Virginia Catastrophic Injury Lawyers

A catastrophic injury is a severe injury with significant long-term effects. To be considered catastrophic, the injury must significantly affect the victim’s quality of life. Some of the most common types are:

• Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) are a serious type of catastrophic injury. They can affect memory, thinking, movement, and speech, and sometimes cause long-term disability. Each year in the U.S., over 3.5 million people are treated for a TBI in emergency rooms, hospitals, or die from one, according to the Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA). TBIs can happen to anyone, but young children and older adults are at higher risk. Because these injuries can change lives forever, it’s important to get the right medical care—and legal help if someone else caused the injury.
• Spinal cord injuries. Spinal cord injuries are another common type of catastrophic injury and often cause paralysis or limited movement. Car accidents are the leading cause of spine injuries, and according to the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center (NSCISC), an estimated 18,421 people nationwide suffer a spinal cord injury each year.
• Permanent disfigurement. Amputations and severe burns are types of traumatic injuries that result in particularly high levels of psychological trauma and pain. Sources estimate that there are about 2.3 million amputees in the United States, many of whom were injured by someone’s negligence. Losing a limb can cause permanent disability, but can also lead to depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. Amputations can be expensive and require medical equipment like prosthetics.
• Paralysis. Spinal cord injuries can cause paralysis. There are many types of paralysis, some temporary and some permanent. An injured person may suffer from partial paralysis, paraplegia, or quadriplegia.
• Broken bones. One more common type of catastrophic injury is a broken or fractured bone. Broken bones can be painful and can require multiple surgeries to repair the surrounding tissues and reset the bone.

Some other catastrophic injuries are neurological issues, coma, fractures, organ damage, and vision or hearing loss. These types of injuries affect a victim for the rest of their life, and are often not the victim’s fault, but happened based on factors outside of their control. Victims of injuries likely cannot return to work or may return in a limited role and will require intensive medical care.