Accidents happen everyday in Ohio, and luckily, not all of them cause catastrophic injuries. Sometimes, accident victims can recover from their injuries in a few days or weeks without the need for expensive medical treatments. When injuries cause permanent disability, severe pain and long-lasting emotional trauma, they are considered catastrophic.
Examples of catastrophic injuries
People can suffer from catastrophic injuries in car accidents and work-related accidents or because of violence, toxic chemicals, fire or product defects. Some examples of catastrophic injuries include:
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Spinal chord injuries
- Loss of limbs
- Severe Burns
- Severe eye injuries
Financial impact of catastrophic injuries
Catastrophic injuries are painful, debilitating and emotionally traumatizing. They can also cause a devastating loss of income. People who have suffered from life-altering injuries may be unable to return to work, and they may even lose their ability to earn income permanently. At the same time, injured victims may have expensive medical costs that they cannot afford.
Because catastrophic injuries can be so expensive, an injured victim may need to pursue a personal injury claim in order to recover compensation. If negligence, recklessness or an intentionally violent act was involved in an accident, the at-fault party could be sued.
Proving liability for catastrophic injuries
In order to recover compensation in a personal injury claim, injured accident victims must be able prove that another party was responsible for their injuries. The victim may do this by presenting video footage, eyewitness testimony or police reports. In some cases, there is more than one person at fault for a catastrophic accident. It is common to file a personal injury claim against multiple parties.