Wisconsin Catastrophic Injury Attorneys

A catastrophic injury is defined as any injury to the brain, spine or spinal cord. These are critical areas of the body that control functions and sensation in all other parts. A skull or spine fracture may also be considered to be a catastrophic injury.

Because these are such critical areas of the body, catastrophic injuries can cause victims to suffer permanent disabilities. Catastrophic injuries can be fatal. In some cases, victims do not suffer permanent disabilities and in others, victims recover some sensation or ability in affected areas through surgery and physical therapy. But quick action is critical to a catastrophic injury victim’s survival. If you are involved in an accident in Neenah and you or another involved party needs emergency medical attention, get to an emergency room right away. ThedaCare Regional Medical Center-Neenah has an emergency room that can provide critical, lifesaving care. After you have received the care you need, consider filing a personal injury claim to recover compensation for your damages.

Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI)

It can be easy to overlook a brain injury after an accident because in most cases, brain injuries do not have physical symptoms. This is why it is critical that you receive appropriate medical attention as soon as you can after your accident – so the doctor can diagnose anything you might have missed. Symptoms of a mild to moderate brain injury include:

• Dizziness
• Fatigue
• Headache
• Difficulty sleeping
• Blurred vision
• Mood changes
• Memory and concentration problems

In addition to the symptoms listed above, an individual with a severe brain injury can experience the following:

• Loss of consciousness for up to a few hours
• Slurred speech
• Profound confusion
• Coma
• Convulsions or seizures
• The draining of clear liquid from the nose and/or ears

Suffering from a brain injury can be extremely isolating. Unlike physical injuries like broken bones, other people cannot see your injury. It can also be more difficult to determine a recovery time for a brain injury than it is for other types of injuries. In addition to working with a personal injury lawyer to seek compensation for your damages, consider taking steps to work through the physical and emotional difficulties that accompany a brain injury with help from a counselor or support group. There are support groups for brain injury patients throughout Wisconsin. In Neenah, this type of support group is available at St. Elizabeth Healthcare.

Recovering from a brain injury could require you to do things you never thought you would have to do, like re-learn how to walk, how to eat and how to perform basic tasks that you once took for granted. Do not allow yourself to suffer financially while you recover.

Spinal Cord Injuries

An injury to the back can mean an injury to the spinal cord, which can have permanent complications. The spinal cord is a critical piece of the central nervous system. This thick tubular column in the back protects the nerves that transport signals through the body, directing voluntary and involuntary movements and reactions to stimuli to the brain.

Because the spinal cord is closely tied to the brain’s function, a spinal cord injury could lead to neurological as well as physical complications. A spinal cord injury victim can experience one or more of the following:

• Reduced or diminished bladder or bowel control
• Sexual dysfunction
• Paralysis
• Loss of skin sensation, which can put the victim at a greater risk of suffering a burn, frostbite or cuts
• Circulatory issues like high blood pressure, low blood pressure and an increased risk of blood clots
• Respiratory issues like difficulty breathing and an increased risk of pneumonia
• Chronic pain throughout the body
• Mental health difficulties like depression. This can occur because of the difficulty of transitioning to life with a spinal cord injury and handling the physical symptoms discussed above. These complications can be frustrating and embarrassing for a previously able-bodied individual.
• Nerve pinch injuries. Also known as stingers and burners, these are injuries to the nerves that can cause the victim to suffer quick, sharp pains in his or her neck and arms
• Whiplash. This is an injury to the soft tissue that occurs when the head is violently jerked forward and backward or side to side. Muscles, ligaments, and nerves in the neck can be damaged by whiplash, which is most common in car accident victims

Through a personal injury claim, a victim can seek compensation for all medical expenses, including hospitalization, medication and the cost of rehabilitative therapy. He or she can also seek compensation for pain and suffering damages, which include the emotional trauma of experiencing an injury and the need for disability aids like a wheelchair or modifications to his or her home to accommodate the wheelchair.

Long-term Complications Of A Neck Or Back Injury

Certain back and neck injuries complications are permanent, like paralysis. Others can be partially or even completely overcome through medical treatment and rehabilitative therapy. Whether an individual’s complications are permanent or temporary depend largely on the circumstances of his or her accident and the severity of the injury. Even in cases where the individual makes a full recovery, he or she can still experience lingering pain for years after the accident.

Musculoskeletal Trauma: Elbow, Wrist, Knee, Shoulder and Leg Injuries

Limbs and joins can be particularly vulnerable during an accident. Even short-term impairment can quickly impact a person’s life negatively.

