Douglasville Catastrophic Injury Lawyer
There are many situations where people can become injured and another person is at-fault. Car accidents, slips and falls, and even assaults are all common causes of personal injury lawsuits. Fortunately, people injured in these cases usually make a full recovery, albeit with some difficulty. However, in some situations, the injuries are so severe that people never truly recover. These are known as catastrophic injuries. These injuries have a lasting, permanent impact on a person’s life, which is why contacting an adept personal injury lawyer is so important.
A Douglasville catastrophic injury lawyer can understand the ramifications of these incidents and fight to obtain the compensation that you deserve for your injuries.
Georgia Catastrophic Injury Laws
Catastrophic injuries are generally ones that result in damage to a person’s central nervous system that results in reduced brain function. Alternatively, an injury that results in the loss of a use of a limb, blindness, or deafness may also be defined as catastrophic.
Whether an injury is categorized as catastrophic depends only on the effect of the injury on a person’s life after the accident. The facts of the case are irrelevant as far as this determination is concerned. For example, car accidents are one of the most common ways for catastrophic injuries to occur.
If a person is involved in an accident, they may suffer a catastrophic injury, a minor injury, or no injury at all. These results can come about from the exact same pattern of facts, it is only what happens to the victim that determines whether an injury is defined as catastrophic.
What Constitutes a Catastrophic Injury?
In general, any injury that limits or outright ends a person’s ability to work fits the definition. Some precise examples include:
- A severed or bruised spinal cord
- Fractured vertebrae
- Severe concussions
- Organ damage
- Severe limb damage resulting in amputation, and
- Blindness due to nerve damage or direct eye trauma
Filing a Catastrophic Injury Claim
All cases alleging catastrophic injuries must be framed within other legally recognized causes of action. There is no way for a plaintiff to file a lawsuit against a defendant labeled catastrophic injury. Instead, the case must be framed within other causes of action.
These may include negligence, premises liability, or even assault. It is in the damages portion of these complaints that the plaintiff will state that the defendant’s conduct caused catastrophic injury.
However, personal injury cases alleging catastrophic injury are somewhat more complicated than less severe claims. In alleging the extent of the damage done to the plaintiff, the case must not only account for direct economic damages, such as medical bills and lost wages, but also for future damages.
Since catastrophic injuries involve a loss of earning potential, an expert witness’s calculations are required to determine the exact economic impact of the accident. This will include any lost earning potential in the future, as well as a calculation to determine the plaintiff’s lost enjoyment of life.
Speaking with a Douglasville Catastrophic Injury Attorney
Catastrophic injuries are, by their very definition, life-changing. The loss of future earning potential, on top of the very severe injuries, anguish and medical costs, make any catastrophic injury a very serious matter. A Douglasville catastrophic injury attorney understands the impact that these injuries have you, as well as your family members.
A lawyer can work with you to help you fully understand the value of your case, to negotiate with insurance companies on your behalf, and if necessary, to argue the case in court. There is a limited time to file a lawsuit so do not delay, contact an attorney today.
