According to a 2014 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2012, there were over 29 million, 9.3%, people in the United States with diabetes; 1 in 4 does not know that they have the condition. Of the 29+ million, 21.0 million were diagnosed while 8.1 million were undiagnosed. 1.7 million people over the age of 20 were newly diagnosed with diabetes (this was in 2012).
According to a 2014 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2012, there were over 29 million, 9.3%, people in the United States with diabetes; 1 in 4 does not know that they have the condition. Of the 29+ million, 21.0 million were diagnosed while 8.1 million were undiagnosed. 1.7 million people over the age of 20 were newly diagnosed with diabetes (this was in 2012).
Countless diabetes patients undergo unnecessary forced medical amputations of their feet and toes every year as a result of a medical misdiagnosis of severe infections. In 2010, there were approximately 73,000 non-traumatic lower-limb amputations performed in adults over the age of 20 with diagnosed diabetes. Roughly 60% of non-traumatic lower-limb amputations are performed among people over the age of 20 with diagnosed diabetes.
Wrong Amputation
A growing concern among patients in hospitals across the United States is amputation of the wrong limb, including fingers, arms and legs. Despite scientific advancements and modern technology, wrongful amputations unfortunately do occur. Thousands of people suffer from wrong amputation every year.
When a hospital, doctor or any medical professional makes a medical error and amputates the wrong limb or does not administer proper care, they will be held liable for the injuries you sustain. Negligence is a term that refers to a substandard level of care. Therefore, if your leg, hand, finger, or any other limb was accidentally or improperly amputated, you can file a claim for negligence.
There are four necessary elements in negligence, including:
- Duty: Duty is owed to the patient by any hospital or doctor.
- Breach: When the requisite or necessary standard of care is diminished or reduced, that duty is breached.
- Causation: This is an evaluation of what the cause of the amputation was. For example, if the cause was the doctor, then causation is established.
- Damages: Damages is the assessment of the value of the injury.
It is necessary for every one of these elements to be proven in order to substantiate a cause of action for negligence.
Compensation
There are high levels of future medical care costs in wrongful amputation cases. This includes medical costs, trauma, emotional damage, loss of future income and other services. If the wrong limb was amputated, it is likely that you are now left without both limbs, meaning that you are without both the healthy and damaged limb.
The value of your wrongful amputation case involves many factors – medical bills, future medical costs, loss of earnings, both present and future, inability to gain employment due to the amputation, pain and suffering, and much more. An experienced medical malpractice attorney can help determine the value of your case and obtain fair compensation for your injuries as well as other damages.
We Fight for those Tragic Cases
If you or a loved one has been harmed due to amputation of the wrong limb, you should immediately hire the services of the skilled and experienced medical malpractice attorneys at Rosenberg, Minc, Falloff, & Wolff of RMFW Law at 212-344-1000.
We inflict pain in the legal world. We fight for our clients. We make sure our client’s voices resonate. Give us a call. We know how to win cases. We want to hear about your case.