Types Of Elbow And Wrist Injuries

Wrist injuries, like injuries to all other parts of the body, can be fairly minor or quite severe. They include:

• Sprains
• Strains
• Fractures
• Dislocations
• Compartment syndrome, which occurs when the wrist is crushed and inflammation occurs in a closed area. This can lead to reduced blood flow and fluid buildup

The elbow can suffer many of the same injuries as the wrist, such as sprains, dislocations, strains and fractures. Other elbow injuries an accident victim can suffer include bursitis, an injury to one of the fluid-filled sacs between the bones and other moving parts of the elbow.

Types Of Leg And Knee Injuries

The knee is part of the leg. When an individual suffers a knee injury, he or she can also suffer other injuries in the leg. Other parts of the leg include the ankle, the calf and the thigh. Other body parts that can suffer injuries related to a leg or knee injury include the hip and the foot.

The leg contains bones, muscles, connective tissue and blood vessels. Examples of leg injuries a victim can sustain in an accident include:

• Broken bones
• Sprains
• Strains
• Burns
• Cuts that lead to severe bleeding and put the victim at risk of suffering from shock or an infection
• Bursitis, damage to one of the fluid-filled sacs that cushion the areas between tissues
• Clots in the blood vessels
• Joint dislocations in the hip, knee or ankle joint

The knee can suffer specific types of injury, such as:

• Fractures in the knee
• Sprains and strains to the ligaments in the knee, the bands of fibrous tissue that hold the joint together. They are the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), the medial collateral ligament (MCL) and the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL)
• Loose bodies in the knee due to fractures, tears or dislocation

Sometimes, a leg or knee injury is not immediately obvious when an accident occurs. This is why it is important to seek medical attention as soon as possible after an accident – a prompt examination can catch an injury before it becomes more severe due to lack of treatment.

Types Of Shoulder Injuries

At the shoulder’s center is the shoulder joint, a ball and socket joint that makes it possible for the arm to rotate completely. Three bones, the scapula, the clavicle and the humerus, comprise the shoulder along with numerous muscles and the tendons and ligaments that keep them in place. Because there are so many components to the shoulder, there are numerous ways a victim’s shoulder can be injured. These include:

• Fractures to one or more of the bones
• Specific types of tear, such as rotator cuff and Superior Labrum Anterior and Posterior tears
• Dislocation of the shoulder joint
• Shoulder impingement
• Nerve damage in the shoulder

Long-term Complications Of A Shoulder Injury

Over time, symptoms of an untreated shoulder injury can become worse. The victim can suffer from chronic pain or stiffness in the affected shoulder and as the years pass, reduced strength and range of motion. Other long-term complications an accident victim can suffer from a shoulder injury include:

• Damage to the blood vessels in the shoulder
• Loss of muscle tone
• Shoulder instability
• Loss of sensation in the affected shoulder

What Causes Catastrophic Injuries?

You can suffer a catastrophic injury from any of the following types of accident:

• Car, truck, motorcycle and bicycle accidents
• Pedestrian accidents
• Slip-and-fall accidents
• Accidents involving large machinery or other objects
• Attacks by animals or other human beings

Seeking Compensation For Damages

If you are injured in an accident caused by another party’s negligence, you can seek compensation for the following damages through a personal injury claim:

• Your medical bills
• Your lost wages
• Your miscellaneous expenses like your need for a mobility aid while you recover or your need for psychological counseling to overcome the trauma of the injury

When a catastrophic injury permanently disables a victim, his or her damages can increase exponentially. He or she may never be able to work again or might need to have an in-home caretaker. To gain a full understanding of the true value of your damages, work with a lawyer who has experience handling catastrophic injury claims. He or she will draw upon his or her professional network to consult with health care providers who work with disabled populations to provide expert testimonies to support your claim. As a catastrophic injury victim, your case is not like other personal injury claims. Do not allow it to be treated as such and do not accept a settlement offer for less money than you need.

Work With One Of Our Lawyers

If you have suffered a catastrophic injury in any type of accident, you could be facing a lifetime of disability and an inability to earn a living. Do not allow yourself to suffer financially because another party’s negligence injured you so dramatically. File a personal injury claim with the aid of a lawyer who has specific experience representing clients suffering from catastrophic injuries to seek the compensation you need for your damages. Contact our team of experienced personal injury lawyers in Neenah and Appleton at Hammett, Bellin & Oswald, LLC, today. Contact our team online or call 920-202-8872.