Sometimes accidents can be so violent that your skin is literally ripped away from the rest of your body. This type of injury, which most frequently affects the hands, is known as a degloving injury. Trauma to the hands can be incredibly devastating, limiting or preventing you from performing everyday tasks and responsibilities.
If you have suffered a degloving injury in a San Diego accident you may be entitled to compensation. Contact Injury Trial Lawyers, APC to find out how we can help you maximize the settlement or award you receive.
What is a Degloving Injury?
Degloving injuries occur when trauma causes your skin and/or tissue to be physically separated from the rest of your body. Since this type of injury most frequently affects the hand, the name evokes images of a glove being removed. In this case, however, the glove is actually your skin.
Degloving injuries most often involve the hands, but can also affect your:
- Face
- Genitalia
- Trunk, and
- Other limbs.
When you suffer a degloving injury the internal structure of your limb – including the bones, ligaments, and tendons – are left intact. However, the skin protecting your extremity is forcibly removed, leaving the rest of your body vulnerable and exposed.
Degloving injuries can make it extremely difficult to use your hand. In some cases, a degloving injury can cause you to develop a life-threatening infection, cause you to lose a significant amount of blood, and/or require the amputation of a limb.
If you have suffered a degloving injury in a San Diego accident it is extremely important to seek medical help immediately.
Causes of Degloving Injuries
A degloving injury is a type of avulsion trauma. Avulsion simply means that one part of the body is forcibly separated from another. Degloving injuries often occur when a part of the body becomes stuck on a fixed object and then suddenly moved away. Accidents that frequently result in degloving injuries include:
- Car accidents
- Slips and falls
- Recreational vehicle accidents
- Pedestrian accidents
- Defective product accidents
- Construction accidents, and
- Workplace accidents.
Degloving Injuries and Jewelry
Many degloving injuries involve jewelry, particularly rings worn on the fingers and hand. Jewelry can become easily stuck or lodged in machinery, crushed vehicles, and/or hand railings. When the hand is moved away from these fixed objects, the jewelry causes the skin to detach and stay behind. Silicone jewelry has become increasingly popular with individuals who work in industries in which degloving injuries are common.
Why Should I File a Lawsuit After I Suffer a Degloving Injury?
A degloving injury can leave you with a debilitating and painful disability. You may require extensive medical care, complete with corrective and plastic surgery. It may take months of rehabilitation to regain function and control of your damages limb. This can generate tens of thousands of dollars in medical bills.
If your avulsion injury has affected your hands, you may find that you are no longer able to perform the essential duties of your job. If this is the case, you may face a significantly reduced income and be forced to find a new way to provide for yourself and your family. In the short term, your inability to work will only compound the financial pressures you are faced with after your accident.
In California, you have the option of filing a personal injury lawsuit to recover damages from the person responsible for your injury. The settlement or award you get from your lawsuit can be instrumental in your physical, emotional, and financial recoveries.
Damages Available to San Diego Degloving Injury Victims
At Injury Trial Lawyers, APC, our San Diego degloving injury attorneys will aggressively pursue this compensation on your behalf. We will fight to make sure that you are fairly compensated for your degloving injury, which may include damages for:
- Hospitalization
- Surgery
- Prosthetics
- Medication
- Disability
- Lost wages
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional trauma
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Disfigurement, and
- Embarrassment.
Call us today to schedule a free consultation with our experienced legal team. We will review the details of your accident, assess the strength of your case, and explain which damages you may be entitled to recover.
Statute of Limitations for Degloving Injury Lawsuits in San Diego
Filing a lawsuit against the person responsible for your devastating degloving injury can help to alleviate some of the financial stress you face after an accident. However, it is important to understand that you only have a small window of time in which you can file a lawsuit. California law imposes a two-year statute of limitations for personal injury cases. This means that you could miss out on getting the money you need and deserve if you do not file your claim within two years of your accident.
There are certain circumstances that could cause the statute of limitations to be accelerated or extended. The best way to make sure that your claim is filed on time is by contacting an attorney as soon as you can after your accident. Our San Diego degloving injury lawyers are ready to help you get the compensation you deserve. Call us today to for immediate legal assistance.
Call our San Diego Degloving Injury Attorneys
Have you suffered a degloving injury in a San Diego accident? If someone else is responsible for causing your injury, they should also be liable for any damages you have suffered. Contact Injury Trial Lawyers, APC to find out how we can help you file a successful personal injury lawsuit for damages. With our help, you can maximize the settlement or award you receive.
Our attorneys know that an unexpected injury can be painful and expensive. In order to help you through this difficult time in your life, we offer our legal services on a contingency fee basis. We only get paid when we successfully recover compensation on your behalf. This allows you to focus all of your time and energy on your physical and emotional recoveries, rather than a complex and time-consuming lawsuit. We will handle your legal case and fight to get you the money you deserve. Call us to schedule your free consultation with our San Diego degloving attorneys today.