How Catastrophic Injuries Impact Families
Many catastrophic injuries occur every year due to car wrecks, slips and falls, and accidents at the workplace. Spinal cord injury, chronic pain, traumatic brain injury, severe burns, amputation, and neurological conditions are some of the most commonly occurring catastrophic injuries. The victims of such accidents can have significant needs.
These injuries often impact not only the victim but their close relatives and caregivers as well, who are tasked with the difficult job of making crucial decisions about the future and well-being of the victim. Devastating injuries often leave victims with permanent disabilities, which do not allow them to work or engage in routine activities that they were involved in before the incident.
It is well-known that catastrophic injuries can potentially change the victim emotionally, cognitively, intellectually, and behaviorally. At times, victims may require round-the-clock nursing care. Other victims may not require 24/7 care but may need prolonged rehabilitation, including occupational, physical, and psychological therapy. Despite this, some victims may never be able to work again, meaning a permanent loss of their ability to earn an honest living.
Catastrophic injuries always have a profound effect on the victim and their family. It can be challenging and emotionally draining to look after someone with cognitive and mobility limitations, often forcing working partners of victims to leave their jobs and devote themselves fully to caring for their loved one.
When a spouse can’t leave their employment, they will need to earn enough money to engage a professional caregiver, which is prohibitively expensive for most families. Due to these reasons, the future of catastrophic injury survivors and their families may seem bleak, which is not acceptable.
Creating a Life Care Plan
Creating a Life Care Plan to address the needs of the patient is an effective way to recover from a catastrophic injury. This plan centers on the needs of the injury victim and includes aspects such as support, equipment, services, and other necessities.
A Life Care Plan should include timeline, budget, and deadlines to be able to address the patient’s requirements on time. Some items that a Life Care Plan may comprise are:
- Remodeling the patient’s residence, such as making the home wheelchair-friendly and modifying the bathroom
- Transportation needs, such as a handicap-accessible vehicle
- Assistive equipment, such as crutches or a wheelchair
- Nursing or supervisory care needs
- Drugs and other necessary medical supplies
- Home or facility care services
- Therapeutic treatments
- Counseling and other psychological health needs
Most catastrophic injury victims will never enjoy a complete recovery. Still, with time, patience, planning, rehab, and care, many patients can recreate a productive life for themselves as well as their families.
Building a Powerful Catastrophic Injury Case
In the case of catastrophic injuries, victims often require the services of a life care planner, who can predict the expenditure on life-long or long-term health care. This will allow the victim’s attorney to acquire evidence, present it before a jury, and prove what it will cost to care for the patient in the future.
There may be a need for other experts as well in cases of catastrophic injuries, namely, economists, crash reconstruction specialists, vocational rehab experts, and biomechanical engineers, among others.
Legal action is necessary if you or someone you love has experienced a catastrophic injury and will likely never completely recover due to the recklessness of another person. Your life will never be the same, and through no error on your part. Has an act of negligence caused a life-altering traumatic brain injury (TBI) to you or a loved one? If so, then you certainly understand the helplessness of witnessing your entire future change before your very eyes.
In such circumstances, a knowledgeable and compassionate personal injury lawyer can help you obtain the rightful damages to address the expenses related to necessary medical care. Irrespective of whether you believe that you or a loved one is also responsible for the injury, you should consult a skilled attorney to understand if compensation is still possible in your case.
Minimizing the Effect of Your Catastrophic Injury
The road to recovery following a catastrophic injury is long and arduous. However, appropriate legal protection can reduce the effect of this unfortunate incident on your life as well as that of your loved ones.
It is essential to get timely medical care. But it is also vital to consult an experienced legal professional as soon as you can to avoid the inadvertent mistakes that can prevent you from getting the compensation that you deserve.
At the law offices of Garmo & Garmo, a skilled attorney will review your case and help you with the necessary legal course of action. Our determined and compassionate lawyers will fight tooth and nail to ensure that you get the rightful compensation to allow you and your family to start rebuilding your lives after a devastating accident. For a free case review, call today at (619) 441-2500.
