What Types of Compensation Can Victims of Amputation Injuries Receive?

 Posted on December 24, 2025 in Personal Injury

Amputations change lives forever for the victims who suffer the amputation. But for families and friends who support these victims, things change dramatically as well. These catastrophic injuries can occur in many ways, including:

• Car accidents

• Workplace accidents, especially on construction sites

• Power tool and machine accidents 

• Electrocutions and fires

• Severe chemical exposure 

Sometimes the injury itself causes a traumatic amputation, meaning the limb is severed during the accident. Other times, the damage to a limb is so severe that doctors must amputate it surgically.

Whatever the cause, losing a limb causes serious challenges for the victim and their family. Sometimes, victims of amputation injuries are entitled to compensation. This can never bring a limb back, but it can help with the costs and changes resulting from this major surgery.

If you want fair compensation for an amputation caused by someone else’s negligence, call our Rockford, IL catastrophic injury attorneys today. We take our clients’ cases seriously and fight for maximum compensation.

What Medical Expenses Can Be Recovered After an Amputation?

The medical costs associated with amputation injuries can be substantial. OPC Prosthetic Centers estimates that the average cost of the initial amputation can be up to $60,000. But the biggest cost often comes later from therapy treatments and prosthetics.

In a successful lawsuit or settlement, compensation for medical expenses should cover all of your medical care. This includes: 

• Emergency medical treatment 

• Hospitalization and surgeries

• Rehabilitation and physical therapy

• Occupational therapy

• Prosthetic limbs and fittings

• Revision surgeries to ensure proper prosthetic fit

• Ongoing treatment for complications

An amputee's treatment does not end once they receive a prosthetic. Years of rehabilitation, therapy, and refitting are often required. Lower limb amputees may suffer from back pain as their bodies compensate for the lost limb. Amputees may also need further surgeries or updated prosthetics in the future.

What’s more, the most basic prosthetic limbs cost at least $5,000. Myoelectric limbs that give more precise movements can easily cost ten times that. The average lower limb amputee spends between $500,000 and $1.8 million for prosthetics over the rest of their life.

Can I Recover Compensation for Home Modifications and Assistive Devices After an Amputation?

Many amputees need to make important changes to their home to accommodate changes to their mobility. For some people, this means installing wheelchair ramps and widening doorways for wheelchairs. For others, it means installing safety features in bathrooms or lowering countertops and cabinets. Whatever the changes you need to make in your home, these should be covered by whoever was responsible for your injury.

Additionally, amputees may need assistive technology. These amazing specialized computer software and communication devices are very expensive. Compensation should cover both the cost of these devices and the therapy needed to learn how to use them correctly.

Can You Sue for Loss of Income in an Amputation Accident? 

An amputation injury almost always causes a significant disruption in a person's ability to work. Amputees are often never able to go back to their former work. They may need to find new employment that accommodates their physical limitations or may be unable to work at all.

Compensation for lost wages reimburses victims for income they would have earned if not for the amputation injury. This includes wages lost while recovering from the injury and attending medical appointments.

If the injury affects the victim's long-term earning capacity, they should be compensated for the loss of the money they would have earned. This is especially important for victims who must change careers or accept lower-paying jobs due to their disability.

Can I Be Compensated For Pain and Suffering from an Amputation Injury?

Amputation injuries cause severe physical pain that can last for months or years. Victims often experience phantom limb pain, where they feel sensations where the missing limb used to be. They may also have pain at the amputation site or develop chronic pain conditions.

Beyond physical pain, amputees frequently experience emotional distress. This includes depression, anxiety, and grief. Compensation for pain and suffering addresses these intangible damages.

Victims may also receive compensation for loss of enjoyment of life. This includes the inability to participate in hobbies or sports as before. For example, an avid runner who loses a leg has lost not just mobility but also a major part of their identity.

What Is "Loss of Consortium?"

In cases where the amputation injury affects the victim's relationship with their spouse or family members, compensation may address loss of consortium. This legal term refers to the loss of relationship quality when someone suffers a serious injury.

Victims may be able to recover compensation for the loss of:

• Their partner's companionship

• The ability to be physically intimate

• Household services the injured spouse previously provided

• The emotional impact of caring for an injured spouse.

How Long Does It Take to Recover From an Amputation?

Recovering from an amputation is an uphill battle, both physically and emotionally. Initially, there are concerns about infections, circulation, and further surgeries. Treatment may focus on protecting the physical use of the remaining limb. Doctors will also try to make the amputation as aesthetically pleasing as possible.

If the amputee receives a prosthetic, their medical team must ensure a proper fit. Prosthetics often need multiple revision surgeries to ensure that they fit correctly. This process can take several months or even a year or more. Even once victims recover from the initial injury, their medical needs continue for the rest of their lives.

Insurance companies may urge you to wait for a settlement so you know the full cost of your injuries. But you should not wait until you feel you are fully recovered to take legal action. There are only two years to file a lawsuit under 735 ILCS 5/13-202. Once that time is up, you cannot file a lawsuit, no matter how legitimate your case is.

Contact a Winnebago County Amputation Injury Lawyer Today

If you or a loved one have suffered an amputation injury due to someone else's negligence, you need a good attorney. The Rockford catastrophic injury attorneys at Mannarino & Brasfield, A Division of Schwartz Jambois understand the challenges associated with losing a limb. Our firm has secured millions of dollars in verdicts and settlements for catastrophic injury victims.

Contact us at 815-215-7561 to schedule a free consultation. We are ready to fight for the compensation you need to start moving forward with your life.