Trucking accidents cause some of the worst types of injuries. The damage to vehicles and bodies by the forces behind the crash makes it difficult to escape unscathed. Truck crashes account for many catastrophic accident injuries.
While the damage to the body is extensive, a person may survive a crash of this nature. Not all catastrophic injuries result in immediate fatalities, but they require a complete reworking of everyday life.
What makes an injury catastrophic?
A catastrophic injury, by definition, results in a life-long lifestyle alteration. It may mean a person cannot return to the same profession or may need round-the-clock care. The variation in lifestyle depends largely on what parts of the body suffered the most damage.
What are examples of catastrophic injuries?
Crashes with large trucks result in these types of injuries more often due to the forces behind the impact.
Traumatic brain injury
A TBI resulting from a truck crash may leave a person unable to perform basic everyday tasks, create new memories or recall old ones. Since the brain runs the body, any permanent damage to a piece of it may cause a myriad of catastrophic consequences that make a person unable to function.
Spinal cord trauma
The spinal cord controls movement in every other part of the body. The fiber acts as a conductor through which brain impulses travel to tell the lungs to breathe, the heart to beat and the limbs to move. If there is a piece of cord that becomes damaged, it may result in paralysis.
Catastrophic damage may not result in immediate death, but it may lead to a shorter life. Getting help with medical needs may prove crucial to getting a truck crash survivor a fighting chance at a longer life.