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Springfield Catastrophic Injury Lawyer

Any injury that will have serious, long-lasting effects on the person who was injured could be classified as a catastrophic injury. They usually occur unexpectedly; for example, in trucking accidents, drunk driving accidents or other accidents. They often result in the inability to work and earn a living. In addition to the victim's difficulties and challenges of everyday living, the family and loved ones are also affected. A lifetime of medical treatment, rehabilitation and care will affect them all. When tragedy causes catastrophic injuries, it is wise to consult with a legal professional that may be able to pursue financial compensation for the victim or immediate family members. This compensation can greatly ease the financial burdens and also help make up for the pain and suffering. A Springfield personal injury attorney may be able to help.

How to Know if Yours is a Catastrophic Injury

Injuries can be classified according to the degree of damage, pain and suffering it causes to the victim of the injury. As such, some are inarguably more serious than others. The most serious of all injuries are those defined as catastrophic in nature. Determined to be ones that are likely to cause a person to suffer long-term (perhaps the rest of their life) and / or dramatically affect the lifestyle they were once used to, catastrophic injuries are the worst of the worse. The most commonly described catastrophic injuries are the following:

  • Injuries to the brain: Traumatic brain injuries are most often seen in the elderly and infants, but anyone is susceptible to suffering in such a way. Caused when blunt force is taken to the head, a brain injury can be localized to a very specific area of the brain or it can be diffused throughout a large area of the brain. In both scenarios, the victim stands to suffer tremendously and will likely never recover fully.
  • Injuries that require amputation: Yearly, it is estimated that approximately 135,000 new amputations are made. It has also been estimated that more than one million people living in the U.S. are amputees. Most amputations occur in men and women between the ages of 41 and 70; however, victims of every age have had one or more limbs amputated when an accident caused them serious injury.
  • Injuries to the soft tissue: Accidents that result in injury to the soft tissue of a person can be felt throughout the body. Muscles, ligaments and tendons are the most commonly affected areas of soft tissue injury. In the most serious cases, not only will soft tissue injuries cause bruising, swelling and general pain, they may also result in complete loss of function.
  • Injuries to the spinal cord: Spinal cord injuries are some of the most serious and severe of all injuries, as very often they result in complete paralysis. Currently, almost 250,000 Americans are living with some degree of injury to the spine and it has been estimated that about 11,000 more of the injuries are accrued each year.

When the victim of an accident or medical mishap is forced to have a limb amputated, when the victim of a car accident suffers traumatic brain injury upon impact of the crash, when the victim of a slip and fall accident becomes paralyzed from injury to the spinal cord, the event is classified as catastrophic. Never again will a sufferer to this degree be able to function completely "normally," making them victims of a catastrophic accident / injury.