Accidents occur all the time, and many of them result in minor injuries. Sometimes, though, an accident occurs that causes catastrophic injuries to one or more parties. The damage is serious enough that it has lifelong consequences, often leaving the injured party permanently disabled.
When a catastrophic injury occurs as a result of an accident that was no one’s fault, it’s bad enough for the affected person. When those same catastrophic injuries occur as a result of someone’s negligence, it adds insult to injury. Find out about some of the most common causes of catastrophic injuries that could justify pursuing compensation below.
1. Vehicular Accidents
Car accidents are quite common, and despite the impressive strides forward in safety made by automakers, they still frequently result in catastrophic injuries to drivers’ and passengers’ brains, spinal cords, limbs, and backs.
Motorcycle, truck, and multi-vehicle accidents are the most likely to cause catastrophic injuries, but any car wreck can leave victims dealing with severe, lifelong consequences. When that happens, check out autojusticeattorney.com to learn about a law office that can help.
2. Pedestrian Accidents
Pedestrian accidents are even more likely to cause catastrophic injuries than those involving only motor vehicles. Most car crashes involving pedestrians are caused by driver negligence. The driver refuses to follow laws, driving drunk, distracted, or at high speeds, so the pedestrian doesn’t see the car coming.
The resulting damage to the unprotected pedestrian can include head and spine injuries and long-term damage, including potential full or partial paralysis.
3. Slip-and-Fall Accidents
When someone slips, gravity takes over and even an otherwise graceful person may wind up landing on his or her head, neck, or another sensitive body part. Often, these devastating injuries could be avoided with adequate maintenance.
Don’t believe the misconception about people faking falls in grocery stores, because the most common places where slip-and-fall accidents lead to catastrophic injuries are construction sites, sidewalks with black ice, and other people’s properties that have not been maintained.
4. Medical Malpractice
Medical malpractice isn’t so much an accident as an incident of negligence, but it’s also one of the most common causes of catastrophic injury, so it certainly deserves a place on this list.
The most serious forms of medical malpractice often involve performing operations on patients that don’t need them, amputating or otherwise operating on the wrong body part, leaving objects inside patients during surgeries, and misdiagnosing serious diseases. Other forms of medical malpractice include medication errors, negligent patient care, discharge errors, infections, and more.
5. Fires and Explosions
Some industries require employees to work with hazardous materials every day. In these kinds of dangerous environments, which can occur everywhere from processing plants to restaurant kitchens, just one mistake can cause serious trouble for everyone nearby.
If, for instance, a grease fire gets started in a restaurant kitchen that spreads and causes a fuel tank to explode, injuring workers and patrons alike, many of them will suffer not just surface burns but also catastrophic injuries.
A Lawyer Can Help
Accident victims don’t have to suffer alone. Anyone who has suffered a catastrophic injury as a result of someone else’s negligence or intentional malfeasance should contact an attorney. It’s often possible to pursue compensation, which could make it easier to recover, make up for lost wages, and give accident victims and their families the resources they need to move forward.
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