Any car crash has the potential to change your life. However, some accidents may cause catastrophic bodily damage.
What is a catastrophic injury? When a person sustains irreversible and permanent damage to the body, life changes. Find out more about the common type of catastrophic injuries vehicle collisions may cause.
Bone fractures
A broken bone that occurs due to a crash may mean a loss of time, money and lifestyle. Open compound fractures, such as those to the legs, may cause permanent loss of mobility. Not just that, but the risk of infection to such a traumatic open wound is high, and you may find yourself facing several surgeries to install hardware and clean the wound.
Traumatic brain injury
The brain is sensitive to injury. The damage inflicted by the force of a car accident may cause permanent loss of brain and coordinating body functions. A traumatic brain injury has a higher chance of occurring during a car crash, between the brain moving inside the head and the skull getting a direct hit. Traumatic brain injuries have the highest catastrophic injury classification as they may result in death.
Spinal cord damage
The spinal cord is another vital part of the whole body. When one area of the cord faces damage, such as that caused by a crash, it may affect other body parts. For example, paralysis may occur from the point of cord damage down. This means a cord injury to the neck may result in complete paralysis of the body.
The severity of the injury may come down to the details of the crash. One involving a larger vehicle, such as a truck, may result in far more catastrophic consequences. Getting help with ongoing medical care may prove a critical step in moving forward.
