What is a Traumatic Amputation?

A traumatic amputation is the loss of a limb that happens from an event involving an accident or an acute injury.

What Causes Traumatic Amputations in Kids?

As daycare injury attorneys and child advocates, we’ve seen cases involving children where limbs have been amputated due to completely preventable events. We commonly see traumatic amputations happen after a child sustains a finger injury – this can be caused in a variety of ways.

One example is when a door slams shut on a kid’s finger. This can cause a painful and permanent injury that requires partial or full amputation. In one case, we represented a family whose young child was told by daycare employees, to go to the bathroom alone while the class was at recess.

His finger got caught by the hinge on a very heavy door, and his finger was crushed and nearly severed off. All of this could’ve been prevented if the daycare had followed the rules put in place to keep young children safe by being escorted to the bathroom with an adult.

Another example is when kids sustain amputations because of unsafe equipment.

A simple, common, everyday piece of equipment can be dangerous to children when the equipment is not maintained and not up to code – like escalators.

Escalators in child amusement parks and malls can be dangerous for children. In fact, we represented a family whose child had the tips of his fingers amputated when they got caught in a poorly maintained escalator at a child amusement park.

Other common ways traumatic amputations can happen to children are:

  • car wrecks,
  • boat crashes,
  • dog bites,
  • dangerous toys,
  • and unsecured furniture.

Action Parents Can Take After a Traumatic Amputation Happens to Their Child

There are dozens of ways that injuries can lead to an amputation. The worst part? These child injuries are 100% preventable. If your child had a finger, hand, or other limb amputated due to an injury, be sure to reach out to our child injury and traumatic amputation lawyers at The Button Law Firm. We have experience helping kids and families move forward after suffering from life-changing events, and holding all of the responsible parties accountable.