What counts as a catastrophic injury?

Any incident that ends with you in pain is hard enough to deal with. What happens, however, when the damage to your body is significant, and doctors start using the term catastrophic?

An injury that necessitates a significant change to your life may rise to catastrophic. It is damage that likely necessitates medical care that continues past a few weeks. In fact, it may require a lifetime of care.

How do catastrophic injuries happen?

Injuries that require critical medical care often happen in traumatic incidents. Car accidents are the most likely cause of this type of damage to the body, especially those that involve semi-trucks. Some workplace injuries, such as those that happen on construction sites and factories, may also rise to a catastrophic level of bodily damage.

What are common catastrophic injuries?

While any injury may become serious enough to require ongoing medical care, some occur at higher rates than others.

Spinal cord damage

The fibers of the spinal cord may become damaged in an accident, causing a loss of bodily functions and movement. Paralysis is a possible outcome when the cord receives a blow from the vertebrae meant to protect it.

Crush injuries

Getting pinned or crushed may cut off circulation to limbs and cause nerve damage. Crush injuries may damage extremities to the point that doctors must amputate the body part to save your life.

Traumatic brain injuries

When the head sustains impact damage, parts of the brain may become compromised. A traumatic brain injury may prove life-altering and fatal should medical professionals not intervene quickly enough.

The likelihood you may recover from a catastrophic injury and regain full use of your body is slim. This is why you should seek help in the form of compensation from those responsible for the lifestyle change.