Hand Transplant For Victim Of Accident

Woman Injured In Car Accident Receives Donor Hand

A California woman underwent surgery last month to have a donated hand transplanted onto her arm, just one of 14 successful hand transplants in the U.S. to date.

In 2006, a tragic car accident left her right hand completely mangled when it went through the open sunroof of her car during the crash. The car was rolling over and crushed her hand beneath its weight, forcing her hand to be amputated. She has worn a prosthetic hand for the past five years, but found it too heavy and awkward to be very useful.

Surgeons performed the operation at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles, where it marks the first such surgery performed by the team after a hand transplant program was begun the previous year. The marathon session took 14.5 hours to complete, as the group of almost 20 surgeons, nurses, and support staff attached the donated hand and hand-connected blood vessels, nerves, tendons, and bones.

Saying she felt like the hand was hers, and more and more hers each day, the 26-year old mother explained that she wanted the operation so she could better care for her young daughter. She was capable of completing complex tasks such as tying her shoes, driving, and typing as many as 45 words per minute with only one hand. Still, she feels that her new hand will allow her to live a more normal life.

The first known hand transplant was performed in 1964 in Ecuador, before the advent of modern immunosuppressive drugs. The hand was rejected by the patient’s body and had to be amputated two weeks later.

A Personal injury Lawyer Can Help

If you have suffered a catastrophic injury in an automotive accident, you deserve the best medical care available. Unfortunately, this is often prohibitively expensive to obtain. If you were injured as a result of another person’s negligence, you owe it to yourself to ensure that the driver who harmed you is made to shoulder some of the financial burden. With the help of a skilled Los Angeles personal injury attorney, you can get the compensation you deserve. With more than 20 years of experience, the legal team at the Law Offices of Gerald L. Marcus has the skill and knowledge necessary o help you.

Please, contact a Los Angeles personal injury attorney without delay!