3 Types of Catastrophic Injuries and Their Effects on Longterm Health

Any sort of catastrophic injury, no matter what happens to cause it, will typically result in a lifetime of pain, misery and debilitation. When that injury is due to someone else’s negligence, such as when the driver of a car hits a motorcycle, or a careless truck driver collides with a passenger vehicle, that can make the suffering even worse.

The catastrophic injury attorneys of Jones Law Group are ready to fight for the compensation you deserve if you’ve been hurt due to another’s negligence. We have a lot of experience, and we also have a long record of delivering positive results for our clients. Learn more about what we may be able to do for you by scheduling a free case review. You can use our online contact form, or you can give us a call at (727) 571-1333.

Here are three of the most common catastrophic injuries. And how they can have a permanent effect on a victim’s life.

1. Traumatic Brain Injuries

A traumatic brain injury (TBI) occurs when some sort of impact disrupts normal brain function. It could occur due to someone’s head hitting a window during a car wreck, or the head striking a hard surface in some other way.

Treatment for a TBI will depend on its severity. In many cases, someone with a mild TBI won’t need any treatment at all. As long as they get plenty of rest, they will often be able to eventually recover on their own.

In more serious instances, however, victims will sometimes need powerful medications. Medical professionals will sometimes have to use drugs to induce a temporary coma. The reason is that the brain doesn’t need as much oxygen in this state. This could give compressed blood vessels time to recover so they can once again provide the brain with the oxygen and nutrients it needs.

Emergency surgery will sometimes be required in order to reduce the chance of further damage to the brain. A surgical procedure could help minimize the risk of blood clots, or to repair a skull fracture.

The long-term prognosis for someone with a severe TBI is, unfortunately, not good. It can result in permanent behavioral changes, or it can make performing even everyday tasks almost impossible. TBIs can also lead to loss of muscle control, and loss of balance.

2. Spinal Cord Injuries

Spinal cord injuries can be just as devastating to a victim’s quality of life, robbing them of the ability to walk, or, in some instances, taking away their ability to move at all. Car wrecks are among the most common causes of spinal cord injuries, but serious falls can lead to permanent damage as well.

This type of injury can require intensive medical treatment and rehabilitation. There are some victims who can recover to the point that they can once again enjoy the activities they did before their injury. However, most victims of severe spinal cord injuries may be permanently confined to a wheelchair or bed.

Medications are sometimes used to try to promote healing when the spinal cord has been extensively damaged. But the side effects can be so severe – including pneumonia and blood clots – that the risks often outweigh any benefits the medications provide. As a result, surgery is often the only chance that a victim will have of ever regaining anything close to a normal life.

Surgical procedures are also often used in an effort to help prevent a lifetime of pain. Research into experimental treatments, such as hypothermia to promote nerve regeneration, is ongoing. However, much more study will be needed before it’s determined whether or not this will be a viable method of treatment.

Until new treatments are found, most people with severe spinal cord injuries will have to resign themselves to a life of having to use a wheelchair to get from one place to another. They will often require intensive psychotherapy in order to be able to cope with the emotional trauma.

3. Amputation

Amputation can involve the loss of a part of a limb, such as a toe or a finger, or the loss of the entire limb. A person may need amputation when a limb is so severely damaged that there is no hope of ever being able to save it.

You can well imagine how this type of injury would affect an injury victim’s quality of life. They will never be able to move the same way as before their injury. And they may not be able to return to the job they had before their accident occurred. Many amputees have to deal with phantom pains and emotional trauma that can last for years.

Receiving Compensation for a Longterm Injury

Any sort of catastrophic injury can result in staggeringly high medical bills. Here is just a brief sample of how high these bills can get.

• TBI. It can cost as much as $3 million to treat a TBI victim over the course of their life.
• Spinal cord injury. Victims of spinal cord injuries will often face bills of up to $1 million the first year alone. Every year afterward, they can face costs as high as $200,000.
• Amputation. The average amputation can cost as much as $60,000. But there are several other costs as well, including physical therapy, prosthetic devices, wheelchairs and more.

How can the victim of a catastrophic injury ever hope to obtain the compensation needed to cover these outrageous costs? They will need the help of an attorney, one who can prove that injury occurred due to the negligence of another party. Skilled attorneys know how to gather the evidence needed to provide that proof.

Speak with a Catastrophic Injury Attorney at Jones Law Group as Soon as Possible

The personal injury attorneys with the Jones Law Group have the skill and experience – as well as the resources – it will take to prove you are entitled to full and fair compensation. Schedule a free consultation by calling (727) 571-1333 or contacting us online.