Catastrophic injuries are far more severe than typical wounds. There are different types of motor vehicle accidents, and they have different repercussions. While some car accidents are minor, like a fender bender, others are more severe with little or minor injuries. When a catastrophic accident happens, it results in far more severe and life-altering consequences.
Victims of catastrophic vehicle crashes can suffer a permanent disability and endure a lifetime of pain and suffering. A catastrophic injury can also keep accident victims from getting gainful employment, and the person may need years of rehabilitation. Thankfully, Connecticut is a fault state, and victims can file a compensation claim against the fault party.
Thus, it is crucial to understand the common types of catastrophic injuries and the extent of their impact. If you suffer this injury type in a car accident, contact our auto accident lawyer immediately. We offer excellent legal advice and representation.
What Are the Common Catastrophic Injuries in a Car Accident?
By definition, a catastrophic injury affects the spine, spinal cord, or brain and can potentially affect a person’s quality of life. In addition, a wound can become a catastrophic injury if it is severe enough to have life-lasting implications. Below, we look at the five common wounds that fall under the preceding sentences.
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Severe Burns
Fiery car accidents seldom happen. But when they do, survivors would likely suffer severe burn injuries if they were not extricated on time. Burns are one of the most painful injuries in the world, especially third and fourth-degree burns. They affect all the layers of the skin down to the bone.
Burn injury victims usually require skin grafts, plastic surgery, and rehabilitation if necessary. However, survivors might have permanent nerve damage, disfigurement, or scarring despite all the preceding treatments. If the preceding happens, they’ll live the rest of their lives in chronic pain and without moving.
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Traumatic Brain Injuries
A high-impact crash can lead to a blow to the head, which can cause a traumatic brain injury. When the latter happens, the brain either swells or bleeds, potentially causing significant brain tissue damage. If the victim survives this catastrophic injury, they will likely spend years in therapy and rehabilitation.
Most people would need to learn how to walk again and perform other basic life functions. In worst-case scenarios, the victim may have a lifetime of cognitive and physical impairments. All these are reasons why TBI victims get significant compensation from fault parties.
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Internal Organ Damage
The force of a car accident can result in severe internal organ damage. The damage could be a ruptured kidney or liver. It could also be internal bleeding, which might place the victim’s life at risk. Internal organ damage is a catastrophic injury because the injured person can spend months in and out of a hospital and may need an organ donation to live.
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Traumatic Fractures
Generally, fractures are treatable with surgery and immobilization, but some of them are traumatic. Traumatic fractures require multiple surgeries to fix, and some victims never recover from their injuries. At worse, the fractured body part might get amputated, leading to a lifetime of limited mobility, pain, and nerve damage.
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Spinal Cord Injuries
A severe spinal cord injury could result in permanent and total loss of movement and sensation. As a result, the victim is unable to move their limbs and muscles below the injury site. It means that if you suffer a spinal cord injury, you can spend the rest of your life in a wheelchair or on a ventilator. Additionally, survivors need a lifetime of care, explaining why compensation for this wound is always high.
What Are the Lifetime Effects of Catastrophic Injuries?
To claim the maximum compensation from a catastrophic injury, you need to understand the lifelong effects it has. One of the most severe impacts is financial. Since you would need life-long care, the injury takes a toll on your finances with a mountain of medical bills to pay.
Another impact is a lifestyle change. Most catastrophic injury victims need medical equipment and constant therapy to move on with life. In addition, victims are unable to return to work, thereby ending their careers. You need to factor all of the preceding in when making a compensation claim. If you fail to, you might end up with inadequate money to cover your past, current, and future expenses.
It’s essential to have a skilled Hartford car accident attorney on your side, so you can recover the compensation you deserve.