WHAT ARE COMMON TYPES OF CATASTROPHIC INJURIES?

An injury is typically considered “catastrophic” if it confers lifelong consequences that limit someone’s ability to work and/or enjoy their life. They are generally caused by a single incident, often an accident resulting from another party’s negligence.

Examples of catastrophic injuries include:

• Amputations (loss of one or more limbs)
• Loss of hearing or sight
• Nerve damage
• Spinal cord and neck injuries
• Birth injuries
• Neurological damage
• Paralysis
• Traumatic brain injuries

WHAT ARE THE COMMON CAUSES OF CATASTROPHIC INJURIES?

Any person that is in the wrong place at the wrong time can sustain a catastrophic injury. While we often associate these tragic consequences with fiery incidents, even a seemingly minor accident, such as a slip and fall in a grocery store, can result in a catastrophic injury under certain, unfortunate circumstances.

Our catastrophic injury attorneys are prepared to represent you if you were seriously hurt in a:

• Vehicular Accident: Any vehicular collision, especially those involving buses, boats, and trucks, has the potential to cause catastrophic injuries. Motorcyclists, bicyclists, and pedestrians are especially vulnerable in an accident. Driver negligence is not always to blame: Auto defects can also lead to devastating crashes.
• Construction, Industrial, Oil Field, or Offshore Accident: Construction, industrial, and oil field workers are subject to inherently dangerous conditions that often involve heavy machinery, great heights, chemicals, and other hazards. Despite a greater level of regulatory oversight in recent years, serious accidents are still a common occurrence.
• Medical Malpractice Incident: We trust our medical providers to provide accurate diagnoses and live up to an accepted standard of care. When a provider fails to live up to this standard and acts negligently, catastrophic injuries can result. Misdiagnosis, a failure to diagnose, prescribing the incorrect type or an inappropriate dosage of medication, or failing to act appropriately during surgery or when rendering care can all lead to these tragic, avoidable outcomes.
• Nursing Home Abuse Incident: Elderly loved ones can suffer catastrophic injuries while living in long-term care facilities due to neglect or malicious conduct perpetrated by staff.
• Premises Liability Accident: When you suffer catastrophic injuries on someone else’s property due to the property owner’s negligence, you may have a premises liability claim against the property owner. Slips and falls, dog bites, swimming pool accidents, and amusement park accidents all fall under premises liability law.
• Sports Incident: Professional athletes often sustain catastrophic injuries over the course of their careers. In certain situations, coaches, organizations, staff members, and/or other players could be held accountable for avoidable injuries that were caused or worsened by negligent or reckless conduct.

WHAT TYPES OF COMPENSATION CAN I RECOVER FOR CATASTROPHIC INJURIES IN A PERSONAL INJURY LAWSUIT?

A personal injury lawsuit is meant to help you get money to cover both out-of-pocket, practical expenses as well as more intangible losses. To recover any compensation, you must file a lawsuit before your state’s pertinent statute of limitations expires. The exact time limit varies by the type of accident (the rules for auto accidents differ from medical malpractice, for example), so it is a good idea to get legal advice as soon as you learn you have suffered a catastrophic injury.

Because catastrophic injuries generally confer lifelong impacts, it is paramount that you determine the appropriate value of your claim. A permanent disability will typically require a life care plan tailored to your unique circumstances, and you must ensure you get the full amount needed to cover your medical bills and other expenses. Experts will often be needed to both establish liability and accurately calculate damages.

Our catastrophic injury lawyers will work to get you maximum compensation for:

• Past, current, and future medical expenses
• Disfigurement
• Lost wages
• Loss of consortium
• All other out-of-pocket expenses
• Disability
• Reduced earning capacity
• Loss of enjoyment of life
• Pain and suffering