Why Comas are Catastrophic Injuries

Substantial force and impact that comes from car crashes, sports accidents, slip, and fall incidents are just a few examples of the ways that a person can suffer a coma. When the brain is injured, if the brain is starved of oxygen and nutrients, or if there is an infection a person can have a coma. A coma is a terrifying condition for a victim but it is also scary for a victim’s friends and family who have to witness their loved one being incapacitated.

When a person is unconscious for a long period of time and they don’t respond to various stimuli, this is considered a coma. Sometimes a coma is done intentionally.  A medically induced coma may be necessary as a course of treatment to help save a patient’s life. There has been much research put into understanding how comas function, when or if a person in a coma will wake up, and how a coma affects a victim after they wake up. Yet, despite all of the studies, there is still a lot that we don’t know.

How Does a Coma Affect a Person?

Every person responds to trauma or illness related to a coma differently. A patient’s prior health before they endured the trauma which leads to their coma can have a major impact on how they respond to a coma. Additionally, what factors and how a patient entered into a coma also has a role in recovery and lasting effects from the condition.

An example of an injury leading to a coma that can have a permanent and lasting impact on a patient would be if a spine infection caused the condition. After a victim who suffered a coma from a spine infection could have a very long road to recovery. It is not impossible for a victim in this scenario to have to endure months or years to recover. Even at the point where a medical doctor has determined that a victim has recovered as much as they can, they may still be in bad shape. A person can reach their maximum recovery potential and yet be disabled or have decreased physical abilities that they did not have before their accident.

Another example of a coma causing long-term damage to a person’s life would be when the condition puts a person into a vegetative state. To stay alive, the person must be in constant care in a hospital-like facility where they are hooked up to machines for breathing, eating, and eliminating waste. When a person has gone into such an extreme and deep coma, the likelihood that they will fully come out of their vegetative state is only 50%. Even if they do manage to come to consciousness they are at high risk for suffering life-long disabilities and impairments.

Speak with an Arizona Personal Injury Attorney Today

If you or a loved one suffered a coma from an Arizona injury accident, you deserve compensation. Comas are considerable injuries and catastrophic as they can change your life or the life of your loved on forever. Call the Arizona serious injury attorneys at ELG when you need to maximize the amount of compensation you receive from your Arizona personal injury claim at (623) 877-3600. ELG offers free consultations.