Being in a motor vehicle collision that results in amputation is a life-changing situation that causes unimaginable stress and pain. It completely changes your life and you shouldn’t have to bear that stress alone.
MG Law was recently contacted by John, who was involved in a motor vehicle collision which resulted in a leg amputation. Unfortunately, like many who suffer catastrophic accidents, John didn’t know how to navigate the world of accident benefits coverage on his own nor did he understand the prospects of litigation. Most importantly, John needed people to take care of these things, so he could focus on his injury and recovery.
Early Struggles: How To Plan For Life Outside The Hospital, While Still In The Hospital
Our team was able to meet with John at the hospital to explain the advantages of having legal representation during this difficult time. Once John had decided to hire our assistance, we immediately went to work connecting his hospital rehabilitation staff with Vitality Assessments Group, a community rehabilitation team. Community rehabilitation teams are essential in ensuring someone has the assistance and support to go from their hospital stay back to their regular life. They ensure that transitioning into your new normal is an easier, more successful experience.
Connecting to a community rehabilitation team as soon as possible is very important. It provides you experience, guidance, resources, and personal support as you navigate a very stressful and complicated time in your life.
John’s team was able to quickly send the appropriate documentation to his insurance company. This declared him catastrophically injured, giving him access to increased benefits.
Your community rehabilitation team will be by your side every step of the way as you’re discharged from the hospital. This ensures you have a safe, accessible place to go home to, you have the proper appointments set up to help you recover, and much more.
The Role Of A Community Rehabilitation Team
Most community rehabilitation teams consist of case managers, social workers, occupational therapists, and sometimes additional roles depending on the individual needs of the injured party. John’s team consisted of a case manager, a social worker, and an occupational therapist.
His rehabilitation case manager was the first to meet with John once he was able, to begin facilitating access to the care and services he would need to recover and support himself. Facilitating a smooth transition from the hospital to home is a major role for case managers. An experienced case manager will be aware of the client’s current needs, while anticipating their future needs to ensure they’re adequately addressed.
For many clients who experience devastating injuries, their physical health isn’t the only struggle. Their mental health also needs to be treated and looked after in order to begin the healing process. John was struggling with his mental health, had limited support and required extreme coordination and organization to arrange for an appropriate and safe discharge from the hospital. For someone in John’s condition, who just experienced a traumatic accident, you simply cannot expect them to be able to make these decisions by themselves.
A case manager’s role is to alleviate the stress of returning home, figure out the paperwork, find appropriate doctors and staff to help in rehabilitation, and more. John, and others like him, deserve to be taken care of so they know they have a place to go home to and a way to afford necessities.
Your community rehabilitation team will frequently liaise between public and private service providers, your legal team, and your insurance adjustor. Having a competent and compassionate team of professionals working together can ease your experience and ensure you have the right support and resources needed for the best chance of recovery.
Why You Need Legal Representation
Having access to the increased benefits that your community rehabilitation team and your team of lawyers can recover for you will help your quality of life immensely by providing financial security. It’s important to not just consider your current costs, but also your future costs, when it comes to catastrophic injuries. An injury like an amputation can affect your ability to care for yourself, your ability to work the same job, live in the same housing situation, and many other things you used to be able to do.
The changes to your life, accommodations, and medical interventions following amputation or any other catastrophic injury are expensive, and you deserve to be taken care of through these challenges.
For instance, if like John, your housing accommodations are no longer accessible upon discharge from the hospital because it’s wheelchair inaccessible, then your case manager, a social worker, and an occupational therapist will work together to find you suitable housing and getting it subsidized by your insurance company.
Your legal and rehabilitation team will work together with you and your medical team to fully understand your needs and coordinate your various medical and rehabilitation treatment appointments. Having a legal and rehabilitation team means you’ll have professional support and assistance throughout every stage of your recovery, including finding accessible housing, learning to live with your disability, understanding your prospects of receiving a prosthetic, and learning how to use your new prosthetic.
If You Are Hurt, We Can Help
By hiring MG Law as your legal team, you’ll gain access to our extensive network of medical and rehabilitation professionals, such as a community rehabilitation team. You’ll also gain access to our dedicated accident benefits department, where our accident benefits administrator can assist your rehabilitation team and facilitate correspondence with your insurance company.
Our team of lawyers and litigation specialists understand the complex nature of these cases. If you’ve been catastrophically injured and had your life changed permanently due to someone else’s negligence, you deserve full restitution for your losses. We are prepared to fight for the compensation you deserve should the benefits from your insurance be insufficient to sustain you during your recovery.
Not only is hiring a personal injury lawyer important but doing it early on in your recovery is crucial. Consulting with a lawyer as soon as you are able gives you the best chance to access the benefits you’re entitled to and build a strong case in your favour.
Finding a new normal is possible, and though the road to recovery is long and challenging, you don’t have to face things alone. Let us help you get back to being you again.
Contact us today for a free consultation to learn how we can help you get your life back.
*Names have been changed to preserve anonymity.
