The experience of a catastrophic injury is itself painful and traumatizing. The aftermath is equally devastating. Catastrophic injuries cause physical pain, emotional anguish, and significant financial losses and expenses, leading to drastic life changes. You will need significant financial support going forward. Consult with a catastrophic injuries lawyer in Dalton to ensure you have an expert fighting to get that support.
Why You Need Compensation for a Catastrophic Injury
Though your life will change following an injury, there are ways to mitigate losses to your quality of life. Your settlement can assist that mitigation by financing structural changes to your home or living space to accommodate your changed abilities and providing access to ever-growing, and often expensive, medical interventions.
A Dalton catastrophic injuries lawyer from John Foy & Associates can help you obtain a settlement to recover some of the monetary losses, bringing financial relief and a measure of justice to you and your family.
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Damages Compensation Can Cover
All catastrophic injuries are different. The damages you pursue and the settlement you receive depend on the specifics of your case. Your lawyer will carefully consider how you and your household are affected and will continue to be affected, by the consequences of your injuries.
Medical Care
Catastrophic injuries generally demand intense and long-term medical care, which carries significant costs. Your lawyer will include expenses for surgery, hospitalization, rehabilitation, home care, and additional therapies when seeking your settlement.
Economic Damages
Your ability to work will probably change after a catastrophic injury. You will certainly lose time at work as move toward a level of recovery, and unfortunately, you may never recover enough to return to your job. Recouping lost wages and potential earnings is vital to your financial security.
Intangible Losses
Your ability to participate in social activities or vacations, engage with your family and others, and enjoy and move through life independently will likely be diminished following your accident. Though these losses are not as easily measured as lost wages, they weigh heavily and deserve acknowledgment.
How Your Dalton Catastrophic Injuries Attorney Will Help Secure Your Settlement
Your settlement has the potential to bring tremendous relief to you and your household. When you have a legal representative, you can trust that your lawyer’s expert knowledge of the law and experience in negotiating increase your likelihood of receiving a high settlement.
File on Time
Georgia Code §9-3-33 sets a two-year statute of limitations for filing personal injury claims. Should you fail to meet the deadline, your case will almost surely be dismissed. Consult with a lawyer as soon as possible after your injury to ensure filing occurs within that deadline and to get your case started.
Negotiations can take a long time. The sooner you start the process, the sooner you can expect to see financial relief.
Evidence and Fault Laws
Strong cases are built with strong evidence. Your catastrophic injuries attorney in Dalton will collect thorough evidence to prove the damages you have suffered and to emphasize the at-fault party’s responsibility for the accident.
In Georgia, personal injury cases operate under modified comparative fault laws, which means even victims of catastrophic injuries can be deemed at fault for at least some of the accidents, which can affect the amount of their settlement.
Plaintiffs (those filing the claim) can only receive compensation if they hold less than 50% of the responsibility for their injuries. If they meet that threshold, their compensation is reduced by their determined percentage of fault. Your lawyer will work to prove the at-fault party’s negligence while defending you against culpability.
Negotiations and Representation
Settlements are usually negotiated with the at-fault party’s insurance company and/or other legal representatives. Since the goal of these parties is to protect their interests by paying out as little as possible, it is best to have your own legal advocate speaking for you.
Regrettably, when large sums of money are on the line, at-fault parties may resort to coercion to convince you to accept a low settlement or use unethical practices to place unfair blame on you. Your lawyer from the Strong Arm of Georgia will protect you against those unfair offers and practices.
Most claims are settled out of court. Should the at-fault party refuse to make an acceptable offer, you may decide to take your case to trial. Your lawyer will advise you of your options and represent you at all court proceedings.
Understanding Catastrophic Injuries
A catastrophic injury is not always the result of a catastrophic event. While motor vessel or heavy equipment accidents are culprits for producing catastrophic injuries, they are certainly not the only ones.
Catastrophic injuries can result from a minor slip-and-fall, tripping over a poorly placed object and damaging your spinal cord, or from colliding with an opponent while playing a sport, for example.
Examples of Catastrophic Injuries
What makes an injury catastrophic are its consequences. These types of injuries are life-changing, and the things you could do before your injury, such as work or care for yourself independently, are things you cannot do after your injury. Common examples include
- Spinal cord injuries
- Traumatic brain damage
- Broken and shattered bones
- Damage to internal organs
- Loss of vision, hearing, or the ability to speak or communicate
- Serious burns
- Loss of mobility, paralysis
- Loss of limb/s
- Disfigurement
Sustaining injuries as serious as these is devastating for you and your loved ones. Attempting to manage complex legalities and secure compensation that covers your expenses and provides long-term financial security on your own can jeopardize your settlement.
Negotiating with savvy insurance companies while in a vulnerable state puts you at risk of accepting a truly unacceptable settlement, and making even minor errors when preparing and filing legal documents can cost you dearly. Trust your case and your financial future to an experienced Dalton catastrophic injuries lawyer with a history of success.
Consult With a Lawyer Before Accepting Any Offers
Consulting with a lawyer from John Foy & Associates is free. When we fight for you, we do not accept any fees until you receive a settlement.
Do not speak with insurance companies or accept any settlements until you have spoken with a Dalton catastrophic injuries lawyer. Your lawyer will work to get the justice and financial compensation you deserve.
706-400-4000 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form