Typically, a car accident can change your life in an instant. But it is worse when the crash results in a catastrophic injury. These wounds are so severe that they keep you from returning to your pre-accident life or earning a meaningful income.
Catastrophic injuries affect significant body functions, so it is hard to recover completely. Thankfully, there are several treatment options to make life easier. This article discusses treatment available for catastrophic injuries and compensation options.
If you or a loved one suffer injuries in a crash, contact our Augusta car accident lawyers at Ted A. Greve and Associates. We offer excellent legal advice and representation.
What Are the Common Types of Catastrophic Injuries?
A catastrophic wound limits your ability to carry out your daily activities. Some common types of this injury are:
- Brain injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Neck injuries
- Burn injuries
- Internal injuries
- Crush injuries
These wounds are common in high-impact crashes. You can minimize their effect by getting treatment on time. So, if you find yourself in a high-impact accident, call 911 immediately if you are conscious. Once you begin treatment, ensure you follow your doctor’s instructions. Finally, catastrophic injuries sometimes lead to death, especially when internal organs get damaged.
What Treatment Is Available for Catastrophic Injuries?
Physicians prescribe different treatment options for different victims. It depends on the severity of the accident and injury. Below, we discuss the three treatment options available.
Surgery
Most catastrophic wounds require surgical intervention. For example, if you suffer a crush injury, your doctor may recommend amputation. The surgery might also be to fix a damaged organ or get your body back to the way it was before the wound. The latter is common with burn injury victims.
Burn wounds often lead to significant scarring that requires reconstructive surgery to remove dead skin cells or nerves to ease the pain. Keep in mind that surgery may not completely fix a wound. But it gives you a fighting chance to stay alive and regain some of the functions you lost because of the injury.
Medications
Medications help to manage injury symptoms and pain. For instance, traumatic brain injury victims may need anti-seizure medications if they experience seizures. Similarly, spinal cord injury victims may benefit from anti-inflammatory and pain medications. While you can buy over-the-counter pain medications, it is best to use the one prescribed by your doctor.
Physical Therapy
The third treatment option is physical therapy. Catastrophic injury victims often benefit from constant exercises to improve their coordination and movement. Some devastating wounds that require therapy are:
- Multiple fractures and orthopedic injuries
- Multi-trauma to bone, skin, and other organs
- Multi-trauma with a brain or spinal cord injury
- Spinal cord injury (SCI)
- Traumatic brain injury (TBI)
- Mild brain injury (MBI)
- Acquired brain injury (ABI)
Regular high-quality therapy sessions will significantly increase your outlook and prognosis. It would be best to see a specialist, rather than your primary care physician. A specialist doctor has special training in and knowledge of a particular area of medicine.
What Compensation Can You Get for Catastrophic Injuries?
As mentioned earlier, catastrophic injuries are life-altering. This means you may never be able to live the life you had before the accident. There are also mounting medical bills from treating your injuries. Thankfully, the law allows you to get compensation from the negligent party.
The settlement you get will fall under economic and non-economic damages. The two covers:
- Past, current, and future medical expenses
- Lost income and loss of earning capacity
- Cost of personal care attendant
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Cost of physical therapy, psychological therapy, or counseling
- Pain and suffering
- Cost of medical equipment, e.g., wheelchairs
- Emotional anguish
If you lose a body part, the amount you’ll get as compensation increases. Note that if your wound only has a short-term impact, the compensation also reduces. In addition, if you played a role in the event leading to the accident, your settlement will be less than your fault percentage.
The preceding falls under Georgia’s comparative negligence rule. Simply put, if you contributed 20% to the accident, your settlement would be 80%. Your Augusta car accident lawyer can explain more on how comparative negligence works.
Contact Augusta Auto Accident Lawyers Today!
At Ted A. Greve and Associates, we understand the impact of catastrophic injuries on your life. So, we work tirelessly to get you maximum compensation. We work on a contingency fee basis, meaning you don’t have to pay us until we win. Contact us today for a free case review with our Augusta personal injury lawyers.
