What Qualifies As Catastrophic Injury?

In 2021, there were 121,345 crashes on Arizona roads. These resulted in 51,633 injuries, some of which were serious enough to be classed as catastrophic.

If you or a loved one has suffered a catastrophic injury, there’s no need to suffer in silence. If another party’s negligence caused the injury, you may be entitled to compensation.

The personal injury lawyers at Phillips Law Group have helped many clients receive the compensation they deserve after suffering catastrophic injuries. We want to hear your story and evaluate your case, too. You pay nothing unless we secure compensation for you.

Call Phillips Law Group at (602) 222-2222 or contact us online today for a free case evaluation.

How Catastrophic Injury Changes Your Life

Suffering a catastrophic injury means that your life will never be the same again. It happens suddenly, and the effects can last a lifetime. Catastrophic injuries are not always permanent, but they require a lot of medical treatment and cause pain, suffering, and anxiety.

In severe cases, catastrophic injuries can lead to permanent disability. You may need 24-hour care or ongoing physical therapy and medical treatment. In addition, a catastrophic injury can significantly impact family life and is likely to limit your earning potential.

To understand the difference between a catastrophic and non-catastrophic injury, imagine that you were involved in a car accident. A broken arm that may heal in a few weeks is a non-catastrophic injury. However, if your arm is crushed and must be amputated after the crash, this can be classified as a catastrophic injury with a long-term impact on your life.

Types of catastrophic injury

Some examples of injuries that could be catastrophic include:

• Brain injuries: Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) can result in memory problems, muscle weakness, changes in vision and speech, and cognitive difficulties
• Spinal cord injuries: May result in partial or complete paralysis, with loss of feeling and motor function
• Amputations: Traumatic and surgical amputations cause long-term disability.
• Burns: Often cause extreme suffering, requiring ongoing medical treatment. In many cases, burns will cause permanent disfigurement
• Loss of eyesight or hearing: Losing either of these senses will require significant adaptations to your working and family life
• Multiple fractures/crush injuries: Can lead to loss of motor function and permanent disability

Causes of catastrophic injuries

Catastrophic injuries can result from many types of accidents, including:

• Auto accidents
• Motorcycle accidents
• Bicycle accidents
• Pedestrian accidents
• Workplace accidents
• Sports accidents
• Trampoline accidents
• Fires
• Boating accidents
• Medical negligence
• Falls
• Violent crime
• Slip, trip, and fall accidents
• Agricultural/farming accidents
• Defective drugs and medical appliances

We all have a duty of care to one another when driving or taking part in any activity that could cause harm to others, but accidents are often caused by the reckless or negligent behavior of another party. If your injuries are the result of another party’s actions or lack of action, you may be entitled to receive compensation. This won’t change the situation, but it could help you access the ongoing medical care you need and be able to provide for your family.

Determining Liability

During your consultation with Phillips Law Group, our attorney will listen carefully to you. He or she will ask questions and examine any evidence that you bring with you. The lawyer’s goal is to determine what went wrong and who may be liable.

Our lawyer will consider whether the other party had a duty of care toward you and notice where they failed to fulfill that duty of care either by negligence or through the recklessness of their actions.

When we agree to take on your case, we will go through all the relevant documentation in minute detail. Phillips Law Group attorneys will examine every option for pursuing compensation on your behalf. 

Call Phillips Law Group at (602) 222-2222 or contact us online to schedule a free case evaluation.

The Impact of Catastrophic Injuries

A catastrophic injury causes severe injuries and acute suffering. The far-reaching impact can be physical, emotional, and financial. 

Partial and complete paralysis

Catastrophic injuries to the neck and spinal cord can happen in pedestrian, bicycle, motorcycle, and trampoline accidents.

Injuries are termed “complete” if you lose all feeling and ability to control your motor functions below the site of the injury. If you have some control or feeling below that point, though, the injury is called “incomplete.”

Both forms of paralysis will have a long-term impact on your ability to care for yourself. You may require ongoing, possibly 24-hour care. Additionally, you may need physical therapy and medical treatment to maintain your quality of life.

Neck and spinal cord injuries can also lead to loss of bowel and bladder control, sexual dysfunction, and pain. Currently, there is no cure for spinal cord injury.

Anxiety and depression

Some conditions are not visible to onlookers but cause pain and suffering to people who have experienced catastrophic injuries. Traumatic brain injuries, for example, can cause ongoing problems with depression and anxiety.

Financial challenges

After your accident, you will quickly be faced with a large pile of medical bills. Catastrophic injuries usually require continuous therapies and medical care. If you can no longer perform the work you did before your accident, you could find yourself in debt.

Working with an attorney allows you to focus on adjusting to your new life. Phillips Law Group attorneys can fight to secure fair compensation for you. We have successfully recovered compensation for many victims of catastrophic injuries and are ready to review your case. 

Call Phillips Law Group at (602) 222-2222 or contact us online to find out whether we can help you.

Compensation for Catastrophic Injuries

If your injuries were caused by negligence, you have a right to seek compensation. Insurance companies are looking to protect their own interests. You need to work with an attorney who will fight with your best interests at heart.

You could be entitled to the following compensation:

• Medical expenses: Even with insurance, you will still incur a lot of out-of-pocket medical expenses. Catastrophic injuries often require ongoing medical care, drugs, medical appliances, and physical therapy.
• Long-term care: You may need the support of caretakers to keep you safe and comfortable throughout the day. You can seek compensation to cover these long-term expenses.
• Lost wages: You will likely have lost wages as your injuries prevented you from working. You can also seek compensation if the accident caused you to lose your earning capacity.
• Pain and suffering: Catastrophic injuries result in pain and suffering that may last a lifetime. 

Compensation will not turn back time. However, it can reduce your anxiety about how you will pay for your long-term needs. It can give you peace of mind that you can continue to access the medical care and support on which you rely.

How Phillips Law Group Can Help

A catastrophic injury can turn your world upside down in a heartbeat. To get the compensation you deserve, you need an attorney who will fight hard to protect your rights on your behalf.

At Phillips Law Group, our personal injury lawyers have a great record of successfully representing clients across the country. Over the last 26 years, we’ve worked with more than 155,000 clients and have secured over $1 billion in compensation.

There is no need to go it alone. Call Phillips Law Group at (602) 258-8888 or reach out online to schedule your free, personalized case evaluation today.