Catastrophic injuries – in a legal sense, those that prevent a person from performing gainful work – are completely life-changing. These types of injuries often result from physical harm to the brain or spinal cord, but they also include things like serious burns, amputations, organ damage and other types of damage.
If you’ve suffered a catastrophic injury due to someone else’s negligence, you could be entitled to financial compensation – and you may want to talk to a catastrophic injury attorney about your case.
A catastrophic injury lawsuit may be your best chance at getting the compensation you deserve. Often, these types of cases end up settling out of court – but either way, if you’ve been catastrophically injured because someone else (or a company) was careless, you have the right to demand what you deserve.
Catastrophic injuries typically fall into one of three categories:
However, it’s not always possible to settle this type of case without going to court. In many cases, the at-fault party’s insurance company refuses to pay a fair amount; sometimes they won’t even pay enough to cover medical care, which is typically unacceptable. In cases like those, a formal lawsuit is the way to go.
Related: Should I get a lawyer after a car accident?
A formal lawsuit requires both sides to go through the court system for resolution. The victim’s attorney will file a lawsuit and the at-fault party will have to respond. Both sides can bring in witnesses and show evidence, and eventually, a judge will decide the outcome. If you win a formal lawsuit, the judge in your case can award you two types of damages: compensatory and punitive. Both are financial awards, and it’s up to you what you do with the money – it’s just that legally, these two types of damages have different purposes.
Compensatory damages are intended to compensate you (pay you back) for the losses you’ve incurred as a result of your injuries. The judge in your case will look at your medical bills, the projected cost of your future medical care and your lost wages (now and in the future) to determine how much the at-fault party should pay you in compensatory damages.
Compensatory damages can include things like those listed in the table below.
Compensatory Damages |
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Medical bills (present and future) | Rehabilitation expenses and therapy | Ambulance and emergency service expenses |
Medications and prescriptions | Medical equipment | Domestic services |
Lost wages and employment income (present and future) | Increased living expenses (present and future) | Long-term physical pain and suffering |
Mental anguish | Property repair or replacement | Loss of consortium |
Loss of enjoyment of life | Loss of opportunity | Disfigurement |
One of the most basic tenets of living in a society is that people (and companies) should be careful not to harm others – and when someone is careless or negligent enough to cause another person life-changing injuries, they should be held accountable. You have to remember:
If you’ve been catastrophically injured – or if someone you care about has – it may be time to talk to an attorney about your options. You could be entitled to compensation for what you’ve been through, and we may be able to help you get it. Call us at 818-230-8380 or fill out the form below to tell us what happened. We’ll be happy to visit you at home, in the hospital or in our office – and if you’re entitled to compensation, we can help you get what you deserve.
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