What Is a Catastrophic Injury?

When dealing with a car accident, several elements of your life may change quickly. One of these is your health should you sustain a severe injury requiring a lifetime of care.

An injury that leaves you with extensive damage to your body falls under the catastrophic category. It means that the way you lived your life before the accident is no longer possible. Discover some of the more common types of catastrophic damage.

What Are Common Catastrophic Injuries?

Car accidents may result in some of the worst catastrophic damage to your body simply because of the forces. For instance, a collision between a passenger car and a semi-truck often results in devastating trauma or death. The most frequent catastrophic injuries include:

A Spinal Cord Injury

A sore back is one thing, but when the spinal column sustains damage, it may result in paralysis. The extent of the paralysis depends on where along the spinal cord the damage took place. Once the nerve impulses become interrupted by the injury, the body cannot receive messages to move from that point down.

Traumatic Brain Injury

A TBI can happen whether the head hits a hard object or not. When the head snaps due to the force of a crash, brain tissue may bleed and swell. Much like the spinal cord, damage in the brain may reverberate anywhere else in the body.

Amputation

If a limb becomes crushed in a crash, it may need removal. Losing a limb may mean you cannot continue your typical job or activities as you once did. While prosthetics may help, the injury falls into the catastrophic category.

Finances may become tight around any car accident, especially in the aftermath of one that causes a catastrophic injury. Seek assistance from someone who understands the process of financial recovery for your type of situation.