Virginia Crush Injury Lawyers Hold At-Fault Parties Accountable
Providing capable representation for victims of extreme blunt trauma
A crush injury is a nightmare situation where a person or a body part gets trapped between two objects under extreme pressure. Complications from these injuries are often catastrophic and potentially deadly. Victims must deal with the initial harm as well as secondary problems if they don’t get immediate, competent medical treatment. At Pikrallidas & Probasco in Fairfax, our personal injury attorneys have ample experience with seeking damages for crush injury victims. Whether you suffered harm due to negligence that caused an accident, or because treating physicians failed to follow correct protocols, we’re ready to pursue the compensation you deserve.
Common causes of crush injuries in VA
There are numerous circumstances that can cause a crush injury, such as these:
- Auto accident — A vehicle crumples with a passenger inside or a pedestrian is caught between two vehicles or between a vehicle and a stationary object.
- Construction accident — A ditch collapses or a heavy load falls on a worker.
- Workplace accident — A mishap traps a worker between two objects or in the mechanism of an industrial machine.
- Structural collapse — Victims are buried under rubble.
Depending on the weight and force of the objects exerting pressure, a victim can suffer catastrophic injuries.
Immediate effects of crush injuries
The initial compression from a crush injury inflicts serious harm on the trapped victim, which can include:
- Compound bone fractures
- Muscular damage
- Nerve damage
- Blood vessel damage
- Internal organ damage
- Loss of limb
Moreover, the physical harm can be far worse if victims do not receive appropriate care. The victim deserves full compensation for economic losses such as medical bills and lost earnings, as well as for pain and suffering, which can be substantial.
Potential complications from crush injuries
When a crushing accident occurs, responders necessarily want to free the trapped person. However, the sudden freeing of a crushed body part may cause reperfusion syndrome, which can do harm to the heart and kidneys. Crush victims require aggressive treatment from physicians knowledgeable about the following risks:
- Hypovolemia — This condition may cause lethal cardiac arrhythmia.
- Myoglobinuria — The sudden release of toxins from necrotic muscle into the circulatory system causes renal tubular necrosis, which can result in kidney failure if untreated.
- Hypotension — This is a loss in blood pressure that can trigger renal failure.
- Compartment syndrome — Swelling muscles restrict blood flow, depriving tissues of fresh oxygen and nutrients. Compartment syndrome is extremely painful.
- Rhabdomyolysis —Disintegrating muscles release toxins that may threaten the kidneys.
- Metabolic abnormalities — Crushed body parts release a flood of compounds, such as calcium, potassium and lactic acid, as well as electrolytes from ischemic muscles. These reactions can have potentially deadly effects, such as hypocalcemia, hyperkalemia, metabolic acidosis and cardiac arrhythmias.
Our personal injury attorneys will work to hold all negligent parties accountable for the harm you’ve suffered. This starts with the determining the cause of your accident. We then scrutinize the medical care you received for the initial injury to discern whether caregivers inflicted additional harm.
Contact our Fairfax attorneys for a free crush injury consultation
Pikrallidas & Probasco in Fairfax works to obtain full compensation for crush injury victims throughout Virginia and Washington, D.C. Call us at 703-267-2600 or contact us online to schedule a free initial consultation.
