Escape takes a toll

A domestic violence incident ultimately led to the amputation of Halls Head woman Tasma Dawson's leg.

The mother of two said she suffered a burn to the foot while trying to flee an ex-boyfriend as he tried to run her over with a vehicle.

She said she lost her shoes and burnt her left toe on hot bitumen during the January assault.

"I took my shoes off to run and the road was boiling hot - suddenly it felt like I had stood on chewing gum," Mrs Dawson said.

"A few days later there was blood on the floor at the women's refuge where I was staying - the toe was blistered and became infected."

Ms Dawson said she saw a doctor but admitted she did not attend the recommended dressing-change appointments because she could not afford to pay the doctor's fees.

She said the sensation in her foot was already restricted by the bone inflammation condition osteomyelitis, so she did not realise how severely infected the wound had become.

"I went to Royal Perth Hospital in April and they decided to take the big toe and, in May, they took the second toe," Ms Dawson said.

"In July, the infection still wasn't gone so they took my leg below the knee - they said I was at risk of getting blood poisoning if I didn't."

Ms Dawson said her life had been turned upside down by the chain of events that followed the breakdown of her relationship with her previous partner.

She said adjusting to living independently again had been difficult, but she was grateful of the support from her husband, with whom she had been estranged, Anthony Dawson.

The main causes of amputation in Australia are diabetes, vascular disease, infection and congenital differences, according to Limbs 4 Life.

This week is Amputee Awareness Week.