What makes an injury catastrophic?
A catastrophic injury is a severe injury that can alter a person, leaving you disabled or unable to enjoy life. It often impacts family and can often require extensive and costly medical treatments.
What is a catastrophic injury?
According to Missouri’s medical malpractice statutes, catastrophic injury means a physical injury resulting in:
“(a) Quadriplegia defined as the permanent loss of functional use of all four limbs; (b) Paraplegia defined as the permanent loss of functional use of two limbs; (c) Loss of two or more limbs; (d) An injury to the brain that results in permanent cognitive impairment resulting in the permanent inability to make independent decisions or engage in one or more of the following activities of daily living: eating, dressing, bathing, toileting, transferring, and walking; (e) An injury that causes irreversible failure of one or more major organ systems; or (f) Vision loss such that the patient’s central visual acuity is no more than twenty/two-hundred in the better eye with the best correction or whose field of vision in the better eye is restricted to a degree that its widest diameter subtends an angle no greater than twenty degrees…”
Practically speaking, outside of the law, the definition is subjective. I would say catastrophic injuries are generally those that are life-changing and permanent.
What are the most types of catastrophic accident cases?
- Amputations
- Burn injuries
- Chemical burns
- Electrical injuries
- Spinal cord injury
- Brain injury
What types of injury do catastrophic accident cases include?
- Permanent loss of mobility
- Permanent brain damage
- Permanent organ damage, like the loss of the liver or diminished lung capacity
Why hire a personal injury lawyer when you have suffered a catastrophic injury?
Insurance companies usually shortchange folks who have suffered from a catastrophic injury. A good personal injury lawyer will help get the most compensation for these types of injuries.
Explore the full list of personal injury cases we litigate, or call us for a free initial consultation. We will answer your questions and help you understand how much your specific case may be worth in compensation.