Some injuries heal with time.
Others permanently change a person’s life.
Catastrophic injuries can affect a person’s ability to work, walk, communicate, live independently, or participate in activities they once enjoyed.
These cases require more than simply adding up current medical bills.
Examples of Catastrophic Injuries
Catastrophic injuries can include:
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Paralysis
- Amputations
- Severe burns
- Permanent nerve damage
- Multiple fractures
- Permanent organ damage
- Severe disfigurement
The consequences may extend far beyond the initial hospitalization.
The Cost of a Catastrophic Injury Can Be Enormous
A person with a catastrophic injury may require:
- Emergency treatment
- Surgery
- Rehabilitation
- Physical therapy
- Occupational therapy
- Assistive equipment
- Home modifications
- Future surgeries
- In-home care
- Long-term medical treatment
A person who can no longer work may also lose years or decades of future income.
Families Are Often Affected Too
Catastrophic injuries do not happen to one person alone.
A spouse may have to stop working to provide care. Parents may have to modify their home for a child. Family members may become responsible for transportation, medical appointments, medications, and daily assistance.
The financial and emotional consequences can be overwhelming.
Future Needs Must Be Considered
An insurance company may focus on the bills you have already received.
A catastrophic injury case requires looking forward.
What treatment will be necessary five years from now?
Will the injured person ever return to the same job?
Will modifications to the home be necessary?
Will specialized equipment need to be replaced?
These questions can have a major effect on the value of a claim.
Do Not Let an Early Settlement Define Your Future
A settlement may provide immediate financial relief, but catastrophic injuries can create expenses that continue for decades.
Before accepting an offer, make sure the full extent of the injury and future needs have been evaluated.
Timbs Injury Law represents people in Jackson and throughout Mississippi who have suffered serious and catastrophic injuries because of another person’s negligence. The firm’s practice-area information specifically recognizes that catastrophic injuries can result in permanent disability and lifelong care needs.
If your injury has changed your future, your legal claim should account for that future.