A catastrophic harm is one that permanently disables or inflicts severe bodily harm, according to the National Center for Catastrophic Sports Injury Research (NCCSIR). Critical, catastrophic harms include traumatic brain injury, disfigurement, paralysis, severe burn, and spinal cord injury, among others.
A catastrophic injury is so severe, that it often affects all areas of life. These extreme changes to life as it once was can cost a person financially, as well as physical, emotionally and psychologically.