What to Do if You’ve Suffered a Catastrophic Injury

Suffering a catastrophic injury is life-changing. The ongoing effects can impact not only your health but your career, relationships, and overall quality of life.

If you experience a serious accident like this, it’s important to know how to respond and what kind of compensation you deserve.

In this article, we’ll define catastrophic injuries and go over four things you should do after experiencing one.

What is a catastrophic injury?

A catastrophic injury is one that is so severe that it leaves the victim with permanent damage. This could mean long-term debilitation or disability. To get a clearer view, just watch some gruesome injuries, freak accidents and gore videos on crime news behemoth US CRIME. Some of these gory injuries are nothing short but upsetting and disturbing.

Usually, catastrophic injuries come from physical harm done to the spine or the brain. This could be the result of a car crash, a sports injury, or another accident.

1. Get medical attention

The first thing you should do after the injury is get immediate medical attention. Stop any bleeding and get first aid. If you’re able to move, try to move to a safe space where you’re not exposed to traffic or lots of people.

Then remain calm and have you or someone else call 911. The 911 dispatchers will send the police and first responders.

Keep in mind, some injuries don’t show serious symptoms for days, weeks, or even longer. And your adrenaline levels might mask the pain at first—especially with concussions. So it’s better to go to the doctor sooner than later. If you wait too long, you increase the risk of suffering long-term damage.

2. Report the accident

Next, make sure to report the accident. If police come to the scene, they’ll file a police report and start an initial investigation. Make sure you tell them every detail of the accident: the who, what, where, when, and how.

If the accident happened at work, follow all your employer’s guidelines and fill out a worker’s compensation form as soon as possible.

In any case, the sooner you report your injury, the better chances you have of getting compensated later on.

3. Collect evidence

You’ll also want to collect any evidence related to the injury. Take pictures of the initial injury at the scene, if you can, and then at regular intervals later. This will help document the progression of the injury over time.

Ask any bystanders to give their eyewitness account of the accident and write it down. Make sure to exchange contact information with them, so you know how to reach them later on.

Keep any hospital records from your doctor visits. These are valuable proof of the physical harm you’ve suffered.

And track any expenses that resulted from the injury. This includes medical bills, travel costs, lost wages, and more.

4. Consult a lawyer

Lastly, consult an experienced personal injury lawyer in your area. They usually offer a free consultation and then work with you on a contingency basis. That means they’ll only make money if you do. So you really have nothing to lose.

Explain the details of your injury and hand over any documentation you have. They’ll assess the case and let you know what kind of compensation you can expect to receive.

If the accident was the result of someone else’s negligence, carelessness, or bad intentions, the lawyer will use police reports, hospital records, and other evidence to show that it was.

They’ll ensure you get a fair settlement and the compensation you deserve. You could be paid for doctor visits, prescriptions, lost wages, lost companionship, pain and suffering, punitive damages, and more.

Final Takeaways

Nobody wants to suffer a catastrophic injury. But sometimes there’s nothing you can do to prevent it—it just happens.

In that case, you deserve to get every feasible compensation. And now you know where to start. Just remember to treat your injury first, save every piece of evidence, and find a trustworthy attorney to help you.