Decatur
Catastrophic Injury Lawyer

When you sustain catastrophic injuries in an accident in Decatur, Georgia, the life-altering consequences affect you for a lifetime. Severe accidental trauma sometimes damages your brain, causes paralysis, or permanently impairs your bodily functions. Catastrophically injured victims and their families deal with extreme financial losses, personal and emotional setbacks, and diminished earning capacity. 

If a person, business, or organization caused your catastrophic injuries, you need an advocate working on your behalf. While you concentrate on healing, our Decatur personal injury lawyer works to recover the compensation you need to survive.

Catastrophic Injuries Change Your Life

You never anticipate that you’ll spend your life recovering from a catastrophic condition. When it happens, it changes your life forever. Incidents that cause devastating trauma vary significantly, but the injuries usually include common elements. 

• Life-threatening conditions
• Hospitalization and long-term medical care
• High-dollar treatment and recovery expenses
• Income losses and career changes
• Physical and emotional impairments 
• Extensive rehabilitation 
• Drastic family and lifestyle changes

Types of Catastrophic Injuries You Can Include in Your Claim

Catastrophic injuries usually occur during horrific accidents or casualty events in Decatur and throughout Georgia.  The trauma is sometimes so severe, it causes fatal injuries. Survivors of these worst-case-scenario events often sustain simultaneous catastrophic injuries. 

• Spinal cord injuries/paralysis
• Spontaneous or surgical amputations: arm, hand, foot, or leg, digits
• Severe traumatic brain injuries
• Fractures involving the skull, spine, hips, or multiple complex breaks
• Burns with damage to underlying tissue, muscles, bones, or a significant area of a victim’s body 
• Total loss of vision
• Internal organ damage
• Loss of reproductive organs and other significant bodily functions 

Recoverable Compensation for Injury Damages in Georgia 

When you or your Decatur catastrophic injury attorney negotiates your claim or resolves your lawsuit, a settlement includes economic and general damages. If your case is in litigation, your attorney may also seek punitive damages.  

Economic Damages 

An economic damage settlement includes your out-of-pocket costs incurred during treatment, rehabilitation, and recovery. If you remain in treatment indefinitely, negotiations must also consider anticipated future costs. Damages often include:

• Current and future lost wages 
• Diminished earning capacity
• Medical expenses, hospitalization, transportation, and medication
• Rehabilitation services
• Prosthetics  
• Mobility devices and structures
• Physical therapy and psychotherapy
• In-home care and household services
• Funeral expenses

General Damages

In considering general damages, negotiating parties place a settlement value on your emotional and psychological injuries. A settlement often includes:

• Pain and suffering
• Emotional distress
• Diminished spousal relationship (loss of consortium)
• Inability to care for your family
• Loss of bodily functions
• Scarring and disfigurement
• Permanent disabilities

Punitive Damages

If your attorney asks for punitive damages in your lawsuit, a jury considers awarding them as allowed by OCGA §51-12-5.1. Punitive, exemplary, or vindictive damages punish a defendant for “…willful misconduct, malice, fraud, wantonness, oppression…” and other adverse actions.

How Our Law Firm Helps You Resolve Your Case

When you’re seriously injured, you must focus on getting well. Unfortunately, insurance investigators, attorneys, and other interested parties interfere while you’re attempting to rest and recover. When you work with our Decatur catastrophic injury attorney, our law firm handles all claim-related legal and insurance issues on your behalf. 

We Begin with a Free Case Review

When you give us a call, initiate a chat, or leave a message, we discuss your accident and injuries, and we answer your questions. Our initial case review helps us determine if our law firm can help you. It also helps you decide if you want to move forward with your claim. 

When we agree to establish a working relationship, our law firm manages your claim while you take the time to rest and heal.

We Work for You on a Contingency Basis 

When we agree to handle your case, our Decatur catastrophic injury attorneys work on a contingency basis. You owe us for legal fees only after we settle your claim or the court awards you compensation. Our law firm receives a fee based on a percentage of your settlement. 

We Investigate Your Accident 

Your version of the accident and the facts you share become the foundation of our investigation. Our investigator follows up quickly, documenting the evidence while it’s still available. We use investigative information to determine fault and evaluate any liability issues.

• Inspect accident location
• Take photographs at the scene
• Talk to negligent parties
• Obtain any relevant contracts
• Take witness statements
• Obtain formal reports: Police, EMT, Fire Marshall, etc 
• Identify all negligent parties

Our Attorneys Evaluate Your Claim

We analyze your claim by obtaining and reviewing your medical bills, surgical reports, hospital admission notes, physician’s narrative medical reports, and wage loss data. We talk to you about your recovery and any permanent impairments. We learn how your injuries affected you throughout your healing process. 

To complete our evaluation, we analyze any liability issues and determine if they affect your claim. Our attorneys assess your case independently. We also research recent court judgments to learn about settlement values for cases similar to yours. 

We Resolve Your Case

When you’ve reached maximum medical improvement, a catastrophic injury lawyer in Decatur can take steps to finalize your claim. 

• Negotiate a settlement with the insurance company or the responsible parties  
• Settle during mediation, arbitration, court-ordered settlement conferences, or other forms of Alternative Dispute Resolution
• File a lawsuit and try the case or settle while litigation is pending

You Must Resolve Your Injury Claim Before Your Time Runs Out

Under Georgia’s Civil Practice Code, OCGA §9-3-33, you have two years from the date of your injury to finalize your claim. You must settle or file a lawsuit, or you lose your right to recover compensation from the party who injured you. Certain conditions and situations toll the statute of limitations and extend the deadline for finalizing an injury claim. 

• The injured person is legally incompetent or under age 18 when the injury occurs.
• They become legally incompetent after the injury.
• The injured person is imprisoned when the injury occurs. 
• If a defendant relocates to another state, the action suspends the statute of limitations until he returns.
• If a defendant’s fraudulent act deters timely legal action, it tolls the statute until the injured person becomes aware of the deception. 

You should consider taking action long before your statute of limitations becomes an issue. When you contact a catastrophic injury attorney in Decatur immediately after an accident, we take steps to preserve the evidence and protect your legal rights. 

Contact Our Decatur Catastrophic Injury Attorneys Today

When you’re recovering from catastrophic injuries, you need all of your time and energy to focus on healing. When you contact John Foy & Associates Personal Injury Law, our catastrophic injury attorneys begin working on your behalf. We investigate your accident, analyze liability and legal issues, and manage all insurance company interactions. 

Our legal team takes the necessary actions to produce the best results possible.  To schedule your free case review, leave a detailed message on our contact page.