When you were working, you noticed that the roller on one of your heavy pieces of machinery looked a little unusual. You stopped the machine and went to see what the problem could be. Upon closer inspection, you found that the roller appeared to be out of place, so you tried to lift it and adjust it back into its mount.
That was a mistake. It was heavier than you expected, and you weren’t able to get it back into position correctly. Moments later, you dropped the roller, which weighed hundreds of pounds, directly onto your knee and leg. You were pinned, and it took an emergency team to come, unpin you and rush you to the hospital.
The crushing injuries you suffered were severe, and it left you with two choices. You could go through multiple serious, complex surgeries or you could opt for an amputation. You ended up choosing to amputate your leg at the knee.
Amputations affect around 1.8 million people in America. Around 70% of all amputations involve the upper limbs, but cases like yours aren’t completely unusual. Approximately 185,000 amputations are performed in hospitals across America each year.
What should you expect after an amputation?
After an amputation, you may need to go through physical therapy and rehabilitation. Losing a limb causes a permanent disability, and it will affect you. It could impact how you move, your ability to care for yourself and your own self-image. Fortunately, since this occurred on the job, you should be able to seek benefits through workers’ compensation so that you can get all the medical care and support you need.