What Is a Catastrophic Injury?

If you are injured as a result of someone else’s negligence in any kind of accident, it’s a devastating experience. Sometimes, however, the injuries associated with these accidents affect one’s life so significantly that they are known as catastrophic injuries. If you’ve suffered a catastrophic injury caused by the negligence of another, it’s time to consult with an experienced Redding, California, personal injury attorney.

Catastrophic Injuries Result in Long-Term Problems

A catastrophic injury is one that leaves you with a long-term functional impairment. For example, if you lose your leg, you will require mobility aids and be unable to engage in certain activities.  If you’ve suffered a catastrophic injury, you’re likely to face ongoing medical care, rehabilitation, and more. Suffice to say that a catastrophic injury permanently alters the course of your life in the blink of an eye and that the journey towards your fullest recovery possible will be arduous and long. Such injuries can even negatively affect your relationships with friends, loved ones, and family. The physical, financial, and emotional effects of a catastrophic injury are immense and can be nearly insurmountable.

Types of Catastrophic Injuries

Some of the most common types of catastrophic injures include:

• Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBIs) – Because TBIs affect your brain, the effects are as dangerous as they are unpredictable. These injuries often lead to permanent cognitive disabilities and memory loss.
• Spinal Cord Injuries – Spinal cord injuries refer to damage to the spinal cord, which can result in diminished strength and balance and can lead to chronic pain and a serious loss in range of motion. When very serious, these injuries can cause permanent paralysis and the loss of sensation in the affected area.
• Severe Burns – Burns are as painful as the accidents that cause them are terrifying. Burns can lead to long-term complications, and when on or near the face, burn injuries can also be permanently disfiguring.
• Amputation or the Loss of a Limb – It is not difficult to imagine exactly how traumatic and difficult losing a limb or the use of a limb is likely to be. Such injuries are often classified as catastrophic.

Your Damages

The damages associated with a catastrophic injury are often so immense that they are difficult to adequately calculate, but the following typically apply:

• Medical Costs – Medical expenses generally begin with emergency treatment at the accident site and emergency transportation from the accident site. From here, you could need surgery and follow-up care, appointments with doctors and specialists, prescription medications, adaptive physical equipment, home adaptations, home health care, long-term nursing care, rehabilitation, and more.
• Lost Earnings – In many cases, a catastrophic injury will prevent a victim from returning to the type of work they did before their injury. Because most of us closely associate our careers with our personal sense of self, such a loss is often particularly devastating. The attendant financial loss is similarly disastrous. Not only have you lost your current income, but have also experienced the shutdown of your potential earnings into the future. This is in addition to saying goodbye to the career goals that you’d previously worked so hard to attain. 
• Pain and Suffering – The physical and emotional pain associated with a catastrophic injury can be among the most difficult effects. The emotional pain attached to losing one’s career and living in a diminished capacity as a result of someone else’s negligence can verge on the unbearable. The pain and suffering associated with these devastating injuries are very real and should never be discounted. 

The journey toward your most complete recovery is certain to be long and arduous, but obtaining the compensation to which you’re entitled and that you need is the clearest path forward.

Work Closely with an Experienced Redding, California, Personal Injury Attorney

If you’ve suffered a catastrophic injury as a result of someone else’s negligence – whether in a traffic accident, a slip and fall accident, an accident caused by a defective product, or any other kind of accident, you need the experienced legal counsel of a dedicated personal injury attorney on your side. At Maire & Deedon in Redding, California, our formidable personal injury lawyers are committed to fighting for your rights and for your rightful compensation. We care about you and your case, so please contact or call us at 530-246-6050 for more information today.