Catastrophic Injury Attorney
A catastrophic injury comes with permanent or long-term effects and is the most severe form of injury you can ever experience. These injuries typically occur in extremely dangerous and chaotic situations where the injured victim is lucky to survive.
When defining catastrophic injuries, you must take into consideration the physical, mental and emotional costs of the injury or injuries. In addition, the consequences of these permanent injuries with performing daily activities and gainful work.
Many catastrophic injuries happen in traffic accidents on California’s roads, but not all of them. Catastrophic personal injuries can also occur in everyday situations where someone is doing something risky or not paying attention.
What Causes a Catastrophic Injury?
Catastrophic injuries can occur in many different scenarios in California. The body is not meant to withstand extreme forces, such as those exerted upon it in a car accident or fall.
Some common causes of catastrophic injury include:
Motor vehicle and traffic accidents
Medical malpractice
Pharmacy errors
Defective consumer products
Violent crime
Construction site accidents
Sports accidents
Falls
Fires or explosions
WHat are the Complications of a Catastrophic Injury
Injuries are classified as catastrophic when they have permanent or lasting effects on the victim. These types of injuries change a victim’s life, making it difficult or impossible to resume normal activities. Catastrophic injuries often cause the following long-lasting complications.
Physical disability. A catastrophic injury could inflict permanent physical harm on a victim. An accident survivor may have to live with a permanent disability, such as paralysis or the loss of a limb.
Mental incapacity. A severe injury could also inflict a mental disability, such as a traumatic brain injury in an accident or a birth injury that causes brain damage. Mental incapacity can alter the way the victim thinks, talks, moves and acts.
Financial struggles. The financial impact of a catastrophic injury is immense. Some victims face multiple millions of dollars in medical bills alone over their lifetimes. This is why it is critical to obtain fair financial compensation for your catastrophic injury.
Reduced quality of life. A catastrophic injury can affect a victim’s overall quality and enjoyment of life. A victim may experience chronic depression, anxiety or low self-esteem, for example, due to physical changes, mental changes or the inability to resume ordinary life.
Employment problems. Many catastrophic injuries take a victim out of the workforce or require the victim to take a job with reduced responsibilities – and reduced pay, in many cases. Although this may qualify the individual for workers’ comp and disability, these benefits are often not enough.
WHAT ARE THE COSTS OF A CATASTROPHIC INJURY?
A catastrophic injury comes with many costs that often last for the victim’s lifetime. The required medical care, paired with the inability to work, leads to financial struggles for many accident victims. A successful settlement or judgment award can pay a plaintiff for many expenses associated with a catastrophic injury, such as:
Medical bills
Lost wages
Disability accommodations
Home and vehicle modifications
Live-in nursing aide
Specialists
Surgeries
Travel and transportation
According to the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center, the lifetime cost of a spinal cord injury that causes high tetraplegia (full-body paralysis) can exceed $5 million for someone who is 25 years old at the time of injury. The average lifetime cost of a traumatic brain injury is around $4 million. These estimates do not consider lost productivity, wages or other costs beyond health care and living expenses. As a personal injury plaintiff in LA, you or your lawyer can demand financial compensation for all of these losses, in addition to pain and suffering and punitive damages.
Contact us
The time to act is now, and begin the process of seeking workers compensation you are entitled to. Your case is important to us, and we look forward to representing you. We understand that this time in your life can be stressful, and we will work to reduce your stress as much as possible while fighting for the money you rightfully deserve.