Our top WV catastrophic injury lawyers are here to help victims of accidents and personal injuries who have suffered a major and catastrophic injury because of the negligence of another.
When dealing with life-changing catastrophic injuries to you or your loved one, you’ll need to contact a competent lawyer who has experience in catastrophic injury law suits. Please call us today at (304) 381-2166 for a consultation. There is no cost or obligation and if your injuries are so severe as to limit your ability to travel, we’ll be more than happy to come out and see you. Contact us by clicking/calling the number above or click the button below to start a conversation with us about how we can help you.
A catastrophic injury is a severe injury that can cause life-threatening damage to the body affecting a person’s ability to perform regular daily functions normally as prior to the injury. The term “catastrophic injury” may also refer to a serious life-altering event that results in a permanent disability or death, such as spinal cord injuries, brain injuries, skull or spinal fractures or major broken bones.
The term “catastrophic” is used because the injury causes a significant change to the quality of life for the injured person. Injuries that affect internal organs and proper bodily functioning of limbs or organ systems can be every bit as disabling and catastrophic as external and more readily apparent physical injuries. An injury may be “catastrophic” because of the impact that it has on a person and their ability to function in terms of earning a living – the United States Federal Government defines “catastrophic injury” as one that permanently prevents a person from working.
These types of injuries can cause a variety of life-threatening damage to the body. A devastating catastrophic injury can cause prolonged pain and disability for years. A traumatic catastrophic injury is often accompanied by other injuries, such as bone fractures, burns, or internal bleeding. Often times catastrophic injuries result in long-term care or life-care planning needs.
Serious and catastrophic injuries are very common in the workplace, particularly in labor and manufacturing jobs. These injuries can be caused by many factors, some of which are more common than others. Additionally, one of the most frequent causes of life-altering injuries are all types of motor vehicle accidents. The most common causes of catastrophic injuries are as follows:
A catastrophic injury is one that causes significant damage to a person’s body and leaves them with permanent disabilities. There are many different symptoms that can indicate a catastrophic injury, but the most common ones include:
Traumatic injury:
A traumatic injury is an injury that is caused by an external force or object, that is often very sudden. This can include a fall, a car, motorcycle or truck accident, work-related incident, or a gunshot wound.
Catastrophic injury:
A catastrophic injury is an injury that causes significant long-term or permanent damage to the body, which can be from internal or external causes. Internally, it can be caused by things like a stroke, heart attack, or other injuries to internal organ systems caused by malpractice, toxic exposure, drugs or pharmaceuticals, chemicals or poisons.
The treatments for a catastrophic injury depend on the severity of the injury. The most common treatments are pain medication, surgery, and rehabilitation. Unfortunately, by its very definition, a catastrophic injury is one that significantly impacts on a person’s ability to enjoy life, and the ramifications are often long term, if not life long, thus requiring long-term care or rehab or life care planning.
Below we will discuss some of the more common types of serious and catastrophic injuries that we see on a more regular basis; although, this list and discussion is not meant to be comprehensive.
When a person has been the victim of a major accident such as one involving an automobile, motorcycle or tractor trailer, 
chances are that if they weren’t killed, they may have suffered a permanent catastrophic injury such as spinal cord damage, severe burns or trauma to the brain.
In each of these cases, the catastrophic injury has altered the person’s life making it more difficult if not impossible to work, or to even function normally in society. Each type of catastrophic injury has it’s own set of challenges that a person has to deal with and overcome.
In the case of the person who suffers a spinal cord injury, there can be damage so severe that they may no longer be able to walk. In another instance the spinal cord damage may have occurred in such a place on the person’s spine that he or she is left paralyzed from the neck down and is unable to walk, move their arms or breath on their own. In either case, their lives are changed forever as they no longer are able to support themselves and as a result will most likely spend the rest of their lives in the care of others.
Burn Injuries vary in their severity and in the case of an automobile accident, can occur when the person is either rendered unconscious or is trapped in their car, unable to extricate themselves. Of all of the catastrophic injuries that we see, burn injuries are the most painful.
A burn victim may have to spend many months in a special burn unit of a hospital or be transferred to a special hospital that provides burn victim services. There they will possible have to undergo a number of painful and time consuming skin grafts. Even if all goes as well as possible, the burn victim can be left with horrible scarring and disfigurement that will have a life-long effect on their self esteem and their ability to have normal relationships requiring psychological therapy.
Traumatic brain injuries can occur due to a blow to the head or a severe shaking or rattling of the brain within the skull. 
Most catastrophic brain trauma happens in motor vehicle accidents because one does not wear a helmet when driving a car or crossing as a pedestrian at an intersection.
A severe brain injury can produce instant, temporary or permanent memory loss. In addition, a person’s motor skills and functions can be altered to an extent that leaves them unable to work for a living.
Many of these types of cases are caused by the negligence of another person operating a motor vehicle recklessly, or distracted by their cell phone or while under the influence of drugs and alcohol.
Brain injuries can also result from non-traumatic causes, such as anoxia or ischemic events. Some of these types of events can arise in the context of medical malpractice.
If you are the victim of another person’s negligence, you can and should sue them and their insurance company for damages to compensate you for the physical and emotional pain and suffering that you are having to endure, as well as recover for medical expenses and anticipated care expenses into the future.
Our highly competent and experienced WV catastrophic injury lawyers can help you through the process of pursuing a claim to recover a fair settlement or award for your injury or the serious injury or death of a loved one. Contact Adams Legal Group, PLLC today by calling (304) 381-2166 or by clicking the button below to complete our contact form.
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