Catastrophic injuries often happen as a result of an accident when too much force is exerted. It can be anything from a mild concussion to something much worse. How much it affects a person depends on how severe the injury is.
These injuries can change everything about a person’s life. And it’s not just about the person hurt; it affects their family, friends, and even their job or school life.
Catastrophic injury attorneys can help people who’ve gone through such life-changing injuries. They will do all it takes to ensure that these victims get the support and compensation they need to adjust to their new normal. So, understanding what these injuries mean is really important.
Here are the most common types of catastrophic injuries victims of violent accidents usually suffer, including paralysis and TBIs:
Paralysis
Paralysis is a medical condition where you can’t move part or all of your body. It happens when something messes with the signals that travel from your nerves to your muscles.
Normally, your brain sends signals through your nerves to tell your muscles to move, but if something blocks or stops those signals, your muscles can’t move how they’re supposed to.
There are a few things that can cause paralysis, like a stroke, a spinal cord injury, or conditions like multiple sclerosis. There’s also Bell’s palsy, which causes temporary paralysis in your face, usually on one side, but it goes away after a while.
If someone has paralysis, they might need help with things like eating, dressing, or even using the bathroom. Some types of paralysis can get better over time, like Bell’s palsy, but things like spinal cord injuries often last forever.
Even though permanent paralysis doesn’t have a cure, some people do get better, especially in the first year after the injury.
Traumatic Brain Injury
A traumatic brain injury, or TBI, is when your brain gets hurt from something outside your body. It could happen if you hit your head really hard, like in a car crash, a bad fall, or even during sports. Sometimes, something like a bullet or a piece of broken bone could actually go into the brain and cause damage.
However, not every bump to the head is a TBI. It depends on how hard the impact was and what kind of damage it caused.
Other Catastrophic Injuries You Should Know
Catastrophic injuries come in many forms, and while paralysis and traumatic brain injuries are some of the most talked about, they’re far from the only ones. Here are other common ones:
Severe burns
Severe burns happen when heat, chemicals, electricity, or radiation damage the skin and sometimes even deeper tissues. The skin is your body’s protective barrier, so when it’s burned, you lose that defense.
Burns can be caused by things like touching something very hot, spilling boiling liquids, or being in a fire. Chemicals like strong acids or electrical shocks can also cause burns. The severity depends on how deep and widespread the burn is.
Chronic strain injuries
Strain injuries develop when parts of the body are overused or repeatedly injured. For example, lifting heavy objects incorrectly over time can damage your back, or typing for long hours every day without proper hand positioning can cause problems like carpal tunnel syndrome.
Organ damage
Organ damage happens when an impact or disease hurts the organs inside your body, like your heart, liver, or lungs. Car accidents are a common cause, especially if there’s a strong blow to the chest or abdomen.
These injuries often don’t heal on their own and may require surgery, and even with treatment, they can leave a person with lifelong complications.
Loss of limbs
Amputations occur when someone loses a limb, either because of an accident or because doctors need to remove it to save the rest of the body.
For instance, a factory worker might lose a hand in a machinery accident, or a soldier could lose a leg in an explosion.Â
Sometimes, infections or diseases like diabetes can damage a limb so much that it needs to be removed.
