Founding Partner
One moment you’re driving to work, and the next you’re waking up in a hospital bed, trying to process the words the surgeon is saying, your leg couldn’t be saved. The road ahead feels impossible. Learning to walk again, facing months of rehabilitation, and wondering how you’ll support your family. If a negligent driver, unsafe workplace, or defective product caused your amputation, you have legal options. A Maryland personal injury attorney at McGowan & Cecil can help you calculate lifetime damages and fight for the full compensation you deserve.
Causes of Traumatic Amputation
Traumatic amputations result from severe accidents that damage limbs beyond saving. According to the Amputee Coalition, trauma accounts for approximately 45% of all amputations in the United States. Motor vehicle accidents are among the leading causes, where the force of collisions can crush or sever extremities. Motorcyclists and bicyclists face particularly high risks due to their exposure.
Workplace accidents in manufacturing, construction, and agriculture also cause significant amputation injuries. Heavy machinery, power tools, and industrial equipment can cause immediate traumatic loss of limbs or injuries so severe that surgical amputation becomes necessary. Medical malpractice, including failure to diagnose infections or blood clots, sometimes leads to preventable amputations.
Immediate and Long-Term Medical Needs
Amputation injuries require extensive medical care that begins with emergency surgery and continues for life. Initial treatment includes wound care, infection prevention, and managing complications. Phantom limb pain affects many amputees, requiring ongoing pain management.
Physical therapy and occupational therapy help you adapt to your new circumstances. Learning to use prosthetics takes months of intensive training. Psychological counseling addresses the emotional trauma of losing a limb, which affects mental health long after physical healing.
Prosthetic Costs and Lifetime Needs
Prosthetic devices represent a significant ongoing expense. A prosthetic leg costs $3,000 for basic models to over $70,000, depending on technology and function, and prosthetic arms are similarly expensive. These devices require regular maintenance and eventual replacement every three to five years.
Over a lifetime, prosthetic costs alone can exceed one million dollars. Advanced prosthetics with computerized joints, myoelectric controls, or specialized designs for specific activities cost considerably more. Your claim must account for these ongoing expenses across your remaining life expectancy.
Calculating Amputation Damages
Amputation claims require careful calculation of lifetime damages. Economic damages include all medical expenses past and future, prosthetics and mobility aids, home and vehicle modifications, lost wages during recovery, and reduced earning capacity if you cannot return to your previous work.
Non-economic damages compensate for pain and suffering, emotional distress, loss of enjoyment of life, and the profound impact amputation has on your daily activities and relationships. Maryland caps non-economic damages at $965,000 as of October 2025, increasing by $15,000 annually.
Maryland’s Contributory Negligence Rule
Maryland follows the pure contributory negligence rule, one of the strictest in the nation. According to the Maryland People’s Law Library, if you contributed in any way to the accident that caused your amputation, you may be barred from recovering compensation entirely. Even minimal fault can eliminate your claim.
This rule makes it critical to work with attorneys who understand how to defeat contributory negligence defenses. Insurance companies aggressively seek any evidence of victim fault in amputation cases because the stakes are so high. Protecting yourself from these arguments requires experienced legal representation.
Workers’ Compensation for Workplace Amputations
If your amputation occurred in a workplace accident, workers’ compensation provides certain benefits including medical treatment and prosthetics. However, workers’ compensation does not cover pain and suffering or provide full wage replacement.
Third-party claims may supplement workers’ compensation when equipment manufacturers, property owners, or contractors contributed to your injury. These claims allow you to pursue full damages beyond workers’ compensation limits.
Fighting for Your Future
McGowan & Cecil has fought for accident victims throughout Maryland for decades, recovering millions of dollars for our clients. With over 120 years of combined experience, we understand the life-changing impact of amputation injuries. Our attorneys have tried multiple cases to verdict and are prepared to fight for you. Contact McGowan & Cecil today for a free consultation. Se habla español.