What Qualifies As Catastrophic Injury?
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- 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.
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Sophia H is a pleasure to work with! Thanks for all you do.
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Phillips law group has an amazing staff and i recommend them to everyone.
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I would like to send special thanks to Phillips Law Group for giving me the opportunity to be a part of the Best Law Firm here in the Valley. During these troubling times with the epidemic, Phillips Law Group has masterfully created this family-like environment while still maintaining a professional and business-like approach for all their clients. Thru impeccable leadership that is unmatched by other law firms to the Multi-diverse employment opportunities that many employees advance within the firm; Phillips Law Group has not only distanced themselves from all other competition in the Personal Injury field but also has innovatively changed the narrative of being a great law institution. From providing Employee Appreciation Day to celebrating all major Holiday including great competitive contests; Phillips Law Group has the total participation of all employees to help contribute to the continued success of this firm. So in closing I would like to thank Senior Administration (Jeffery Phillips, Eva Chiaramonte, and Tim Tonkin) along with all of my colleagues and many friends for help making Phillips Law Group a unique and wonderful place to call my place of employment for 6+ years.
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I was recently served court documents that I was being sued from an accident that happened years ago. For someone who has never been through something like this and not familiar with the court lingo or where to even begin, it was very frustrating and stressful. I reached out to a family member who knew Tracy Laskos and the great reputation of Phillips Law Group and within the hours of the initial call for help, I had a direct number to Lead Attorney Nassar. Nassar heard my case and almost instantly put me at ease by explaining the process and how easy it was to handle. Nassar spoke to me like he was a friend, not like I was a client. I am so grateful to Tracy, Nasar and of course my cousin Stephanie for helping out and giving me the direction that I needed to get through this situation. I plan on referring my friends, family and patients that are in need of a personal injury Attorney to Phillips Law Group. Thank you!!
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Phillips Law Group is a company that has taught me so many things. Here your work, your dedication, effort and discipline are valued, in addition to the fact that, as a woman, as an immigrant and as a human being, I have been given value and empowerment. We are a successful law firm because all workers feel part of a great family. I am very proud and honored to work at Phillips Law Group.
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Working at Phillips Law Group has been a blessing from the beginning for me and I am extremely thankful to work for a firm that values their employees so much. Here I believe we are a huge family of hard working people that can bring a sense of comfort to our client’s lives in times of hardships, stress and chaos. From intake to Settlement we strive to provide the best customer care to all of our wonderful clients. With a 4.8 rating and over 1100+ star reviews on Google no surprise our firm is extremely well known for the quality of work we do!! #teamPLG!!
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I have been with Phillips Law Group for a little over a year and I have learned what teamwork and family in a workplace looks like. There is always someone around to lend a helping hand, which is something I appreciate and cherish. I feel a sense of joy coming to work every day because of my co-workers as well as being able to help people in what can be a scary and stressful situation. I currently work as a Litigation Legal Assistant with an amazing team. When I started here, I was not very knowledgeable in personal injury. I was lucky to have been placed with an amazing team who was willing to take time to teach and pass on some great skills that have been a huge aid in helping me be successful in my position. I would recommend working here at Phillips Law Group, because they care about their employees and there is so much room for growth.
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Sophia H is very helpful.
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They knew exactly how to explain the case to me in a way that I would understand it. They gave me hope that my life wasn’t over.