When an Injury Causes Permanent, Life-Altering Consequences
Many personal injury cases deal with only minor injuries or those from which individuals will eventually recover. However, other personal injury cases involve catastrophic injuries. These injuries are far more severe and often result in permanent impairments or disabilities that impact the everyday lives of accident victims.
Treatment for catastrophic injuries typically costs significantly more than for a minor injury and treatment may be ongoing. As a result, accident victims may be eligible for greater amounts of compensation when the negligence of others has led to accidents causing catastrophic injuries. When you are in this situation, getting the advice of experienced Phoenix catastrophic accident attorneys can be helpful to ensure that you receive full compensation for your injuries.
Examples of Catastrophic Injuries
Catastrophic injuries have a severe impact on your life and ability to perform regular tasks, such as walking and caring for yourself. These injuries often have permanent repercussions for your everyday activities. Some common types of catastrophic injuries may include:
- Paralysis due to spinal cord or traumatic brain injuries
- Traumatic brain injuries resulting in cognitive deficits or coma
- Loss of limbs or function of limbs or organs
- Permanent scarring or disfigurement, such as from burn injuries
In most cases, a catastrophic injury makes you unable to work for some period, and perhaps indefinitely. You also are likely to suffer some permanent effects of a catastrophic injury, such as scarring, disability, or impairment that no amount of time or treatment will heal.
How Catastrophic Injuries Occur
Catastrophic injuries can occur in all types of accidents. Some of the most common accidents that lead to catastrophic injuries involve motor vehicles, including semi-truck accidents, motorcycle accidents, and bus accidents. However, other situations also can lead to catastrophic injuries, including:
- Bicycle accidents
- Accidents involving defective consumer products
- Pedestrian accidents
- Construction accidents
- Swimming pool accidents
How Common Catastrophic Injuries Really Are
Catastrophic injuries are not rare outliers. In the U.S., the CDC reports that traumatic brain injuries result in over 200,000 hospitalizations each year and nearly 70,000 deaths, often requiring lengthy care and rehabilitation with some estimates ranging from $600,000 to $2 million per individual.
Motor vehicle crashes result in millions of hospital visits each year, over 2.6 million emergency department visits for crash injuries and about 44,000 deaths annually, underscoring how common severe, life-altering injuries can be on U.S. roads.
These statistics reflect how widespread and severe catastrophic injury outcomes can be, particularly in crashes and high-impact trauma.
Damages in Catastrophic Injury Cases
If the negligence of others caused your accident, you may be eligible to seek compensation for your catastrophic injuries. The costs of treating a catastrophic injury are often much higher than treating a routine injury from which you will recover with some amount of medical treatment. In catastrophic injury cases, your medical treatment may be ongoing, perhaps for the remainder of your life.
You also may need other forms of care to help you with the activities of daily living due to your permanent impairments from your injuries. As a result, you might be entitled to damages such as:
- In-home medical or personal care services
- Medical assistive devices
- Alterations to your home and vehicle to accommodate your disability
- Rehabilitation and therapy services
- Ongoing medical care and treatment
These damages are in addition to damages that are common to most personal injury cases. Damages may include lost wages and loss of future income, medical expenses, property damage, and pain and suffering.
FAQs About Catastrophic Injury Cases
What makes an injury “catastrophic” rather than just serious?
A catastrophic injury is one that results in long-term or permanent impairment. The distinction is less about the initial trauma and more about how the injury affects a person’s ability to work, care for themselves, or live independently over time.
Do catastrophic injury cases always involve lifelong medical care?
Not always, but many do involve ongoing treatment, rehabilitation, or support services. Even when medical care tapers off, individuals may still require assistive devices, home modifications, or personal care that continues for years.
How are future medical needs evaluated in catastrophic injury claims?
Future needs are often evaluated by reviewing medical records, treatment plans, and expert assessments. This process focuses on how the injury is expected to affect daily life, mobility, and independence over time, not just immediate recovery.
Can family members be affected financially or practically by a catastrophic injury?
Yes. Family members often take on caregiving roles, adjust work schedules, or make changes to their living arrangements. These impacts are commonly considered when evaluating the full scope of losses caused by a catastrophic injury.
Why do catastrophic injury cases tend to be more complex than other personal injury cases?
These cases often involve higher medical costs, long-term planning, and disputes about future care and earning capacity. Because the consequences are lasting, more evidence and analysis are usually required to understand the full impact of the injury.
When a Catastrophic Injury Changes Life Permanently
Catastrophic injuries often affect far more than a person’s physical health. They can alter how someone works, moves, communicates, and lives day to day. Long-term medical care, rehabilitation, and support services are common, and the financial and practical consequences can extend well into the future.
When an injury is permanent or life-altering, understanding how damages are evaluated becomes especially important. Medical needs, future care, and the loss of independence or earning capacity are all factors that may play a role when determining how an injury has affected someone’s life.
Gallagher & Kennedy has represented individuals in Phoenix and across Arizona who have suffered catastrophic injuries in serious accidents. If you or a loved one is facing long-term consequences after an injury caused by someone else’s negligence, our attorneys can help explain what considerations may be relevant and what options may be available.