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At Schibell Law LLC, our NJ personal injury attorneys are dedicated to fighting to ensure justice is served on behalf of victims who have suffered due to the negligence of others.  If you have endured significant injuries in an auto accident, were injured in an unsafe building or suffered harm after using a dangerous product, our legal team is ready and willing to fiercely advocate on your behalf.  Our goal is to obtain justice in the form of financial recovery.  Reach out to us and you will have no obligation to retain our legal services.  Take this initial step and you will be provided with the information, answers, insight and advice necessary to safeguard your legal rights, your claim and potential financial recovery.

An Explanation of Catastrophic Injuries

Catastrophic injuries are those that significantly alter the physical or mental abilities of an individual.  Such injuries include those that lead to a medical condition that is irreversible or long-lasting, a reduced life expectancy and/or permanent disability.  Aside from causing physical/psychological damage, a catastrophic injury can prove financially ruinous for the victim as well as his or her family.  This is due to the fact that such injuries commonly mandate costly and extensive medical care including but not limited to the following:

• Several surgeries
• Extended stays in the hospitalization
• Lengthy rehab caregivers
• Ongoing assistive care

Such medical costs combined with one’s lost earning capacity generate a significant financial strain on victims who have endured catastrophic injuries.  Even the loved ones of the victim often end up suffering financial devastation as a result of crippling medical costs.  Let’s take a look at a few examples of catastrophic injuries.

Spinal Cord Injuries

Spinal cord injuries prevent the brain from properly communicating with other body parts, commonly resulting in either permanent or temporary paralysis.  It is also possible for neurological conditions to result from spinal cord injuries.  Such neurological impairments can impact several biological systems including the respiratory system, the musculoskeletal system (resulting in quadriplegia or paraplegia), the gastrointestinal system and the urinary system.

Spinal cord injuries can also result in significant psychological problems ranging from anxiety to depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.  The medical expenses of spinal cord injuries will prove financially crippling unless compensation is available.  It can cost upwards of a couple hundred thousand dollars per year to cover the costs of a spinal cord injury.  Extrapolate these costs across an entire lifetime and the aggregate financial burden of a spinal cord injury can stretch all the way to several million dollars.

Nearly 300,000 individuals living the United States are currently dealing with a spinal cord injury.  Another 17,000 people are subjected to another spinal cord injury every single year.  About 40% of such injuries result from auto accidents.  About one-third of all spinal cord injuries result from falls.  Violence is responsible for about 15% of spinal cord injuries.  About 10% of all spinal cord injuries are the result of participation in sports.

Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBIs)

TBIs cause the death of more than 150 people every single day in the United States alone.  Nearly three million individuals seek medical care for such injuries each year.  These injuries are the result of trauma to the head ranging from bumps to blows, harsh jolts and shaking that harms the brain.  The top three causes of TBIs include auto accidents, fall accidents and being hit by an object.

Explosions, participation in contact sports and accidents in the workplace also have the potential to cause TBIs.  TBIs can have a significant cognitive, physical and psychological impact ranging from loss of consciousness to problems with sleeping, memory/concentration issues, speech and comprehension challenges, headaches, vomiting, nausea and loss of consciousness.  TBIs also have the potential to lead to mood disorders ranging from depression to anxiety and beyond.

Burn Injuries

Severe burns kill upwards of 4,000 people every year in the United States.  Significant burns can be caused by an array of incidents such as auto accidents, unsafe buildings, industrial accidents, defective products, construction accidents and work-related accidents.  Extensive burns can cause lasting disfigurement or even lead to death.  Serious burns also have the potential to prove emotionally devastating.  Countless burn victims end up severely depressed.  Though treatment often includes specialized care provided by trauma center personnel and/or surgery for reconstruction, extensive physical therapy and possibly even psychiatric care will also be necessary.  Such treatments typically come at an exorbitant cost, especially when the victim’s lost income is accounted for.

Fractures

Bone fractures can prove uncomfortable and debilitating, especially if there is more than one.  Though such an injury can lead to a permanent impairment, it might also harm the victim’s psyche as well.  If the fracture hinders the victim’s mobility, autonomy and independence, there will undoubtedly be a psychological impact.

Bone fractures are similar to catastrophic injuries in that they can be caused by an array of incidents ranging from auto accidents to construction accidents.  Bone fractures lead to costly medical bills that have the potential to put the injured party out of work for a lengthy period of time.  It is possible the fracture will reduce the victim’s quality of life for years or even until his or her dying day.

Whiplash

Often caused by automobile collisions, whiplash is a significant neck injury occurring when a powerful movement forcefully moves the head backward then forward.  The considerable stress of this force has the potential to compromise the cervical spine including the nerves and muscles within the neck.  Whiplash is usually characterized by symptoms ranging from headaches to neck stiffness/pain to pain along the shoulders or upper back and a restricted range of motion in the neck.  It might even take upwards of 24 hours for whiplash symptoms to manifest.

