Pennsylvania Catastrophic Injury Attorneys

Every 3 ½ minutes, a Pennsylvania resident enters the hospital with a preventable injury, according to the state Department of Health. Many of the injured suffer from life-threatening trauma that can lead to permanent disabilities or even death. These are called catastrophic injuries.

Catastrophic injuries are medical emergencies. A variety of injuries fall into this category, including brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, amputations, burns and vision loss, among others. What they all share in common is that they can have a devastating impact on a person’s wellbeing, financial security and quality of life.

If you or a family member sustained a catastrophic injury in a Pennsylvania accident, the attorneys at the Scranton law firm of Munley, Munley & Cartwright can help. We have successfully represented clients in accident and personal injury claims for more than 40 years. We understand the complexities of Pennsylvania’s personal injury laws and are skilled in proving negligence and helping victims and their families obtain compensation when someone else’s recklessness caused their injuries.

Our firm represents clients throughout Pennsylvania and has offices in Scranton, Carbondale, Plains, Stroudsburg, Hazleton and Hamlin. To schedule a free consultation, contact us online or by calling 877-421-9173.

Catastrophic Injuries in Pennsylvania

Catastrophic injuries may be sustained anywhere – at home, on the job, in the car, during a vacation or even while running a quick errand.  A disturbing 85% of injuries sustained in Pennsylvania were unintentional in 2008, the latest year for which data is available. Unfortunately, unintentional injuries now rank as the fifth leading cause of death among Pennsylvanians, according to the state health department – and that number has risen steadily over the years.

The most common causes of hospitalizations in Pennsylvania mirror national trends, with falls and car accidents ranking at the top of the list. Catastrophic accidents can also occur in other circumstances as well, such as when a miner is struck by a piece of machinery or when a person is exposed to toxic substances.

Examples of catastrophic injuries include:

• Traumatic brain injuries (TBI): More than 245,600 people in Pennsylvania are living with a traumatic brain injury today and more than 8,600 people have sustained brain injuries that will cause long-term or lifelong disabilities, according to the Brain Injury Association of Pennsylvania. Severe head trauma can cause cognitive impairments, speech problems, loss of memory, paralysis, epilepsy and other disabilities. Many traumatic brain injuries prevent victims from working or living independently again.
  
  
• Spinal cord injuries: Spinal cord injuries can occur in car wrecks, falls, being struck by a piece of equipment and in many other circumstances. Roughly 12,000 people sustain spinal cord injuries in the United States each year, leading to paralysis, quadriplegia, paraplegia and hemiplegia.
  
  
• Amputations: Nearly 2 million Americans are living with some form of limb loss today. Although the long-term prognosis for many amputees is often quite good given the evolution of high-tech prosthetics, many amputees do not retain the full quality of life they enjoyed before the accident. Common complications of amputations include bleeding, shock and infection. Even people who are lucky enough to have their limb reattached may face months of rehabilitation and never have full use of the body part again. That may force the victim to make significant life changes, such as finding a job that takes into account their new limitations.
  
  
• Burns: Serious burns are among the most painful of all catastrophic injuries and often require multiple surgeries and skin grafts to promote healing. Third-degree burns often lead to permanent scarring and disfigurement, which can be emotionally as well as physically devastating.
  
  
• Vision loss: A blow to the head, motor vehicle accident, chemical exposure, explosion, fire or botched medical procedure can cause blindness or serious visual impairments that frequently alter a person’s ability to maintain the same activities and fulfill the responsibilities that they had before their accidents. 
   
• Other Injuries: Examples of other catastrophic injuries include those that cause hearing loss, broken bones and internal organ damage.

Catastrophic injuries may require extensive medical treatment, surgery, and long-term rehabilitation – and even then, life may never return to normal. If someone else’s negligence caused such traumatic and devastating injuries, you need a lawyer who can help you obtain compensation that can assist with current expenses, such as medical bills, as well as financial hardships that will likely arise as you deal with the injury on an ongoing basis.   

Contact a Pennsylvania Personal Injury Lawyer Today

At Munley, Munley & Cartwright, our goal is to provide exceptional legal services to our clients. We strive to achieve the highest standard of excellence for the protection of individual rights through teamwork and the use of our considerable legal resources and experience. For a free consultation regarding your personal injury or wrongful death case, call 877-421-9173 or use our online form.