Catastrophic injuries include severe traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury with paralysis, amputation, severe burns, and multiple trauma producing permanent disability. Some statutes define the term specifically for benefits or coverage purposes.
The defining characteristics are permanence, the need for ongoing medical and attendant care, and substantial loss of function.
Alternative Names:
Severe Injury, Life-Altering Injury
Why it Matters?
These cases combine the largest damages exposure in civil litigation with the most assumption-dependent proof, since future care and lost earning capacity are projected across decades. They also demand early handling discipline: life care planning, structured settlement analysis, Medicare set-aside evaluation, and excess carrier notification all need to happen before mediation rather than at it.
Frequently Confused with
Related terms
Frequently asked questions
What injuries are considered catastrophic?
Why do these cases require early specialized handling?
