I also feel a little uneasy about this maiming mechanism.
If you become crippled, just have a good night of sleep and it will be as if nothing ever happened? Weird.
BG-style death or PE-style permadeath makes more sense.
I think (semi)permadeath should be the default, or the only possible option. If you want to revive your character, go to a church/temple or reload the latest quick save.