Catastrophic injuries are life-changing events that have a significant effect on the physical, emotional, and financial aspects of one’s life. These injuries greatly impact the individual’s life by affecting their ability to perform everyday tasks and often lead to permanent disabilities. These repercussions impact not just the individual but also their families, as they need lifelong care, rehabilitation, and adjustment in their living conditions. These injuries consist of a broad range of medical conditions, from the spinal cord to severe brain trauma.
In this article, we will understand these injuries, their symptoms, and how they affect the individual’s life. If you are a victim of such injuries, in the case of seeking legal help, you should consider experts like Dolan Dobrinsky Rosenblum Bluestein in the field and help you navigate the aftermath.
Types Of Catastrophic Injuries
These are the injuries referring to the ones with severe and lasting damage that results in permanent disability or disfigurement. These often arise from accidents or medical malpractices, also sometimes due to violent attacks. Some of the common types of these injuries are:
1. Traumatic Brain Injury
This is the type of injury that is caused by a sudden blow to the head, resulting in disruption of normal brain functions. These injuries range from mild concessions to cognitive impairment and memory loss, and often, changes in behavior and personality are also seen.
2. Spinal Cord Injuries
Spinal cord injuries can cause damages like partial or complete paralysis. The extent of the paralysis depends on the severity or location of the injury.
3. Amputations
The loss of a limb can particularly affect the person’s ability to perform daily tasks independently. Rehabilitation and prosthetics do help, but the emotional stress due to injury has a long-lasting effect on them.
4. Severe Burns
Burns that are penetrated deep into the layers of the skin cause permanent damage that leads to disfigurement and chronic pain; thus, the individual suffering needs extensive medical care. These injuries sometimes need multiple surgeries and a long recovery period.
5. Organ Damage
Injuries like these affect internal organs and sometimes lead to permanent health issues and lifelong care for those conditions.
Causes And Risks
Causes of these types of injuries are often a result of negligence or reckless behavior. Some of the common causes are:
1. Motor Vehicle Accidents
High-speed collisions with vehicles like cars, trucks, and motorcycles are particularly a leading cause of injuries like traumatic brain injury, injury to the spinal cord, or sometimes amputations.
2. Workplace Accidents
Injuries like falls, heavy machinery accidents, or harmful substance exposure are a threat to individuals working in the jobs of chemical factories, construction industries, manufacturing, and transportation. These injuries can have a significant impact throughout their life.
3. Sports Injuries
Athletes of sports in particularly high intensity like football, rugby, and hockey have a great risk of getting injured in the spinal cord or brain. Hence, professional athletes and children engaged in these types of sports are advised to take precautions to avoid severe injuries.
4. Medical Malpractices
Medical malpractices are another serious cause of injuries, such as errors in medical procedures, improper treatment, or incorrect diagnosis. For example, surgical mistakes lead to nerve damage, and organ failure can be a result of incorrect diagnosis.
Long-term Effect Of Catastrophic Injuries
Following the aftermath of the incident, it is an overwhelming journey of healing the physical, emotional, and financial challenges that are faced by the victims as it has a significant effect on their daily lives. Some of the impacts are:
1. Physical rehabilitation
Many of these injuries require years of physical therapy to get back to regular mobility or at least gain a level of mobility and function. These sometimes include occupational therapy to learn some of the basic tasks and also speech therapy for the one suffering from brain damage.
2. Psychological Impact
While going through the process of rehabilitation and recovery, the psychological effect on them is also a concern, as some fatal injuries can lead to depression, trauma, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder. With the patient, family members also need to get counseling to go through their healing process.
