Amputee Gets New Hands

More sophisticated prosthetics sometimes require a sacrifice

(NEWSER) - Increasingly, amputees who have already lost limbs are going to their doctors to ask them to remove more. The choice, which the New York Times calls "once unthinkable," comes as artificial limbs are becoming vastly more sophisticated. For people like Ann Kornhauser, whose prosthetic foot left her in constant discomfort, a more high-tech model can offer relief—but, in Kornhauser's case and many others, it would only fit if she got her left leg amputated below the knee. "I knew that I would have a life" with the new leg, even though it meant losing more, she says. "I was able to walk again." More»

Numbers are up as more go on foot patrols

(NEWSER) - A new Pentagon report has some rough stats, mostly from the Afghan war:

• The number of troops who have had amputations rose from 86 in 2009 to 187 last year. The pace continues this year, with 147 so far.
• The number of troops who lost two or three limbs rose from 23 in 2009 to 72 last year; the figure is already 77 this year.

'Bladerunner' Oscar Pistorius headed to world championships

(AP) - Double amputee sprinter Oscar Pistorius achieved a career goal by qualifying for the world championships yesterday, fulfilling a five-year-long quest to compete at the highest level against able-bodied athletes. Pistorius said his achievement still felt "weird" and "surreal" and hadn't sunk in yet; he clocked 45.07 seconds last night in his final 400-meter race before the qualifying cutoff, having never run faster than 45.61 before. More»

Funeral takes place for Iraqi vet killed on coaster

(AP) - With his iron will to make the most of life without legs, James Hackemer would set off turkey-hunting in an all-terrain wheelchair or toil for hours atop a lawn tractor at the 40-acre family farm in southwestern New York. "He had a thirst for life and wanted to do as much as possible," said a sister of Hackemer, the Iraqi vet who was ejected from the Ride of Steel coaster at Darien Lake theme park last week and killed. His funeral was held today. More»

Darien Lake violated its own policy

(AP) - A double-amputee Iraq War veteran who was hurled off a towering roller coaster to his death never should have been allowed on the ride, but the New York park's operators will face no criminal charges despite violating their own policy, authorities said today. Signs at the Ride of Steel roller coaster at Darien Lake clearly state riders "must have two legs," the county sheriff said. "He didn't have the physical attributes to hold him in." More»