Vehicle rollover accidents are among the most dangerous types of crashes. When a vehicle flips over, occupants can be violently tossed around or even ejected from the vehicle. This can lead to severe crush injuries, especially to the arms and legs. If the damage is severe enough, it may require amputation of the limb.
Amputation is a life-changing injury that can have significant long-term effects. Medical costs, prosthetic devices, and rehabilitation can be extremely expensive. That’s why it’s critical for victims to understand their legal rights and options for pursuing compensation after a rollover accident that resulted in an amputation.
Common Causes of Rollovers That Lead to Crush Injuries
Rollovers are complex crashes that can be caused by a variety of factors. Some of the most common causes include:
Tripping Mechanisms
The tires of the vehicle drop off the roadway and get stuck in soft soil or hit an obstruction like a curb. This causes the vehicle to trip and start rolling over.
Loss of Control
Factors like speeding, oversteering, understeering, or hydroplaning on wet roads can lead to a driver losing control of the vehicle and causing a rollover. This is especially common with top-heavy vehicles like SUVs and trucks.
Avoidance Maneuvers
A driver makes an abrupt turn or lane change to avoid another vehicle or object in the road. The sudden maneuver causes the vehicle to tip and roll.
Contact with Another Vehicle
Collisions with other vehicles, especially sideswipe crashes or getting hit while changing lanes, can transfer enough force to push the vehicle off balance and cause it to roll over.
No matter what initiates the rollover sequence, crushed limbs frequently occur when the occupant’s arms or legs make contact with the ground or are slammed against the interior of the rolling vehicle.
The Severity of Crush Injuries in Rollovers
During a rollover, the violent forces put extreme pressure on the limbs, far beyond what the human body can withstand. Some common crush injuries in rollovers include:
- Fractures – Broken, shattered, or fragmented bones in the arms or legs.
- Dislocations – Severe stretching and tearing of tendons and ligaments around joints like the shoulder, elbow, knee, or ankle.
- Compartment Syndrome – Pressure buildup in a muscle compartment that cuts off blood flow and damages muscles and nerves.
- Degloving Injuries – Severing or avulsion of the skin and soft tissue from the underlying bone.
- Vascular Damage – Crushed, severed, or ruptured blood vessels. This causes extensive bleeding and loss of blood supply to the distal portion of the limb.
- Nerve Damage – Stretching, compression, or complete severing of major nerves in the arms and legs. This leads to paralysis and loss of function.
- Tissue Necrosis – The crushed tissue dies off due to lack of blood circulation.
Any of these injuries alone could be devastating. But in the most serious rollover crashes, victims often sustain extensive, combined trauma to the limb. This level of irreparable damage will require amputation of the crushed arm or leg.
Amputation Procedures After Rollover Limb Crush Injuries
The severity of the limb damage will dictate how much of the arm or leg needs amputation. Some common procedures include:
- Transradial Amputation – Amputation through the forearm, below the elbow.
- Transhumeral Amputation – Amputation through the upper arm, above the elbow.
- Transtibial Amputation – Amputation through the lower leg, below the knee.
- Transfemoral Amputation – Amputation through the thigh, above the knee.
- Hip Disarticulation – Amputation through the hip joint itself.
- Shoulder Disarticulation – Amputation through the shoulder joint.
Higher level and bilateral amputations that remove limbs from both sides of the body have greater impacts on mobility and independence.
Following the amputation surgery, the victim will need extensive medical care and rehabilitation. This includes wound care, fitting prosthetics, and physical and occupational therapy to regain function. Many victims describe the emotional and psychological impacts of losing a limb as equally challenging.
Why Pursuing an Injury Claim is Important After an Amputation
The costs of amputation treatment and recovery can easily reach hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars over a lifetime. That’s why it’s critical for injury victims to understand their legal rights and pursue compensation from any liable parties.
Potential sources of compensation after a rollover amputation injury include:
- Auto liability insurance – Policies like bodily injury liability cover damages the at-fault driver must pay. This is the main source of compensation in most cases.
- Underinsured/uninsured motorist coverage – If the at-fault driver lacked sufficient insurance, the victim’s own policy provides added compensation.
- Product liability claims – If there was a defective vehicle part that caused the rollover, the manufacturer may share liability.
- Government liability – Poor road design, lack of signs, or other government negligence may be a factor.
- Employer liability – The crash may have occurred in a company vehicle due to negligence.
Pursuing rightful compensation is the best way amputation victims can gain the resources needed to recover and meet the costs and challenges that lie ahead. An experienced Virginia injury attorney can determine all available sources of compensation and fight to maximize your recovery.
Statute of Limitations for Amputation Injury Claims in Virginia
It’s important to act promptly when seeking compensation. Virginia sets a two year statute of limitations for personal injury claims. This means you have two years from the date of the accident to file a claim against the at-fault parties.
Failing to take legal action within this limited window can lead to your claim being barred permanently. An attorney can protect your rights by initiating the claims process, preserving evidence, calculating damages, and meeting all deadlines.
You Don’t Have to Face Amputation Injury Devastation Alone
The experienced Virginia amputation injury lawyers at Monge & Associates are here to help car and truck accident victims and their families through these challenging times. We will fight passionately to help you recover maximum compensation so you can pay for top-quality medical care, rehabilitation, prosthetics, home accessibility modifications, and more.
To learn more about how we can assist with your injury claim following an amputation-causing rollover crash in Virginia, contact our offices today on (888) 477-0597 for a free consultation.
We have 32 offices in 19 states, including Virginia, Arizona, and Alabama, and will take immediate action to protect your rights and maximize your deserved compensation.