5 Most Common Types of Catastrophic Injuries You Must Know About!

The long-term medical bills in a catastrophic (life-threatening) injury case could exceed $5 million. Current and future lost income could be almost as much. Additionally, these victims and families must endure almost unbelievable pain and suffering. These victims need financial compensation to replace these out-of-pocket losses. They deserve compensation so they can move on with their lives.

Car crashes are the leading cause of catastrophic injuries. Today’s cars are much safer than they were twenty years ago. Today’s cars are also much bigger and faster than they were twenty years ago. No safety restraint system, no matter how advanced, can possibly absorb so much force.

Whether the catastrophic injury occurs suddenly and without warning or slowly over time, Catastrophic Injury Lawyers in Los Angeles can obtain the compensation these victims and their families need and deserve. This compensation usually includes money for economic losses, such as medical bills, and noneconomic losses, such as pain and suffering.

Serious Burns

These catastrophic injuries are especially common in truck crashes. These vehicles hold about 300 gallons of diesel fuel, a chemical that burns at a different temperature from gasoline. The amount and composition of diesel fuel increase the risk of a fire and the intensity of that fire. Furthermore, fully loaded large trucks usually weigh about 80,000 pounds. Therefore, crash victims are often pinned under flaming wreckage.

The initial injury is bad enough. Additionally, burns usually leave physical and emotional scars that serve as lifelong reminders of the crash.

Serious burns are difficult and expensive to treat. Normally, doctors must perform several skin graft surgeries to repair the damage. These surgeries must be performed at regional burn clinics, which are usually much costlier than other trauma centers.

Spine Injuries

The extreme force of a truck crash often causes spine injuries as well. However, the ordinary force in a passenger vehicle collision could cause such an injury. In fact, even a parking lot fender-bender could cause a specific kind of spine injury.

The spine is a long chain of bones and nerves. Any misalignment usually causes herniated discs and other very painful injuries. In terms of treatment options, these victims must normally choose between risky surgery and addictive pain pills. That’s not much of a choice.

Spinal fractures typically cause paralysis. The disc (stuff inside a hollow spine bone) seeps through the cracked bone, causing quite a mess. Sometimes, doctors can fuse vertebrae or perform another radical procedure and restore some function. These surgeries are so risky that, in many cases, the cure is worse than the disease.

The specific kind of spinal injury we mentioned above is whiplash, which affects the cervical spine. Most X-rays and other diagnostic tests don’t detect soft-tissue injuries like whiplash. The initial symptoms, such as neck soreness, are so mild that most victims and doctors don’t pay attention to them. Later, as the nerve injuries intensify, whiplash could cause paralysis.

Brain Injuries

PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) and sTBIs (severe traumatic brain injuries) are probably the two worst kinds of brain injuries.

A stress-induced chemical imbalance causes collision-related PTSD. Extreme stress enlarges the amygdala and shrinks the hippocampus, resulting in symptoms like:

• Flashbacks,
• Nightmares,
• Hypervigilance,
• Anger, and
• Depression.

Much like whiplash, PTSD could affect victims even if the car crash or other such incident wasn’t physically damaging.

Somewhat similarly, an sTBI is usually a motion-related injury. The extreme force causes the brain, which is about the size of an oversized coffee mug, to slam against the inside of the skull. The impact usually causes permanent injuries. Dead brain cells don’t regenerate.

Internal Bleeding

Exsanguination (excessive blood loss) is often the official cause of death in a vehicle collision matter. Continuing a familiar theme, slight impacts could cause catastrophic injuries.

The aforementioned motion causes internal organs to smash against each other. Since these organs don’t have protective skin layers, a slight abrasion bleeds profusely. In fact, many victims are on the edge of hypovolemic shock, a life-threatening condition, before they reach hospitals.

Cancer

A California Catastrophic Accident Attorney can obtain compensation for cancer if it was caused by misdiagnosis, environmental poisoning, or a defective drug or other product.

Cancer is one of the most commonly misdiagnosed medical conditions, mostly because early physical symptoms, such as chronic pain and fatigue, are very general. If a doctor misdiagnoses cancer, the early treatment window usually closes, significantly reducing the likelihood of a favorable outcome. Substances like asbestos and “forever chemicals” like PFAS could cause cancer and other serious illnesses, like reproductive problems. Manufacturers are also liable for damages if their products, like Roundup, or drugs, like Zantac, cause cancer.

Consult Our Experienced Personal Injury Attorneys Today!

Catastrophic injuries sustained in an accident can change your world upside down in a moment. But remember, we at the Law Offices of Eslamboly Hakim are here to protect your rights and help you get the compensation you rightfully deserve. We connect you with an experienced Catastrophic Accident Lawyer in California from our team who will navigate your way through this difficult time until you get justice. We don’t charge anything unless we win the case, so make sure to discuss your case with our free consultation today!