When you’ve been injured–whether at work, in a car accident or due to the negligence of another–it can be life-changing. When you’re overwhelmed by doctors’ visits, insurance company calls, and keeping a roof over your head, you might not know where to turn.

Sometimes, injuries are mild and don’t require long-term care. But unfortunately, that’s not always the case. Sometimes you could suffer severe injuries that warrant months–sometimes years–of recovery or treatment. More severe injuries from accidents could mean surgeries–and they could mean that you’re out of work for a while.

An injury is damage to your body. It is a general term that refers to the harm that is caused by any number of events, including accidents, falls, hits, weapons, and more. Millions of people across the country are injured every year. These injuries range from minor to life-threatening. Injuries can happen at work or play, indoors or outdoors, driving a car, or walking across the street.

No matter the nature of the injury, when you’ve been hurt, you’ll need time to focus on your well being and your family’s care. When the injury is severe, it can be challenging: how do you balance your recovery or medical treatment while you pay your bills and watch over your loved ones?

According to Cornell Law School, a serious bodily injury is as follows:

• a substantial risk of death
• protracted and obvious disfigurement
• protracted loss or impairment of the function of a bodily member, organ, or mental faculty

So when you’ve suffered a serious injury, also known as a catastrophic injury, you need a trustworthy team of personal injury attorneys to help you navigate this difficult time. Your priority should be on your recovery–let us take care of the insurance companies. We are able to get you the compensation you deserve so that you can get on with your life.

In this blog post, we’ll review the different types of severe personal injuries that you might be experiencing after an accident. If you’ve had a severe injury, reach out to us at Castan & Lecca. We want to hear your story.

Traumatic Brain Injuries

Traumatic Brain Injuries, or TBIs, are serious injuries that occur to the brain. They are capable of altering the way in which the brain operates, thus affecting the way you process information or think. These types of injuries can create lasting damage that could constitute a lifelong disability.

According to the Mayo Clinic, TBI symptoms could include:

• Headache
• Nausea or vomiting
• Fatigue or drowsiness
• Dizziness or loss of balance
• Loss of consciousness for a few seconds to a few minutes
• No loss of consciousness, but a state of being dazed, confused or disoriented
• Memory or concentration problems
• Mood changes or mood swings
  

TBIs can be either permanent or lifelong. It’s best to get treated by a healthcare provider as soon as possible. With Castan & Lecca at your side, you won’t have to go through this process on your own.

Amputations

An amputation, whether whole or partial, is when any body part is lost. This can happen as a result of an accident, assault, malpractice, negligence, or even defective product. This could include loss of appendages like arms, legs, feet, toes, hands or fingers. Amputation victims experience severe pain as well as having the overwhelming task of relearning how to go about their daily lives.

If you’ve suffered an amputation, you may be faced with extensive physical therapy and occupational therapy so that you can go about your life. In addition to physical injuries, it also can lead to emotional injuries, lost income or the inability to work, high medical costs, pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, and many other obstacles.

Burns

While some incidents that might cause a burn injury could be blameless (after all, some accidents are just accidents), but sometimes your burn is the result of an auto accident, product defect, unsafe premises, a workplace problem or another incident for which someone was responsible.

If you’ve been burned while at work, you should seek immediate medical attention, alert your supervisor and document your experience, if possible. Burns can range from 1st degree to 3rd degree. There are several types of burns you could experience, whether at work or elsewhere:

• Chemical burns

• Inhalation burns

• Gas explosions

• Scalding

• Thermal burns
• Radiation burns 

If you are severely burned, you can reach out to a trustworthy personal injury attorney to advocate for you and go up against your employer and their insurance company. When you’ve suffered catastrophic burns, you may be eligible for workers’ compensation so that you can get the medical care you need. 

If you’ve suffered a burn because of someone else’s negligence, you might be eligible to receive compensation through a personal injury lawsuit or workers’ compensation claim.

Spinal Cord Injuries 

Spinal cord injuries can be quite severe, causing either temporary or lifelong paralysis. According to the Shepherd Center, when someone experiences a spinal cord injury, the body may lose some essential functions if the nerves can’t communicate with the brain.

There are two main types of spinal cord injuries:

Complete – This type of spinal cord injury causes permanent, lifelong damage to the spinal cord. The result could be paraplegia.

Incomplete – This type of injury depends upon the nature of the damage. It could include limited ability to feel or more extremities–and the victim could heal from this type of injury. Though incomplete spinal cord injuries can vary depending upon the patient.

The Takeaway

Suffering a catastrophic injury can be life-changing. It can be hard to know how to proceed, especially when your family’s well being is on the line. If you’ve suffered a severe personal injury–whether it occurred at work, on the road or even while shopping or enjoying time with your family–you should know that you have rights.

At Castan & Lecca, we have a trustworthy, experienced team of personal injury attorneys who have decades of experience in personal injury law. The time after an injury should be focused on treatment and recovery–you have enough to worry about. Leave the work to us: we’re here to listen to your story.