There are a lot of North Carolina residents living without the use of one or more legs, and some of these are amputees who were involved in motorcycle accidents. Modern medicine has come a long way to create prosthetic limbs to help amputees regain their mobility to near pre-accident levels, but these prosthetics are extremely expensive and unaffordable.
However, even if it is possible to afford a prosthetic leg, victims will still be forced to deal with the disfigurement and stigma of being without a leg — i.e., gawking eyes and a feeling of being less than a whole person. One North Carolina man, who lost his leg in a motorcycle accident, has invented something that might help amputees better integrate with their communities and feel more normal again.
The man has invented special prosthetic leg covers, which go over a normal prosthetic limb to give it the shape of a normal leg. People who have the covers are saying that they help them feel more normal again, and one person even said that when he takes the cover off he now feels naked.
The inventor of the leg covers has created a special notice on the Kickstarter website so he can raise funds to buy a 3D printer to start producing his prosthetic limb covers. He currently plans to set up a special amputee support group and hopes to make the 3D printer and his covers available to group members in 2016.
Motorcycle accident victims who have lost limbs in a crash are forced to overcome a lot of psychological issues, self-esteem-related issues, and physical recovery challenges. They may also be faced with some huge financial challenges considering the cost of medical care, time spent unable to work, rehabilitation services and the cost of prosthetics. However, amputees whose accidents were caused by another party’s negligence may be able to seek financial restitution in court.
Source: 3ders.org, “North Carolina man raising money to 3D print prosthetic leg covers for wounded soldiers,” Dec. 22, 2015