What is a Catastrophic Injury?

Many different kinds of injuries can be inflicted to a person as the result of a car accident or other incident. Sometimes these injuries are minor, just sprain or minor cut. Sometimes, however, injuries can be much more severe and these cause even greater problems to the individuals afflicted by them. These kinds of injuries are known as catastrophic injuries.

By definition, a catastrophic injury is one in which the nature of it causes permanent damage, often to a very serious degree. Catastrophic injuries tend to be damages to the brain or spinal cord, as these parts of the body are vital to normal functionality. An example of such an injury might be trauma to the spine that renders a person paralyzed from the waist down. Head trauma is very likely to have long term effects, with greater impacts creating greater problems. These are examples, of course, and any injury that has permanent effects would fall under the category of catastrophic.

If you do sustain a catastrophic injury as the result of a car accident, what are your options? Unlike more minor injuries, catastrophic ones are very easy to prove in a court of law and therefore the chance to receive financial compensation from the at fault driver in the accident is almost guaranteed. Due to the permanency of the injury, medical treatment is also either long-term or chronic and therefore settlement rates are often very high or continue to pay out over the course of a person’s life.

Of course, if you are pursuing a personal injury claim for a catastrophic injury, or any kind for that matter, it is always best to have a skilled and experienced attorney on your side to help ensure that you win your case and receive the most back. To learn more about how we at the Franco Law Firm can serve you in this capacity, please call us any time at (813) 872-0929.