Oregon Amputation Medical Malpractice Lawyers - Bend/Portland, OR

One of the most traumatizing personal injuries that could be caused by Oregon medical malpractice is an amputation.  This is because the loss of a limb comes with very real and serious physical limitations which may affect a person’s daily activities, career, and ability to function independently.  But the loss of a limb also carries with it very serious and devastating emotional and physiological injuries, including extreme anxiety, grieve, fear, and pain associated with the phantom limb (known as “phantom pain syndrome”).  When a patient has lost a limb due to careless, reckless, or negligent medical care, patients should call our Oregon amputation medical malpractice lawyers to learn how we can help them.

Victims of wrongful amputations or unnecessary amputations may be entitled to damages.  In Oregon personal injury actions, damages are typically compensatory in nature.  This means that victims may be entitled to monetary compensation for several different type of damages, including the following:

• Past pain and suffering (date of injury to date of award or settlement);
• Future pain and suffering (date of award or settlement to date of life expectancy death);
• Medical bills;
• Medications;
• Physical therapy;
• Occupational therapy;
• Lost wages;
• Lost future earnings (having to take a new job that now pays less than the prior job);
• Medical equipment or mobility assistance products, including walkers, elevators, ramps, vehicle modifications, and other devices;
• Psychological therapy, including for phantom limb syndrome; 
• Future surgeries;
• Preventative care; and
• Many other damages.

Why Unnecessary Amputations Occur Due to Oregon Medical Malpractice

Besides a traumatic brain injury or wrongful death, an amputation is the most serious, debilitating, and impactful injury that a personal injury victim could sustain.  There are many common reasons why unnecessary amputations occur due to Oregon medical malpractice.  Unfortunately, most of these reasons are due to preventable medical errors and mistakes by healthcare providers who have made poor and decisively dangerous, egregious, and life-changing medical errors.

Some of the most common reasons for amputations due to Oregon medical malpractice include the following:

• Wrong patient surgeries (performing an unnecessary procedure on a patient due to mixing up patients or their charts);
• Untreated or delayed sepsis treatment which could cause limb extremities to be removed;
• Failure to treat an infection on a limb which results in loss of the limb;
• Improper positioning during a long surgery, such as folding the leg or arm over itself to result in a decrease in blood flow;
• Damage to vital blood vessels in the arms or legs during a procedure;
• Attempting to repair a damaged limb and causing more damage or the loss of the limb;
• Hospital acquired infections which are commonly antibiotic resistant;
• Improperly triaging a patient in the emergency department, including crushing injuries;
• Delaying in treating patients with crushing injuries or extreme bleeding injuries;
• Negligent or improper use of a tourniquet; and
• Many other common causes.

Costs of Oregon Amputation Medical Malpractice

A person who loses a limb has suffered an irreversible and permanent injury to his or her body.  This means that the person’s life is going to change due to the fact that he or she will need to learn to adapt and modify normal daily activities to overcome the loss of a limb.  This is usually different in any loss of a lower extremity because ambulating is incredibly important.  It could also affect how a person sits down, gets out of bed, and operates a motor vehicles.

When the loss of an upper extremity is the person’s dominate arm, there could be a myriad of complication which occur.  A person may need to completely re-learn how to do nearly everything in his or her life.  Upper extremity losses also result in hardships for daily and customary activities such as grocery shopping, housework and yard work, caring for others, caring for oneself, and for work.

Due to the severe disability that any amputation causes, a person is likely to extreme a prolonged period of readjustment.  Physical therapy and occupational therapy are commonly needed to help a person cope with the loss of a limb.  A person may also be forced to take a different career path because of the loss of a limb which prevents or unreasonably slows the person’s ability to work in the same field.

Thus, the costs of an amputation are always great and life-changing.  It is imperative that all patients who have lost a limb due to medical errors and mistakes should call our Oregon amputation medical malpractice lawyers.

Bend/Portland, Oregon Amputation Medical Malpractice Lawyers

If you or a loved one have been seriously injured or killed as a result of medical malpractice contact the Oregon Medical Malpractice Lawyers at Kuhlman Law at our number below or fill out the intake form.  We offer a free initial case evaluation and handle cases on a contingency fee which means that you pay no money unless we recover.  

We handle cases throughout the state including Bend and Portland Oregon, Redmond, Central Oregon, Multnomah County, Deschutes County, Salem, Eugene, Corvallis, Lane County, Medford, Gresham, Albany, Medford, Beaverton, Umatilla, Pendleton, and Hillsboro.  

We also have an office in Minneapolis, Minnesota and take medical malpractice cases throughout the Twin Cities, including St. Paul, Hennepin County, Ramsey County, Dakota County, Washington County, Anoka County, Scott County, Blaine, Stillwater, and Saint Paul Minnesota.  

Please act quickly, there is a limited time (Statute of Limitations) in which you can bring a claim under the law.