Catastrophic injuries are permanently disabling, disfiguring, or deadly. They usually necessitate a lifetime of medical care, rehabilitation, and special accommodations for victims who survive. An injury lawyer can help victims recover compensation when catastrophic injuries were caused because of someone else’s negligence.
What is Considered a Catastrophic Injury?
Catastrophic injuries are often caused by the negligent or intentional actions of another person. They include injuries caused by medical errors, car crashes, or work accidents. They may also be caused by using dangerous or defective products. When people are catastrophically injured, they are permanently disabled and unable to perform any gainful work. These injuries are so serious that the victim may require constant supervision or assistance for the remainder of his or her life. And with that comes major expenses for medical bills, living expenses, caregiving and sometimes, rehabilitation.
Depending on the severity of the catastrophic injury, the victim could experience a severe disruption to his or her central nervous system that often affects other systems of the body. Common catastrophic injuries include:
- Spinal cord injuries that cause paralysis, paraplegia, or quadriplegia
- Serious head trauma, including traumatic brain injury and neurological disordered
- Eye injuries that cause blindness
- Severe burn injuries that cause significant and disabling disfiguration
- Multiple bone fractures, including crush injuries
- Accidental amputations, including hands, feet, arms, or legs
What Damages Can Be Recovered?
Because of the financial implications of catastrophic injuries, financial compensation is often substantial. This ensures that the injured party will have enough to cover the care needed for the rest of his or her life.
Damages an injury lawyer may seek include compensation for medical bills, pain and suffering, and lost wages. The lawyer will also seek compensation for the injured party’s permanent disability to cover ongoing medical treatment and expenses for full-time care if needed because of his or her loss of independence.
Catastrophic injuries take a toll on family and cause additional losses that are not economic and can be difficult to evaluate. It may be possible to recover compensation for damages such as mental anguish and loss of enjoyment of life that the victim or his or her loved ones experience because of the injury.