Boulder Catastrophic Injury Lawyers

What Are the Different Types of Catastrophic Injuries?

A catastrophic injury is one that is so serious it leaves the victim with permanent damage. Sustaining a catastrophic injury means losing a vital part of one’s person. This could mean loss of movement and sensation in a large portion of the body, loss of cognitive abilities, loss of an arm or a leg, or any severe injury that significantly alters your life.

Catastrophic injuries may cause cognitive impairment, damage the delicate spinal cord, or cause severe physical damage to different parts of the body. Examples of catastrophic injuries include:

• Amputation: Motor vehicle accidents and work-related injuries can cause loss of a limb. In some cases, physical injury is so severe that surgical amputation is necessary. Limb loss can significantly impact the remainder of a person’s life.
• Severe burns: Second or third-degree burns affecting the head and face, or a large portion of the body are painful, disfiguring, and debilitating. This type of injury can impair movement, cause hearing or vision loss, and have long-term psychological effects. Treatment for severe burn injuries often involves multiple surgeries and skin grafting.
• Internal organ damage: Serious injury to organs may require extensive treatment, cause major health complications, and severely limit the victim’s physical activity. Organ damage can impact emotional health and significantly diminish your quality of life.
• Spinal cord injury resulting in paralysis: Severe damage to the spinal cord can cause complete or partial paralysis affecting the legs and pelvic organs. Paralysis may also affect the hands and arms, depending on the location of the injury to the spinal cord.
• Severe traumatic brain injury (TBI): Severe TBI can cause memory loss, cognitive impairment, and difficulty performing routine tasks. It can also cause extreme personality changes and significantly impact lifestyle and relationships.
• Vision loss: Traumatic injury to the eyes or certain areas of the brain can cause partial or total loss of vision. Sight is one of the most important avenues through which we perceive our environment. When your vision is impacted, it leaves you unable to go back to your day to day life. Tasks as simple as taking a walk down the street becomes difficult.
• Hearing loss: Workers in manufacturing, construction, and other industries can suffer hearing loss if they are not provided with the proper protective safety equipment. Loss of hearing can have a major impact on a person’s occupation and personal relationships. Medical procedures and hearing aids may be required to treat inner ear damage.