Every injury is unique. While many personal injury claims involve an injury that is painful, disruptive, and expensive, some injuries are so severe that they permanently alter the course of a person’s life. Such injuries are known as catastrophic injuries.
From both medical and legal standpoints, catastrophic injuries are treated differently from other injuries. They involve greater losses, higher stakes, and more complicated claims. Understanding what qualifies as catastrophic and how it can change the outcome of a personal injury case is an important first step if you want to pursue a claim after suffering a life-changing injury.
What Is a Catastrophic Injury?
From a medical perspective, a catastrophic injury is usually one that:
- Causes permanent disability or long-term impairment.
- Significantly limits a person’s ability to perform daily activities.
- Requires extensive or lifelong medical care.
From a legal perspective, catastrophic injuries are those typically recognized by courts as being so severe that they justify greater compensation due to their profound, long-term effects. Catastrophic injury cases are not only about immediate medical bills because they also account for a lifetime of care, lost earning potential, and diminished quality of life.
Examples of Catastrophic Injuries
Not every serious injury qualifies as catastrophic, but many that result in permanent loss of function or independence do. Each of the injuries listed below has the potential to dramatically reshape a person’s future, making them distinct from less severe forms of personal injury.
Examples of catastrophic injuries that often come up in injury claims include:
- Traumatic brain injuries (TBI): Ranging from severe concussions to brain damage, and causing cognitive or physical impairments.
- Spinal cord injuries: Often resulting in partial or total paralysis.
- Amputations: Loss of arms, legs, hands, feet, or digits due to trauma.
- Severe burns: Leading to scarring, disfigurement, or loss of mobility.
- Crush injuries or multiple fractures: Leaving lasting pain or mobility limitations.
- Organ damage or failure: Likely causing lifelong day-to-day complications and care needs.
How Catastrophic Injuries Change a Personal Injury Claim
Catastrophic injury claims are not “ordinary” injury cases. They tend to involve greater damages, higher stakes, and stronger resistance from the other side.
A catastrophic injury claim can differ from a “standard” injury claim through:
- Higher compensation needs: Catastrophic injury plaintiffs often require lifelong medical care, physical or occupational therapy, home modifications, assistive devices, and long-term nursing support. Financial recovery must reflect decades of costs, not just months or years.
- Greater emotional and quality-of-life damages: Loss of independence, inability to pursue previous activities, and emotional distress weigh heavily in catastrophic injury claims. Compensation often extends beyond medical bills to reflect the profound impact on daily living and happiness.
- More aggressive defense from insurers and defendants: Because catastrophic injury claims often involve large financial payouts, insurance companies and defendants fight harder than usual to minimize responsibility.
- Longer, more complex litigation: Catastrophic injury cases usually require testimony from medical experts, vocational specialists, and economists to calculate future losses accurately.
- Family impact: A catastrophic injury can also affect spouses and family members, who may seek damages for loss of companionship, caregiving burdens, or financial strain.
Hilliard Law Helps Catastrophic Injury Victims in Texas
At Hilliard Law, we understand that catastrophic injuries don’t just affect individual plaintiffs; they affect entire families. Our attorneys fight for clients who have suffered life-changing injuries due to negligence, standing up to insurance companies and corporations that try to limit accountability. We are known for combining aggressive advocacy in the courtroom with compassionate guidance for our clients, so everyone we represent can have the resources and confidence they need to face the future with security and dignity.
If you or a loved one has suffered a catastrophic injury in Texas, contact our trial lawyers today to learn how we can help you pursue the compensation you need and deserve. Start by dialing (866) 927-3420.