An unexpected car accident can disrupt your life, and the injuries that you suffered may very well be serious ones. But are they considered catastrophic?
One factor that determines the difference between catastrophic injuries and ones that are less serious is the overall state of your body and/or mind after you reach what is called MMI, or Maximum Medical Improvement. Catastrophic injuries will have lasting effects that impact the functioning of one or more body parts.
Different Types of Catastrophic Injuries
Any type of injury after a car accident can be serious, but catastrophic ones have the effect of leaving someone permanently disabled and/or in pain for most of (or the rest of) their lives.
Damage to Your Internal Organs
This is one of the injuries that people may have to live with for months to years after a bad car accident. Our body’s internal organs are vital to our survival. They are the heart, the intestines, the stomach, the liver, the kidneys, the bladder, the spleen, the lungs, and the brain.
Severe Burns
Depending on the severity of the car accident (such as if there was a fire), any person can end up with many scars for life. Third-degree burns can go through several skin layers and burns in the fourth degree can go all the way down to the bones.
Injuries to the Brain
Brain injuries regularly cause accident victims to undergo rehab and therapy for years and years. Sometimes, those with traumatic brain injuries must learn how to do the most basic tasks (like walking) all over again, and many have permanent impairments.
Injuries to the Spine
Paralysis is something that many people live with for the rest of their lives. Therefore so many cases where car accidents could have been avoided (such as if there was a drunk driver who caused it) have defendants and/or insurance companies paying very large settlements to victims who’ve literally had their lives turned upside down because of their negligence behind the wheel.
Broken Bones
Although some people do, there are those out there who will never fully recover from the severely traumatic fractures that they received in an accident, whether it was their limbs or their interior bones (such as their ribs or sternum).
Losses from Catastrophic Injuries
The losses from catastrophic injuries from a car crash can be overwhelming. These injuries can alter the rest of your life, and the compensation you receive from liable parties should reflect this fact.
Common losses of catastrophic injury victims include:
- Past medical bills – These often include ambulance transportation, emergency trauma care, surgeries, hospitalization, ICU stays, and other life-saving measures
- Future medical expenses – Most catastrophic injuries require ongoing medical care, possible for the rest of your life
- Lost income – If you injury prevents you from working, you can seek compensation for both past and future lost earnings
- Intangible losses – These include pain and suffering, permanent disabilities, disfigurement, and loss of enjoyment of life.
Always have an experienced Orange County car accident lawyer calculating the value of your losses.
