Amputation Claims Solicitors
Making an Amputation Compensation Claim
Osbornes’ amputation claim lawyers have many years of experience helping accident victims with limb loss to rebuild their lives after an accident on the roads, at work or in a public place.
How can our amputation solicitors help?
Limb loss or amputation following a road or work accident can be a devastating experience and will often have profound life-long consequences. These are among the most complex and challenging serious injury cases and are best dealt with by specialist lawyers who understand limb loss rehabilitation and cutting edge prosthetics and who work with the leading medical experts in the field.
Several of Osbornes’ serious injury lawyers specialise in amputation claim cases. Partner Robert Aylott and associate Kate Milton lead in this area.
Advocates for amputee rights
We’re a proud legal panel member of the Limbless Association, a leading national charity devoted to supporting and empowering amputees. We have seen at first hand the work they do through their volunteer mentoring schemes and monthly support and connect hubs, and the difference they make to people’s lives.
We share their belief in getting early intervention and the best care and support following an amputation.
Leading amputation lawyers
Our amputee clients usually come to us soon after the event, when they are dealing with the trauma of the accident and a life-changing injury. Our job will initially involve investigating the client’s rehabilitation needs, with the help of a specialist case manager and neurorehabilitation and prosthetics experts, to put in place a rehabilitation package, funded where possible by the third-party insurer.
That package will usually be multi-disciplinary, with input from physiotherapists and occupational therapists, prosthetists and orthotists, and usually psychologists, psychiatrists and pain management physicians.
Sometimes the extent of an existing client’s injuries are such that they later elect for surgical amputation, and in those cases, we may be able to assist by bringing that process within the ongoing rehabilitation plan to secure access to the necessary funding and pre and post-surgery support.
Alongside a rehabilitation package, we will engage some of the leading medico-legal experts to establish the long-term prognosis and build an evidence base to claim future needs and losses.
Ultimately the objective of the legal claim is to compensate the injured person: to put them back in the position they would have been before the accident, so far as money can do so. In the case of amputees, that may mean securing funding for advanced osseointegration surgery or myoelectric prosthetics, custom-built cosmetic and sports limbs, assistive technology, future care and case management, medical treatments and therapies.
We’ve helped those who have become amputees following:
- An accident at work
- Accident on a construction site
- Accidents involving heaving machinery
- Road traffic accidents
- Cycling accidents
We know that the impact of your injury and the needs of you and your family will change over time. With this in mind, it is the aim of our lawyers to ensure you receive continuous support for your long term future. This future may mean not being able to return to a job you previously enjoyed. Your lawyer will take this into account when negotiating the financial aspect of your package.
If you have lost a limb due to someone else’s negligence, then you may be able to make a compensation claim. Find out how our team can help you after a loss of a limb.
Amputation Claims FAQs
What are the different types of amputation claims?
Traumatic amputation
Traumatic amputations occur either as a direct result of trauma, such as loss of a finger while operating machinery or following an injury that is so severe that the limb cannot be saved and must be removed, such as in a serious crushing wound. Road traffic accidents, malfunctioning machinery and inadequate health and safety at work are all common causes of traumatic amputation.
How is compensation assessed in amputation cases?
The same principles apply in amputation cases as in other personal injury cases: it is the job of the claimant and his/her lawyers to prove the value of what they have lost and what they need.
Because compensation for amputations is assessed on an individual basis the amount of the settlement can differ widely from one claimant to another, so a high earner who can no longer work because of amputation will have a large future loss of earnings claim. A sporty young amputee will have a substantial claim for the cost of custom-built sport and leisure prostheses.
Because of the need for expensive and life-long equipment, adaptations and support, amputation cases can attract multi-million-pound settlements, but the reality is that the amount of money is calculated and contested to the last pound, and no amputee would prefer to have the money than the lost limb.
Early Rehabilitation
Our focus for all our clients is to seek rehabilitation at the earliest opportunity. We will provide access to free Independent Needs Assessments, by agreement, under the Rehabilitation Code & Serious Injury Guide; seeking early interim payments where possible to fund the rehabilitation required.
What are the long-term complications of amputation
Following an amputation, a major life adjustment is required. In addition to learning to live with limb loss, there is a myriad of side effects that can affect an amputee. Every one of these side effects will impact negatively on the quality of life. If you or someone you know has lost a limb due to amputation, you may recognise some of these symptoms.
Chronic pain: This is very common and can contribute significantly to any disability. People who have lost limbs describe different forms of long-term pain including:
- Phantom limb pain – a very common symptom in which pain is perceived where the missing limb used to be. Phantom pain is more likely to occur following traumatic amputation than medical amputation.
- Residual limb pain- this is also very common and is pain that originates from the remaining part of the amputated limb. Residual pain can arise from many different causes, including infection of the wound and a prosthesis that is poorly fitted.
Loss of function: Depending on the site of the limb loss, loss of function can be severe. Many different factors can affect the recovery of function, including soft tissue and muscle coverage, surgical technique and prosthetic technology. Loss of function will have a direct impact on work options and the ability to return to employment.
What are prosthetics and orthotics?
A prosthesis is an artificial device designed to replace a missing body part and restore function. The need for a prosthesis can arise through disease, such as diabetes, congenital birth disorders or from trauma.
