Catastrophic or Serious Injuries

A catastrophic or serious injury is a type of harm which is devastating and usually permanent in nature with life-altering consequences. Naturally, these types of injuries have a severe impact on not only the victim’s life, but also the lives of the victim’s family and friends as well. Sadly, these types of injuries usually occur abruptly with no warning. Any injuries or conditions that cause impairment of at least one vital bodily function or a permanent loss of earning capacity are typically considered catastrophic. Generally speaking, catastrophic injuries usually involve severe impact on the spine, brain and/or involve a loss of limb as further discussed below:

Spinal Cord Injury

With 247,000 Americans currently living with a spinal cord injury, and approx. 11,000 injuries occurring each year, daily routines such as driving a car or walking down a flight of stairs, can unexpectedly result in a life changing injury with physical and lifestyle constraints. For the past 20 years, the number of injuries per million has remained stable at 40 incidents per million.

Brain Injury

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is an injury to the brain as a result of accident or injury. It may be focal (confined to a small area) or diffuse (affecting a large area of the brain). When an outside force impacts the head hard, a brain injury can occur. Impactions can happen in various ways, either causing the brain to move within the skull, or breaking the skull and hurting the brain on contact. Among the elder and infants, the leading cause of brain injuries are falls. Infants can also obtain a brain injury from being shaken violently.

Amputation Injury

In the United States, there is an estimated 1.7 million people living with an amputation and approximately 135,000 new amputations yearly. While 75% of all amputations happen in persons over the age of 65, the peak age for limb loss is between 41 and 70. Also, males have a higher amputation rate than females. There are many reasons for an amputation, including vascular disease (circulation problems), cancer, trauma, and congenital (from birth).

Catastrophic injures can also include:

• Loss of vision
• Multiple fractures
• Severe burns
• Other neurological disorders

Catastrophic Injury Due To The Negligence Of Others

Injuries categorized as “catastrophic” cause enormous disruption or impairment to one or more physical systems including the muscular, neurological, and/or skeletal systems of your body.
Catastrophic injuries can be a consequence of careless human errors or other neglectful behavior, oversights, and/or deliberate misconduct by your health care provider or physician (or other person in a position of trust).

These injuries are often caused by a variety of accidents, including the following:

• Auto-pedestrian;
• Aviation;
• Trucking;
• Car;
• Construction;
• Industrial;
• Nautical; and/or,
• Job-related.

Injuries of a catastrophic nature may also be caused by intentional conduct such as:

• Assault & Battery;
• Civil rights Violations;
• Environmental Disasters;
• Exposure to Toxic Substances; and/or,
• Faulty Products.

Questions Often Associated With A Catastrophic Injury

Catastrophic injures are more often than not permanent life-altering injuries, the consequences of which you and your family will need to account for the rest of your life. After a catastrophic injury, the injured person and their family are faced with a number of serious issues requiring qualified, professional advice. Some of the most important questions asked by the injured person and their families are:

• Was the injury caused by the negligence of some other person or entity?
• Can a personal injury claim seeking compensation be pursued?
• How will past medical bills or cost of future medical care be paid?

We Can Help

The attorneys of Christopher L. Phillips Law Group act as a team to guide you in making the most informed decisions about your catastrophic injury case by providing comprehensive information to enable you to deal with the situation, whether you are the person suffering from injuries or a family member of the injured victim. We are a dedicated team of attorneys and medical consultants specifically trained and experienced with brain, spinal and amputee cases. We understand your life shattering experience, and its impact on your life and the lives of your family members. Specifically, our attorneys understand the psychological, physical, medical, economical, and occupational impacts on the individual who has suffered catastrophic injuries and, just as importantly, the impact on their families. We are here to help so please do not hesitate to contact us to discuss your case free of charge.