputation) might negatively impact a person’s life expectancy.

The altered cardiorespiratory function that a person experiences following a major limb loss can also contribute to increased mortality. This is especially so for older and/or inactive patients.

To maintain or improve the life expectancy before limb amputation, patients should do their best to maintain an active, healthy lifestyle.

What Can I Claim as an Amputee?

Aside from legal compensation for their catastrophic injury, amputees may also be eligible for certain benefits, like disability benefits. For someone to obtain Social Security disability benefits in a general sense, they must be considered totally and permanently disabled and prove that their disability prevents them from working or living independently.

This means the individual possesses a serious medical disorder that prevents them from performing everyday tasks such as working, bathing, cooking, dressing, or cleaning. The disability or disorder must be expected to last over a year or inevitably end in death for the individual.

Amputations, of course, last much longer than a year. The permanency of the injury is not an issue. It is the severity of the injury that determines whether the person qualifies for these benefits.

According to the Social Security Blue Book, amputees can qualify for disability benefits if they meet any of these criteria:

• Amputation of both hands
• One or both lower extremities amputated at or above the ankle with complications that prevent the use of prosthetics
• One hand and one lower extremity at or above the ankle, with an inability to walk or move effectively
• Hemipelvectomy or hip disarticulation

If you meet any of the above criteria, you may be eligible to qualify for Social Security disability benefits.

Victims of traumatic amputation injuries may also qualify for benefits under the National Limb Loss Resource Center. The Center offers programs, services, and publications intended to improve patient care, raise awareness and understanding about limb loss, and enhance the patient’s overall quality of life.

What Is the Statute of Limitations for Amputation Claims in Texas?

Under personal injury law, amputation injury victims have two years from the date of their injury to file personal injury claims against the negligent parties. Because you only have a limited time to file, it is in your best interest to contact our amputation injury lawyers. We will ensure that you file your claim on time, as well as guide you through every step of the claims process.

Why Do You Need a Houston Amputation Lawyer?

You’re entitled to compensation as well as medical care and treatment that is required after any catastrophic injury. This is especially true for victims of accidental and traumatic amputations. Unfortunately, insurance companies are often more interested in protecting their profits than compensating amputees with hefty settlements.

In addition, entities and corporations whose negligent actions resulted in a person’s amputation will not hesitate to protect the interests of shareholders at the expense of hard-working employees or people whom their products have injured. This is why it is so important that a person who has experienced a traumatic accident such as this has a legal representative on their side. Your amputation lawyer will fight back against the entities who will no doubt attempt to pay you significantly less than you deserve.

Experienced Houston Amputation Lawyers

The attorneys at Reich & Binstock have the resources and knowledge to help their clients acquire the compensation they deserve for their catastrophic injury in Houston. The recovery of compensation for the traumatic amputation of a leg, arm, foot, or hand certainly cannot eliminate the physical and emotional pain this injury has caused. However, it can assist the victim and their family in their journey to recovery and potentially make navigating this new lifestyle a little bit easier for them.

If you experienced a traumatic accidental amputation, contact the Houston amputation attorneys at Reich & Binstock as soon as possible. Please call us at 713-622-7271 or schedule your free consultation online.