Anyone involved in a serious traumatic accident can sustain life-changing injuries. This could involve workers dealing with heavy machinery, car accident victims, or those caught in a natural disaster event.
If you have suffered crush injuries, you may be able to seek legal relief. The personal injury lawyers at Kidwell & Gallagher would like to discuss the severity of crush injuries and when you may be entitled to damages.
An estimated 125,000 workers suffer from crush injuries each year. Often these workers were caught between two objects or got entangled with machinery.
A crush injury occurs when pressure or force is exerted upon a body part. Injury results when the body part is squeezed between two objects.
Crush injuries cause constant pressure on muscles and vital organs. Prolonged pressure can cause decreased blood flow to the area.
A pedestrian who is struck by a motor vehicle can suffer a crush injury. The pedestrian may have his or her leg pinned under the car following the accident, resulting in impeded blood flow.
Injuries from a crush injury range based on the severity of the incident. While some crush injuries may appear minor, all injuries require medical attention.
Common types of crush injuries include:
A person who has sustained crush injuries may experience damage to their peripheral nervous system. The damage to these nerves can affect the brain’s ability to communicate with muscles and internal organs.
Peripheral nerve injuries can result from a cut or tear (laceration), compression, crush, or stretching of the nerve tissue.
The peripheral nervous system controls communication between the brain and spinal cord to the entire body. Traumatic nerve damage can affect motor function, movement, and sensation.
Any type of traumatic injury can cause bleeding or swelling, which places pressure on nerves and muscles, which can result in compartment syndrome.
If the pressure gets too high, then the area will be deprived of oxygen-rich blood and nutrients. Crush injuries that are left untreated can result in limb amputation.
Acute renal failure is a rare complication of crush syndrome, but deadly. Due to damaged muscles releasing toxins into the body, the kidneys can begin to fail. Acute renal failure must be treated immediately in order to save the patient’s life.
In any personal injury case, an injured party may seek compensation for their hardships, known as damages.
In a crush injury, the victim may be entitled to damages if they can prove that the accident was caused by another’s negligence or oversight.
You may be eligible to receive compensation for both economic and/or noneconomic losses.
Economic losses are any losses that have a specific worth assigned to them, such as:
Alternatively, noneconomic losses include any losses that affect a person’s mental or emotional well-being, but do not have an intrinsic monetary value, such as:
In reviewing your case, a Reno work injury lawyer will be able to determine which damages you should seek in court.
Anyone who has been injured in an accident knows that it is a long road to recovery. If you have sustained crush injuries in an incident caused by another’s negligence, we want to hear from you. Contact Kidwell & Gallagher today to schedule your free consultation.
Craig W. Kidwell is the managing partner of Kidwell & Gallagher, Ltd., and exclusively represents injured workers in Nevada. Mr. Kidwell has been practicing workers’ compensation law in Nevada since 1999 and has acted as lead counsel on over 2,000 contested workers’ compensation claims. Mr. Kidwell represents injured workers in Nevada through all stages of Nevada’s complex worker’s compensation system. Craig regularly appears in all levels of Nevada’s administrative workers’ compensation system and has represented injured workers in Nevada’s districts and Supreme Court.