There is a broad range of body parts for which a prosthesis can be made. In the personal injury field the most common prostheses are made to replace upper or lower limbs. These devices should be custom built for the individual, depending on their level of amputation and functional needs.
An orthosis is also a custom-made device designed to restore function but it sits alongside a body part rather than replaces it. Orthotics can help maintain stability and enhance function in a residual limb after amputation surgery.
Modern prosthetics are of lightweight construction made from titanium, plastics and composites.
Can a severed limb be reattached?
In severe injury cases, a body part can be cut or crushed so it is mostly or completely detached from the body. In some cases, where the finger, arm or toe has been retained intact and specialist emergency treatment is available, it can be surgically reattached to the body. This is called surgical replantation.
Replantation is complex reconstruction surgery and involves repairing vessels, nerves, connective and soft tissues. It is better suited to clean-cut amputations than crush injuries.
Outcomes are variable and if better function results than would be possible with a prosthesis then the operation will be considered successful. Limb shortening is a risk and loss of feeling and function and pain can persist.
Our amputation solicitors have experience in these cases: in helping to support the injured person through the long period of rehabilitation and in building a case to claim for the lifetime losses and needs arising.
What does amputation level mean?
Treating surgeons will determine the level at which to operate to amputate the remaining body part after trauma to save as much of the damaged limb or digit as possible. They may consult a prosthetist about the amputation level to ensure the best prosthetic fitting.
Upper limb amputations can be made through the wrist, elbow or shoulder (joint disarticulations) or through the long bones (trans-humeral or trans-radial). For the hand, amputation can be at several different levels depending on the damage, from the distal phalanges at the fingertips to the metacarpal bones.
Amputation level in the lower limbs is similarly located at the joints or long bones, with disarticulation surgery at the hip, knee or ankle and transfemoral and transtibial amputations through the thigh and shin bones respectively. A trans-femoral amputation is more commonly known as ‘Above the Knee’ (AK) and a transtibial amputation is called a ‘Below the Knee (BK) amputation.
In the foot, amputation can be a disarticulation at any of the joints of the toes or in the mid- foot (trans-metatarsal, Lisfranc or Chopart).
What are myoelectrics?
Myoelectric prosthetics is an advanced system of upper limb prosthetics that uses electrical signals from the muscles in the residual limb to control movement in the attached artificial limb. The user is trained to use specific muscles so as to activate sensors in the prosthesis which in turn activates motion commands via an electric motor.
The technology is fast moving in this area and new developments increasingly mimic the dexterity and versatility of the human hand and arm.
Can my artificial limb be made to look like my old one?
Yes. Specialist prosthetics clinics can custom build a silicone prosthesis or cover that looks natural, matching skin tone, hair and freckles. We had a case recently where our client had an arm cosmesis made to match his existing tattoos.
Are prosthetics available for finger amputations?
Yes. We deal with a lot of finger amputation cases for workers in construction, industry and agriculture, where accidents with machine and hand-held cutting tools are common. Traumatic amputation of one or more fingers will compromise dexterity, grip strength and fine motor skills and may involve ongoing nerve pain, sensitivity and unsightly scarring.
A life-like silicon prosthesis can be made to cover the finger stump, even for a fingertip amputation. It will not significantly regain movement or function but will greatly improve appearance and often help with the psychological effect of the injury.
What is osseointegration?
Osseointegration is a surgical technique by which an artificial implant is inserted directly into bone and the bone grows around the implant surface integrating it permanently into the bony structure.
Long established in the fields of dental implantation and joint replacement surgery, osseointegration has now been adapted to limb replacement surgery for amputee patients as an alternative to a socket.
This procedure connects an upper or lower limb titanium prosthesis directly to the bone of the residual limb, forming a strong and permanent connection between the two.
Osseointegration can be used in cases of trans-femoral, trans-tibial, trans-humeral and trans-radial amputation. It removes the problems of ill-fitting and painful sockets and offers the benefits of improved mobility and control.
Our amputation lawyers have recent experience of organising private provision for this advanced amputation reconstruction surgery in our amputation cases.
Client StoriesVIEW ALL
- 18.1.2023
Pedestrian receives £1.75 million following amputation
Kate Milton, acted on behalf of a Romanian National who was hit by a speeding vehicle as she was walking...
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Significant lump sum for below the knee amputation
Mr N, a Romanian man in his 30s, came to the UK to work with his father-in-law in early 2018. He...
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Seven figure leg amputation settlement
Mr S was walking across the yard at work when he was run over by a forklift truck from behind....
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Limb amputation to pedestrian awarded £1.8million
Our client suffered life-changing injuries as she was walking home from work. A speeding driver lost control of his vehicle...
Read more - 23.6.2021
Osbornes Helps Client Following Amputation at Work
Mr C a young Romanian national, came to this country for work in 2015. He soon found work as a cleaner...
Read more - 17.6.2021
Life changing injuries following motorbike accident
Our client, who is from Hungary was riding his motorbike in London when a lorry turned across a junction and...
Read more - 13.8.2019
Osbornes settles finger amputation claim for record £1 million...
Osbornes acts for a factory worker who suffered partial finger amputations on his dominant hand when it got caught in...
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Personal Injury SolicitorsSam Collard
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Personal Injury SolicitorsSophie Davies
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Personal Injury SolicitorsNicola Hall
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