The Long Term Implications of Catastrophic Injuries

Catastrophic injuries take a long time for your body to heal, but it may take even longer for you to heal psychologically and financially. If you experienced life-altering injuries due to someone else’s negligence, you need as much assistance as you can get to heal from these injuries. Hiring an attorney to help you get monetary compensation is the best thing that you can do because of the long-term effects that your injuries cause.

What Are Catastrophic Injuries?

Catastrophic injuries include the following:

• Severe Bone Fractures

• Burn Injuries

• Spinal Cord Injuries

• Traumatic Brain Injuries

After Effects of Catastrophic Injuries

The Physical Effects

During the long recovery process, you may experience losses in the following areas:

Cognitive Function

A traumatic brain injury that results from a blow to the head may cause the following:

• Difficulties with organizing your thoughts

• Difficulties learning new things

• Behavior that you were not previously known for doing, or behavior that can be considered to be inappropriate

• The inability to control your fine motor functions

Mobility

After receiving a catastrophic injury, it can result in a temporary or permanent loss of mobility. If you receive a spinal cord injury, you may experience paralysis. If you suffer second- or third-degree burns, you will be unable to move your limbs, and your muscles will atrophy. 

Chronic Pain

Spinal cord injuries and burns are very painful as you heal. After an amputation, some people complain about feeling pain in the amputated limb. These pains are known as “phantom pains.” If you are experiencing pain, you may need your physician to prescribe medication to relieve it. 

The Psychological Effects

There are also long-term psychological effects, and these include the following:

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

This is the brain’s response to a particularly traumatic event. You are encountering this condition if you experience the following symptoms:

• Persistent feelings of shame and guilt

• Avoiding situations that remind you of getting hurt

• Self-destructive behavior

• Constantly remembering the accident when the injuries occurred

• Crying without knowing why

• Nightmares about being injured

Depression

If you are unable to leave your bed for several months while you heal, it can lead to depression. This may cause you to lose interest in the things that are around you. If you have to use a wheelchair or some other mobility aid, the realization that these things are necessary may be hard for you to accept. You may feel as if you will never fully heal, and it is a common sentiment among people with catastrophic injuries. 

The Financial Effects

Catastrophic injuries are very expensive as you may have learned after your injury. You will have several bills, and they will pile up because you will have several appointments to attend, including doctors’ visits, psychological sessions, physical therapy, occupational therapy and modifications to your house. If you are not able to work at this time, these bills can seem insurmountable. 

You must hold on to all of your bills. You may decide that you must sue the at-fault party responsible for your accident, and your personal injury attorney will need your medical bills to demonstrate to the court that your injuries are catastrophic.