There is no question that a catastrophic injury like an amputation or traumatic brain injury will dramatically impact your life. The effects of these severe injuries can last a lifetime and require thousands of dollars to treat effectively. The younger you are when you are injured, the greater the financial and emotional toll on you and your family. A catastrophic injury lawyer can help you recover compensation. But how likely is it that you will need such an attorney during your lifetime? As it turns out, statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other organizations reveal how likely it is that you or a loved one might suffer a catastrophic injury.
Traumatic Brain Injuries
Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) can occur under a variety of circumstances. The most common types of TBIs include:
- Blunt force injuries, where an object or another person strikes your head
- Whiplash injuries, where your head whips violently back and forth
- Piercing injuries, where a foreign object pierces your skull and enters the cranium
Each of these types of traumatic brain injuries has different causes. A blunt force TBI, for example, is likely to occur during a sports injury or workplace mishap. Whiplash injuries frequently occur during falls and car crashes. Piercing injuries are often the result of criminal attacks.
According to the CDC, in 2020 there were over 223,000 individuals admitted to the hospital due to TBIs. Approximately 64,000 people died from TBIs that same year. Overall, about 1.5 million individuals sustain some traumatic brain injury each year. In other words, TBIs impact about 0.45 percent of the U.S. population.
Birth Injuries and Defects
Like TBIs, the term “birth injury” encompasses a diverse group of injuries that can affect both mother and child.
Some birth injuries occur while the baby is in gestation, such as when a child does not receive appropriate nutrition in the womb. Other birth injuries occur during delivery, such as when the OB/GYN uses too much force on the baby’s head or shoulder while delivering the child.
The CDC reports that about three percent of all children born in the United States have some birth defect. This number does not include mothers who suffer an injury related to carrying or delivering their child.
Traumatic Amputation
An amputation is the removal of a peripheral body part, most often an arm, leg, toes, or fingers. According to the Amputee Coalition, the majority of amputations occur because of vascular diseases, diabetes, and cancer. A significant minority of amputations, though, are traumatic amputations.
A traumatic amputation describes the loss of a limb due to a personal injury accident. The injury accident may sever the arm or leg completely. In other cases, the limb may have suffered so much damage in the accident that amputation of the affected limb is necessary to save the person’s life.
The CDC does not maintain useful statistics on traumatic amputations. However, the Amputee Coalition reports that approximately 2.1 million Americans have lost a limb, and 507 individuals experience limb amputation daily. About 45 percent of these amputations occur because of trauma.
Burns
Burns from heat, radiation, chemical spills, and electrical accidents can lead to extensive second and third-degree burns. Catastrophic Injuries can be painful and life-threatening, depending on their location and how widespread they are. Third-degree burns are the most serious and can affect the skin, muscle tissue, and bone.
The American Burn Association’s (ABA) statistics show that 486,000 individuals sought treatment at a hospital emergency room for burn injuries in 2015. Countless more went to an urgent care center, doctor’s office, or another facility. Approximately 40,000 of those who sought treatment for burns required hospitalization.
Other insights from the ABA’s statistics include the following:
- Over nine out of every ten burn victims will survive their injuries
- About seven out of every ten burn victims are male, and about six out of ten victims are Caucasian
- The most common cause of burn injuries is flame or fire
- Nearly three-quarters of burn injuries happen in the home
The CDC’s statistics show that over one million people in America seek some treatment for burn injuries annually. This number reflects individuals seeking treatment at hospitals and other medical facilities.
The Story These Statistics Tell
Looking at the statistics and prevalence of catastrophic injuries in America, it is clear that catastrophic injury events happen infrequently. Statistically, they impact a tiny number of families in any given year. The odds that you or your loved ones will be the victim of a catastrophic injury are low.
For any catastrophic injury, the chance that you or your family member will suffer such an injury is less than one out of 100.
However, there is no major category of catastrophic injury with an incidence rate of zero. As small as the risk may be, you or a loved one may be one of the millions of Americans each year who suffer a catastrophic injury. Traumatic brain injuries, burns, and traumatic amputations affect approximately the same number of Americans.
Your Catastrophic Injury Lawyer Can Assist You
If you or a family member suffer a severe injury, reach out to a catastrophic injury lawyer with The Joel Bieber Firm as soon as possible.
Do not wait until you have healed from your injuries, as traumatic brain injuries, amputations, and other severe injuries may take years or longer to heal. Instead, call your catastrophic injury lawyers early to protect your legal rights.
Even in cases involving catastrophic harm resulting in lifelong consequences, the law allows you only a limited amount of time to seek compensation for your medical bills and therapy needs.
Contact The Joel Bieber Firm’s team of experienced catastrophic injury lawyers today.
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