Different Aspects of Personal Injury
How do you know if you have been involved in an incident that leads to personal injury? Often, the effects of the injury are obvious; however, there are some events that are not as clear when it comes to determining personal injury. Personal injury can take many forms. Additionally, one event can lead to many different types of personal injury. Personal injuries are caused due to slip and fall accidents, automobile accidents, trucking accidents, DUI accidents, motorcycle accidents, work injuries, animal attacks and many other events.
Injuries incurred due to the willful, negligent or reckless act of another can range from minor bruises, cuts and abrasions to severe physical impairment or death. Among the more serious injuries that can occur in a personal injury case are brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, paralysis, blindness or wrongful death. Additionally, personal injury cases can include serious emotional distress caused by the event.
Brain injuries can occur in any type of incident (from slip and fall to automobile accidents). One of the difficulties in determining brain injury is that sometimes it takes a long time for the effects of the injury to become apparent. Additionally, treatment of brain injuries is a long and difficult process, and often there are long lasting impairments caused by the brain injury and require long term treatment by a brain injury specialist.
Spinal cord injuries are as potentially devastating as brain injuries. Spinal cord injuries often have a life-long impact on the affected party. Spinal cord injuries can range from minor, chronic discomfort to serious neurological impairment. Spinal cord injuries can lead to paralysis (either temporary or permanent).
Paralysis is usually caused by spinal cord injuries in which nerve connections are shut down either temporarily or permanent; however, other types of injury can lead to paralysis in large sections of the human body. Partial body paralysis is known as paraplegia. Paraplegia is simply paralysis of the body below the waist. The loss of sensation and movement below the neck is quadriplegia. Again, according to the severity of the injury and the amount of time the injured area goes without proper treatment can determine the length of the paralysis (whether it will be temporary or permanent).
Serious personal injuries can sometimes lead to amputations of the injured area. Loss of a body part during the incident is frightening and life threatening. Sometimes areas that are severed during the incident can be successfully reattached; however, this also carries the risks of serious complications. Also, medical professionals are sometimes forced to amputate and area injured during the incident in order to prevent the patient’s death. Amputations have lifelong impact of the personal injury victim.
Another serious injury that can occur due to the willful, negligent or reckless act of another is partial or total loss of vision. In accidents the eyes may be struck by flying objects or suffer serious burns due to intense heat/fire or chemicals. Additionally, blindness can result from brain injuries incurred during the incident. Like paralysis, blindness can be temporary or permanent depending on the extent of the injury.
Serious emotional trauma can also result from a personal injury incident. Post traumatic stress disorder can result from the incident. Additionally, head/brain injuries can alter the individual’s chemical make-up leading to such conditions as major depression and chronic anxiety. Emotional injuries are among the most difficult to prove in any personal injury case.
Bite wounds from animal attacks are also forms of personal injury. Animal attacks due to the negligence or recklessness of pet owners can cause serious physical injury, risks of infections and long term emotional trauma.
Injuries from chemical spills/toxic spills may not immediately manifest. Long term exposure to toxic chemicals can lead to chronic health conditions and/or death. Additionally, chemical burns can lead to such serious injuries as blindness and permanent physical scarring.
Wrongful death is the most serious form of personal injury-the death of the victim due to the willful, negligent or reckless act of another. Wrongful death cases lead to serious emotional disturbances for the loved ones of the victim.
Any of the previous mentioned injuries can occur during a personal injury event including automobile accidents, trucking accidents, DUI personal injury accidents, slip and fall, animal attacks, chemical burns and toxic spills. Additionally, more than one injury can occur in any of the above mentioned events. Often, victims suffer a number of different injuries as the result of another’s failure to exercise reasonable care. The attorneys at Kirby Kelly can help clients obtain the necessary medical tests to determine the extent of the injuries as well as drafting the necessary complaints to receive adequate compensation.
