According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there were 2.5 million traumatic brain injuries that were reported in 2010 in the U.S. A number of these could be considered catastrophic injuries. Catastrophic injuries can severely affect a person’s and his or her family’s lifestyle by preventing the injured person from working here in Fulton County, Georgia. When an injury is described as catastrophic, it typically means that it is a permanent injury that disables someone from working gainfully in his or her chosen career.
Because of this definition, what may constitute a catastrophic injury for one person may not be for another. For example, a professional ballet dancer losing his or her leg in an accident would likely be considered a catastrophic injury, whereas a writer losing his or her leg in a similar accident may not. The difference is that ballet dancers rely on their legs to do their jobs whereas writers typically do not.
Catastrophic injuries can and do occur in car accidents. It is not uncommon to hear of motor vehicle occupants suffering brain injuries that are catastrophic in nature. On some occasions, the degree of the injury is not fully realized until several weeks after the car crash. This is why it is important that the correct medical tests are performed in order to understand the full range of the injuries and how they can affect the person’s work performance.
Brain injuries can range from minor to severe and have long-lasting side effects. Some of these include:
- Memory loss ranging from temporary to permanent
- Impairment of ability to perform both simple and complicated tasks
- Vertigo
Furthermore, catastrophic brain injuries are often unpredictable and it is not uncommon for complications to emerge months or even years after the initial event. For more information on this subject, please see our brain injury page.
