Dealing with catastrophic injuries caused by someone else’s negligence on your own can leave you struggling to keep up. You have bills that need to be paid and an insurance company to deal with – and that insurance company might use a variety of tactics to limit the compensation it ultimately has to provide for you.
Working with a personal injury attorney in Lithonia can help you better break down the full compensation you deserve and increase the odds that you will receive it.
Understanding Catastrophic Injuries
Catastrophic injuries, legally speaking, include any injuries that leave the victim with permanent impact, including an injury that prevents an individual from working or generating an income effectively. Catastrophic injuries may include:
- Spinal cord injuries
- Brain injuries
- Amputations
- Loss of senses, including vision or hearing
Catastrophic injuries usually mean serious, long-term impact for the victim: considerable time spent in rehabilitation or under medical care, a long time regaining strength and mobility, and permanent limitations on the victim’s life.
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Recovering Compensation for Catastrophic Injuries in Lithonia
When you suffer catastrophic injuries, your entire life can change in what feels like the blink of an eye. You may have an ever-growing balance of medical bills to contend with even as your injuries impair your ability to work and even make it impossible for you to generate gainful income.
In order to determine whether another party bears liability for your catastrophic injuries, and who that other party might be, a lawyer will ask several critical questions:
- Did someone else’s actions or negligence cause your accident?
- Did that individual or entity bear a duty of care to you at the time of the incident?
- Did you suffer your catastrophic injuries as a direct result of that negligence?
For example, suppose you suffered catastrophic injuries in a car accident. The other driver, by virtue of his presence on the road, bore a duty of care to all others who shared the road with him at the time of the incident, including other drivers and their passengers, pedestrians, motorcycle riders, and cyclists. On investigation, your lawyer uncovers that the other driver negligently chose to use his phone while driving, which led to the collision and, ultimately, to your injuries. Because you sustained your injuries as a direct result of the accident, the other driver bears liability for them, and you should pursue compensation through his insurance company.
Catastrophic injury claims often involve high-value settlements because of the sheer amount of damage sustained by the victim. While we cannot guarantee the compensation you will recover for a catastrophic injury in Lithonia, we can help you break down the extent of your financial and non-financial losses to better determine the compensation you may deserve.
We Can Help You Pay Your Medical Bills
Your medical bills will often serve as the foundation for your personal injury claim. When you suffer catastrophic injuries, you may have substantial medical bills to go along with them. Medical bills usually continue to mount as you undergo further treatments for your injuries. Furthermore, as the victim of catastrophic injuries, you may have ongoing medical expenses that will continue to add up for the rest of your life.
Talk to your lawyer about all the medical bills you have had to pay as a direct result of your accident. Start with immediate emergency medical bills: the cost of ambulance transport and treatment in the emergency room. Then, take a look at your ongoing medical costs, from a long stay in a hospital or rehabilitation facility to the cost of durable medical equipment that you need to get around after your accident.
Your lawyer may also look at your future anticipated medical expenses, especially if you know that you will need ongoing medical treatment for the rest of your life or that you will need to pursue specific treatments in the future.
Your Lost Wages/Lost Income Potential
Catastrophic injuries nearly always result in an immediate loss of income, since you may not be able to go back to work immediately after your accident. Many catastrophic injury victims, however, find that they cannot simply plan to return to work following their injuries.
Often, catastrophic injuries result in a loss of earning potential: your ability to generate an income, either in your current field or permanently.
For example, a construction worker who suffers a spinal cord injury may have a hard time working on a construction site in the future and may need to obtain additional certifications or education in order to pursue a different career.
As part of your catastrophic injury claim in Lithonia, you can claim compensation for the loss of your earning potential, which may help you get those new certifications or otherwise help as you try to rebuild your life.
Your Pain and Suffering
Pain and suffering following a catastrophic injury can prove immense. Your entire life may change: your work, the activities you engage in for pleasure, even your ability to spend time with friends and loved ones. For many victims of catastrophic injuries, those changes are permanent and life-altering.
Many people, in addition to struggling with the immediate pain related to those losses, find themselves dealing with immense anxiety and depression as they try to cope with those new limitations.
A Lithonia Catastrophic Injury Lawyer Can Help
If you suffered catastrophic injuries due to another party’s negligence, a Lithonia catastrophic injury attorney can help you pursue the compensation you deserve for those injuries. An experienced lawyer can:
- Break down the compensation you deserve to give you a better idea of what to expect
- Guide you through the claim process
- Handle interactions with the insurance company on your behalf
- Seek evidence that will prove your right to compensation
- Put together a claim for you
- Represent you if your claim has to go to court for you to obtain the compensation you deserve
Often, accident victims find that working with a lawyer offers their best opportunity to obtain the full compensation they deserve.
Contact a Catastrophic Injury Lawyer in Lithonia Today
At John Foy, we have helped many past catastrophic injury victims pursue the compensation they need and deserve for those serious injuries. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help.
404-400-4000 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form