A serious injury can have a major impact on your life. Some injuries can be so severe as to cause long-term or even permanent impairments. These injuries are often referred to in personal injury cases as “catastrophic.”
If you suffered a catastrophic injury as a result of someone else’s negligence, you may be entitled to compensation. This guide will explain what constitutes a catastrophic injury, and how you can seek compensation.
Catastrophic Hurt: The Law Definition
The United States Code describes catastrophic injuries as ones that “permanently prohibit an individual from performing gainful work”. This is just one example of how a catastrophic injury can impact someone’s daily life. You may be unable to earn a living if you suffer a catastrophic injury.
Catastrophic Injuries Types
Catastrophic injury can take many forms.
- Spinal Cord Injuries: Spinal injuries can result in paralysis. These injuries can affect a person’s mobility, and even prevent them from being able to work. A paralyzed person may not be able to take care of their basic needs.
- Traumatic Brain Injury: The possible consequences of a trauma brain injury can be wide-ranging. Traumatic brain injury can lead to mood disorders, sleep problems, cognitive impairment, and more.
- Loss of limbs: An accident resulting in the loss of a limb can have a dramatic impact on a person’s life.
- Loss or damage to hearing or vision: Sometimes accidents cause victims to lose their senses such as hearing, vision, and, in rare cases, even the ability to feel pain. They are at a greater risk for injury in future accidents.
A catastrophic injury is a serious injury whose effects can be permanent. These types of injuries can negatively impact someone’s employment and cause other long-term problems.
The Consequences of Catastrophic Injuries
They can also cause:
- Pain: It’s not unusual for victims of catastrophic injuries to suffer from long-term pain.
- Mental anguish and emotional distress: Adjusting a victim to a new life after suffering a serious injury can cause mental and emotional problems.
- Loss in enjoyment of life: Many catastrophic injuries cause people to lose the pleasure of certain aspects of their lives.
Note that other people can be affected by catastrophic injuries. You may be paralyzed after an accident, and you are unable to care for yourself or work. It is likely that this will also affect other people in your family.
Your family will have to deal with your loss of income if you are the main earner in the household. Your role as a wife or husband may also be affected. You may not be able to take part in your children’s activities if you have them.
Your family will now likely be responsible for your care.
Pursuing Compensation in the Event of Catastrophic Accidents
You should never have to experience a catastrophic accident. You should be aware of your legal rights in the event that this happens.
Negligence can be responsible for accidents that result in catastrophic injuries. Injured victims can seek compensation through claims or lawsuits filed against negligent parties.
A personal injury lawyer can help you recover compensation more easily. An attorney can assist in the following crucial ways:
- Investigation of the accident to determine all parties liable
- Evidence gathering to prove negligence
- Filing a lawsuit or claim
- Negotiating with insurers for a fair settlement
- If necessary, you can sue for damages in court
This article was written by Alla Tenina. Alla is one of the best tax attorneys in Los Angeles California, and the founder of Tenina Law. She has experience in bankruptcies, real estate planning, and complex tax matters. Visit www.teninalaw.com for more information. The information provided on this website does not, and is not intended to, constitute legal advice; instead, all information, content, and materials available on this site are for general informational purposes only. Information on this website may not constitute the most up-to-date legal or other information. This website contains links to other third-party websites. Such links are only for the convenience of the reader, user, or browser; the ABA and its members do not recommend or endorse the contents of the third-party sites.
This article was written by Alla Tenina. Alla is a top personal injury lawyer Sherman Oaks CA, and the founder of Tenina Law. She has experience in bankruptcies, real estate planning, and complex tax matters. The information provided on this website does not, and is not intended to, constitute legal advice; instead, all information, content, and materials available on this site are for general informational purposes only. Information on this website may not constitute the most up-to-date legal or other information. This website contains links to other third-party websites. Such links are only for the convenience of the reader, user, or browser; the ABA and its members do not recommend or endorse the contents of the third-party sites.
