Many car crash injuries are painful and expensive but treatable. People with whiplash might miss weeks of work and require medical care including pain management and physical therapy. However, they eventually make a full recovery.
The same is true of people with broken bones or contusions. With the right care, they recover and are not usually at risk of lingering symptoms. Other times, car crashes produce catastrophic injuries that alter the course of someone’s life and negatively affect their well-being.
The three types of catastrophic injuries briefly explored below could all cause devastating financial setbacks and have an overall negative impact on an individual’s quality of life.
Limb loss or amputation
There are multiple ways for a car crash to cause limb loss. Traumatic amputations caused by the force of impact are possible. People can also undergo surgical amputation after a crash if doctors believe the damage to an injured body part is too extreme. Limb loss can directly impact lifetime medical support expenses and earning potential. It can also negatively affect quality of life by causing mental health and self-esteem challenges.
Traumatic brain injuries
When an individual develops a traumatic brain injury (TBI), they could experience a host of different symptoms. Some people have motor function issues. The way that they walk changes. Their sense of balance is different, or their fine motor skills change. Others experience a change in their personality or mood. Changes to sensory perception are common. Issues with memory and cognition can also be TBI symptoms. People with TBIs may struggle to live independently. They may have a variety of medical and social consequences that affect their overall quality of life.
Spinal cord injuries
The force of impact during a car crash can damage or sever the spinal cord. People with spinal cord injuries experience motor function and sensation challenges. There are extraordinary lifetime medical expenses associated with spinal cord injuries. People also experience a host of professional and personal challenges after sustaining spinal cord injuries.
Any of these catastrophic injuries could generate expenses well beyond what insurance covers. Estimating the long-term economic impact of severe car crash injuries with a skilled legal team can help injured parties limit their losses and hold the party at fault for a crash accountable.