Catastrophic injuries are usually defined as life-altering injuries with long-term consequences. If you suffer a catastrophic injury, it affects not only your health but also your ability to work and your quality of life.
Some types of catastrophic injuries include:
- A traumatic brain injury
- Spinal cord trauma
- The loss of a limb and/or disfigurement
- Burns
- Organ damage
- Blindness
When deciding whether to bring a personal injury claim or lawsuit to recover compensatory damages, you may want to consider the impact of your injuries on your life.
Some Examples of Catastrophic Injuries
You or a loved one may have suffered a catastrophic injury in a number of different ways. Car accidents, slip and falls, and even dog bites have the ability to completely transform a person’s life.
Some types of catastrophic injuries include:
Traumatic Brain Injury
A traumatic brain injury (TBI) occurs when you suffer a significant head injury. According to the Mayo Clinic, TBIs can range from mild concussions to severe complications, like being in a coma.
Some symptoms of a TBI include:
- Prolonged loss of consciousness
- Seizures
- Vomiting and nausea
- Slurred speech and loss of motor skills
- Pupil dilation
- The inability to stay awake
- Cognitive impairments
While some people may fully recover from a moderate to severe TBI, others may never do so. Those who suffer a catastrophic TBI will likely have ongoing medical costs, physical therapy, and other treatments for the rest of their lives.
Spinal Cord Injuries
Your spinal cord is one of the hubs of your nervous system, so spinal cord damage can have a ripple effect throughout the body. According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, an acute spinal cord injury can be caused by a wide range of accidents, from falls to car accidents to preventable infections.
No matter what caused your injury, the severity of an acute spinal cord injury may vary depending on the location of the damage. Depending on the specifics, an acute spinal cord injury can result in quadriplegia or paraplegia.
In the wake of a catastrophic spinal cord injury, you may need extensive medical treatment, as well as ongoing rehabilitation. People who suffer these injuries will often need care related to their condition for the rest of their lives.
The Loss of a Limb or Disfigurement
After suffering a severe orthopedic injury involving multiple fractures and extensive damage to your limbs, you may need to have an amputation. Additionally, amputation can cause disfigurement, meaning that your physical appearance may permanently be altered.
When this happens, medical costs, physical therapy, and ongoing treatment may continue for the rest of your life.
Severe Burns
Third-degree burns can have a permanent impact on your health and well-being. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), third-degree burns are defined as burns that penetrate every layer of the skin and permanently destroy tissue.
These kinds of burns can even damage the bones, muscles, and tendons lying below the epidermis. These injuries can be seemingly painless if nerve endings were destroyed.
Organ Damage
Significant organ damage can result from all kinds of accidents, including medical malpractice. When an organ is damaged, it can function poorly or cease to work at all, resulting in surgery or even death.
Internal injuries can damage your liver, lungs, kidneys, spleen, and other organs, leading to lifelong medical conditions.
Blindness
Blindness can be caused by head trauma or damage to parts of the eye. When someone experiences vision changes due to an accident or injury, they may never recover their full sight.
According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), cortical blindness is a type of vision loss resulting from brain damage, not damage to the eye itself. This type of blindness can be permanent or temporary. It can also develop into cortical visual impairment instead of blindness.
No matter the outcome, vision loss can impact your life permanently, making it a catastrophic injury.
Pursuing Damages for a Catastrophic Injury
A personal injury attorney from Loncar Lyon Jenkins can help you understand whether your injury qualifies as catastrophic. If so, you may be entitled to compensation for your health care bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering. To begin a free case review with a member of our law firm, call (877) 239-4878.