Paralysis

Paralysis is one of the worst possible results of an auto accident or other incident.  Paralysis is best defined as the permanent or temporary loss of physical sensation and functionality in bodily muscles.  Paralysis results from damage to the central nervous system.  A paralyzed individual will not be able to move parts of his or her body.  Paralysis can result from other injuries ranging from spinal cord injuries to brain injuries and beyond.  The forementioned auto accidents, accidents at work, medical malpractice, falls and unsafe products/medications have the potential to lead to paralysis.

There are four distinct types of paralysis.  Quadriplegia is paralysis that affects parts of the body beneath the neck such as the torso and limbs.  Paraplegia is paralysis impacting parts of the body beneath the waist such as the hips and legs.  Hemiplegia is paralysis that affects a single side of the body such as the right or left leg.  Monoplegia is paralysis that impacts a single region of the body such as a limb.

Back Injury

Back injuries include fractured vertebrae, herniated discs and/or muscle strains.  Though such injuries can result physical limitations, it is also possible for them to lead to neurological problems such as paralysis, difficulty with physical coordination and muscle weakness.  Auto accidents are the top cause of back injuries among United States residents.  Other common causes of injuries to this body site include work accidents and falls.

Amputations

Amputations are sometimes required to treat especially severe injuries such as those resulting from auto accidents, construction accidents and medical malpractice.  Aside from causing lasting physical limitations, amputations can also cause mental distress, prevent the victim from earning a living and possibly even prevent the victim from performing self-care.

Lacerations, Bruises and Scrapes

Though cuts, bruises and scrapes might not prove as harmful as a TBI or spinal cord injury, they can certainly prove quite painful.  If the laceration is especially severe, the injury might have a lasting impact such as physical disfigurement or a nasty scar.  The worst possible scenario is the cut, bruise or scrape causing harsh, possibly life-threatening damage such as organ failure and/or internal bleeding.

Face Injury

Face injuries can lead to an array of physical impairments ranging from diminished facial features to disfigurement, blindness and other vision problems.  Such damage often results in psychological problems ranging from lowered self-esteem to anxiety and depression.  Especially severe face injuries have the potential to stop someone from properly perceiving, interacting with and enjoying the surrounding world.  Though such injuries can result from the use of defective products or assault, there is also the potential for them to stem from accidents ranging from construction accidents to auto wrecks, explosions and accidents at theme parks.

Soft Tissue Injuries

Torn tendons, harsh bruising, muscle strains and sprains are examples of soft tissue injuries that can result from auto accidents, accidents at work and other forms of physical contact.  Such injuries can lead to chronic pain, limited range of motion and even lasting nerve damage.  The most severe type of soft tissue injury can spur irreversible damage.  A soft tissue injury really can reduce your quality of life for years, decades or even indefinitely.

Psychological Injuries

Psychological injuries commonly arise after serious auto accidents.  Such injuries are more challenging to identify than visible injuries to the body yet they have the potential to prove just as damaging.  Psychological injuries can have a lasting impact on the victim’s quality of life.  It is possible for a psychological injury to prevent the victim from moving forward with any chance to enjoy life.  Examples of the many different types of common psychological injuries include depression, anxiety, hopelessness and post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD for short.

Permanent Disability

Permanent disability typically results from harsh auto accidents yet exposure to a toxic substance such as asbestos can also cause this degree of disability.  Sadly, accidents have the potential to happen just about anywhere, whether it is on the road, at work or even in one’s own home.  The location of the accident and the type of negligence ultimately shape the potential legal remedies in the context of pursuing compensation for the permanent disability.

Wrongful Death

The death of a family member will prove traumatizing and possibly devastate the victim’s family members. If surviving family members learn something could have been done to prevent the death, the trauma might prove unbearable.  Sadly, the actions of negligent individuals cause countless deaths.  If another party’s negligence causes a deadly accident, survivors of the decedent will likely have legal recourse to hold the careless party liable for his or her actions/inaction.  Though no amount of money can compensate a family member for the death of a love done, recoveries can result in important financial support, helping dependents remain financially stable.  This financial support covers funeral costs, medical bills, obtain counseling/treatment and surmounting financial challenges resulting from the decedent’s lost income.

We can Help You Obtain Justice in the Form of Financial Compensation

If you or a family member have been victimized by another party’s negligence, reach out to our personal injury attorneys led by Richard Schibell at 732-774-1000.  Our team is ready and willing to hear your side of the story, develop a legal strategy and pursue the financial compensation you need and deserve.

Richard N. Schibell, Esq.

is the founding partner at Schibell Law LLC concentrating in all aspects of Workers’ Compensation throughout New Jersey. Mr. Richard N Schibell graduated from Boston College with a Bachelor of Arts, concentrating in both Philosophy and History. He went on to receive his Juris Doctorate degree from Seton Hall University School of Law.

Following his graduation from law school, Mr. Schibell served as a Judicial Law Clerk to the Honorable Richard W. English, J.S.C., in the Civil Division of the Monmouth County Superior Court.