Catastrophic Injury Questions
What is a "catastrophic" injury?
Injuries are deemed "catastrophic" when their physical injuries are especially severe, and require extensive medical treatment. The injuries may involve damage to the central nervous system, brain or spinal cord. Other catastrophic injuries include severe burns, fractures, amputations, loss of eyesight, or injuries to nerves in the shoulder, chest and arm. Many people who suffer catastrophic injuries also suffer from depression because of their limiting condition.
Are catastrophic injuries permanent?
No. Not all catastrophic injuries are permanent. Those that are not permanent often take a very long time—months or years—to fully recover. Sometimes, the extent of the injury isn’t known until later in life. Emotional injuries may also linger for a long time after the physical injuries have healed.
What may cause a catastrophic injury?
There are many different situations that can cause a catastrophic injury: automobile accidents, fires, construction accidents, sports injuries, faulty products and workplace accidents.
What are the symptoms of a traumatic brain injury?
A traumatic brain injury can occur without visible external evidence, so the symptoms associated with it might be the best way to diagnose a brain injury. Symptoms include; headaches, neck pain, blurred vision, loss of senses, difficulty with mental tasks, poor memory, difficulty concentrating and becoming easily confused.
What kind of compensation may I recover for my injuries?
An injured person could be awarded compensation for medical expenses (present and future), pain and suffering, lost income (present and future), and any others a catastrophic injury lawyer may see fit.
Can I still recover compensation if I am partly responsible for my injury?
Yes. Your losses will be valued and your responsibility for your injury will be deducted. So, for example, if you suffered injuries in a car crash and you and another driver were equally at fault, your damages would be reduced by 50 percent. Your right to an accident claim would not be affected.
How long will it take to resolve my claim?
It is impossible to predict how long each claim will take, since every case is different. Waging my experience, most serious claims settle within two to three years after the date of the catastrophic injury. The fewer contested issues a particular case has, the faster it can be resolved.
THE PERSONAL INJURY LAWYERS