A serious injury can be considered one that will require a long recovery, but in many cases, there is hope that the injured person will be able to live a "normal life," similar to what he or she knew before a car accident or a serious slip-and-fall accident. Most broken bones will mend, some burn wounds may be repaired through skin grafts and other serious injuries will heal over time.
A catastrophic injury, on the other hand, is a life-altering event. If you have suffered a catastrophic injury such as those listed below in a car accident, a serious slip-and-fall accident or a workplace accident, you are already very aware that there is no going back. You will be living with the consequences of your catastrophic injury for the rest of your life — and must adjust to life as a person with a disability caused by injuries including the following:
- Traumatic brain injury
- Spinal cord injury
- Amputation
- Serious back injuries resulting in chronic pain or long-term disability
- Serious neck injuries resulting in chronic pain or long-term disability
- Severe burn injuries
- Loss of vision, loss of eyesight (acquired blindness)
- Loss of hearing (acquired deafness)
- Birth injury resulting in severe cerebral palsy
Some of these injuries can be managed over time, with the help of therapists and accommodations. Others will rob the victim of the ability to live independently. Someone with paraplegia or quadriplegia will most likely be confined to a wheelchair indefinitely and will require the help of personal care attendants throughout life. Someone with a traumatic brain injury may be left unable to speak clearly, manage a checkbook or go back to work in any capacity.
In severe catastrophic injury cases, the victim may be in a coma for a long time or in a permanent vegetative state. Usually such injury victims live out the rest of their lives in nursing homes. If this is the case with a family member, there will be very large financial liabilities, and you should talk to a lawyer as soon as possible.
Contact a Ridgewood Serious Injury Accident Attorney
After you or a family member has suffered a catastrophic injury in New Jersey, Seigel Cappozi Law Firm LLC offers you a free initial consultation, with no further obligation implied. At our initial consultation, we will gather the basic facts about your serious motor vehicle accident or a surgical error that left you unable to live on your own again. Our New Jersey catastrophic injury attorneys' years of experience and track record of success in personal injury law can work to your advantage if our law firm represents you as you seek compensation for your injuries. Contact us by phone or e-mail through this website to schedule a consultation with a Bergen County lawyer with experience handling cases involving serious back injuries or neck injuries.
