An injury is typically classified as “catastrophic” when it happens suddenly and without warning and leaves the victim with life-changing impacts and long-term consequences.

• Based on the definition used by the American Medical Association, a catastrophic injury is a severe injury to the spine, spinal cord, or brain, and may also include skull or spinal fractures. Many people think of paraplegia and quadriplegia as common catastrophic injuries, but those are just a few of many different types of catastrophic injury. Losses of sight or hearing are also catastrophic injuries. Birth injuries can be catastrophic. By their very nature, catastrophic injuries often happen swiftly and without prior warning. One minute your life is fine, and the next, it’s upside down. Everything has changed, and you don’t know what your next move is. Listed below are just a few different types of catastrophic injury.