Dismemberment Injury
A dismemberment injury is almost the same as an amputation injury; click
here to learn about
amputation injuries.
I suggest that there’s a difference between an amputation and a
dismemberment injury. Dismemberment injury or loss of a body part is probably
the nastiest, ugliest, most dreadful injury that can be suffered in an accident.
I understand an
amputation to involve a surgical procedure, usually to remove an irreparably damaged
limb. I see dismemberment as a traumatic-type amputation from an accident,
where, in some cases, surgeons try to re-attach the dismembered body part.
I don’t think this distinction is critical for this article, or
even that many attorneys would agree with my definitions, but this is
my point of view on dismemberment injury versus amputation.
Historically, dismemberment was form of capital punishment. Criminals
might be “drawn and quartered” by having each arm and leg
tied to a horse, and sending each of the four horses in a different direction.
Prisoners might be tortured on the “rack,” which spread arms
and legs until they separated from the body. In modern times, dismemberment
can occur as a result of a serious accident, or might be practiced by
murderers, most recently and infamously by serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer,
who was also a cannibal.
Amputations are an ancient form of medical care. When soldiers were wounded
in warfare, arms or legs could quickly become infected, threatening gangrene
which could spread and cause fatal blood poisoning. In the absence of
medical techniques and knowledge to clean and disinfect open wounds, ancient
surgeons would have no choice but to remover the limbs of the wounded.
For example, in the American Civil War, more than 50,000 soldiers underwent
life saving amputations.
In modern times, with current technologies of wound care, when amputation
does occur, it is usually related to
workplace accidents; serious
car, truck or
motorcycle accidents; or
medical mistakes that require surgery and the
amputation of a damaged limb or extremity.
For your serious personal injury, you need legal representation from a
qualified Queens County personal injury attorney.
Contact us for your free consultation.
Gary E. Rosenberg, P.C.
(718) 520-8787
Serving: New York City, including the Boroughs of Queens, Manhattan, Staten
Island, and Bronx.