Being injured in a catastrophic accident can complicate many areas of your life, and pursuing the maximum compensation you are entitled to through an insurance claim or lawsuit is especially difficult after such an accident. Working with our Atlanta catastrophic injury lawyers helps alleviate the stress and time demands of putting together your claim. You can rest assured that your attorney will make the most of your case.
Our experienced Atlanta catastrophic injury lawyers at Griffin Durham Tanner & Clarkson LLC is available to discuss the details of your case. Read on to learn more about your rights after an accident or incident that leads to a catastrophic injury.
What makes an injury catastrophic?
A catastrophic injury is one that permanently changes the way in which you are able to live your life. The following are some common types of catastrophic injuries:
● Amputation or loss of limb is when an accident results in the actual physical loss of a limb, or the loss of the effective function of a limb. This can lead to an inability to work, and forever change the way in which personal hobbies and pastimes are enjoyed.
● Loss of sight, hearing, speech, or sensation can lead to debilitating conditions that impact your ability to enjoy your personal life. Sensory issues can negatively impact your capacity to work and your enjoyment in life, and can result in substantial damages.
● Damage to or removal of an organ or other body part can limit the body’s ability to function as it did before the injury. This can include the loss of one kidney, which can limit diet and other intake forever after the accident. When your ability to enjoy life is changed by an accident, damages are in order.
● Disfiguring burns or other severe burns can result in the need for ongoing surgeries, rehabilitation, and treatment. Disfiguring burns can also lead to mental health issues that require ongoing, costly treatment to address. Scarring associated with burns can also limit mobility and lead to disabling conditions.
● Full or partial paralysis can lead to partial or complete disability. Being disabled from an accident impacts both your personal and professional life, and entitles you to substantial compensation for your related damages. A catastrophic accident resulting in partial or total disability also has far-reaching mental health implications for the victim and their loved ones.
● Herniated disks requiring spinal fusion are possible in motor vehicle accidents, falls, and other injuries. This kind of incident can lead to permanent pain and related medications and treatment for pain management, and can also impact your ability to work.
● Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) happen when you experience a bump, blow, or penetrating wound to your head. TBIs can lead to permanent chemical changes in your brain that can impact personality and the ability to concentrate. Any change in your ability to earn income or engage in the same life as prior to the accident can lead to compensation.
● Severe orthopedic injuries are any serious injury to the musculoskeletal system. Orthopedic injuries as noted by Beaumont Health are often due to an accident or trauma to the body, and include breaks, dislocations, fractures, and sprains. Broken bones can lead to the necessity of multiple surgeries, rehabilitation, and pain management.
The symptoms associated with severe catastrophic injuries will forever change the way in which you and your family live your lives. The purpose of pursuing compensation is to ensure that you are financially supported through the difficult times adapting to the accident and related outcomes.
If you or someone you know has been the victim of a catastrophic injury in Georgia, the law firm of Griffin Durham Tanner & Clarkson LLC is here to fight for the best possible outcome in your case and recover the compensation you deserve.
Read on to learn more about catastrophic injuries and how one of our experienced Georgia catastrophic injury lawyers can help on your case.
Contact Us as Soon as Possible to Build a Successful Case
It’s important and in your best interest to get in touch with us right after the incident happens. The quicker we’re contacted, the faster we’re able to get to work collecting evidence in support of your case. This can include gaining access to the accident site to collect evidence before it’s gone forever and no longer available to help in your case.
It’s critical for you to understand that in order for your claim to be approved, it must contain sufficient evidence to prove who the liable party is for the accident, and to accurately measure and substantiate the amount you are seeking in damages. The evidence submitted in support of your case must be sufficient to be admitted into court as evidence. When the insurance company will not accept your claim or present a fair offer of settlement, sometimes the only option is to file a lawsuit and take them to court to hold them accountable.
We have years of experience representing the best interests of catastrophic injury victims, both through insurance claims and lawsuits. With us on your case, you and your family can focus on managing the symptoms of the catastrophic injury while we handle the entire case or claim on your behalf.
Long-Term Effects of Catastrophic Injuries
Catastrophic injuries result in life-changing consequences that will have a permanent impact on how you or your loved one will be able to live and enjoy their personal and professional life. The concept of “being made whole” puts you in as close a financial position as though the accident never happened.
While no amount of money can replace a limb or restore movement after paralysis, compensation can help alleviate the financial burden your catastrophic injuries will have on your household.
Physical Disability
Many catastrophic injuries result in severe, permanent, and obvious physical disabilities and other symptoms. For example, an injury to the spine can lead to partial or complete paralysis. An amputation results in the loss of a limb, which will have permanent implications for mobility and potentially mental health. The process of overcoming and adapting to a physical disability can be one of the most challenging aspects for the injured person to deal with following a catastrophic accident.
Mental Disability
When a catastrophic accident leads to a traumatic brain injury (TBI), which is often caused by a motor vehicle collision, the survivor experiences a number of different mental health difficulties as well as mental disabilities. A TBI happens when you experience a bump, blow, or penetrating wound to the head. The permanent changes that result are short-term memory loss, anxiety, depression, difficult concentrating, and other lifelong dysfunctions.
Financial Hardship
When you experience severe injuries, your ability to work and support your family are negatively impacted. The duration of this impact could be in the short-term, but it can also be long-term, and lead to substantial lost occupational earnings, which impacts not only yourself, but also your family. As we’ll discuss in the section below, a decrease in your ability to earn wages and support your family is recoverable in the damages we’ll help you collect.
Damages We Can Seek for You and Your Family
When you have been injured and someone else is liable, the purpose of collecting damages is to “be made whole.” This is a legal concept that describes the purpose of a claim or case to support your compensation, which is to put you and your family in as close of a financial position as possible as though the accident never happened.
Damages for your catastrophic injury include:
- Short-term medical bills like the emergency room and any related medications
- Long-term medical bills including any surgeries, rehabilitation, medications, or other ongoing treatments needed to address the symptoms of your injuries
- Lost wages and work benefits like accrued sick time and vacation leave while you are recovering
- The amount of any change in your earnings ability from the time of your injury through the remainder of your working life
- Potential damages to account for pain and suffering linked to your injury
We’re able to seek both economic and non-economic damages for you and your family to ensure that you are not left having to pay for bills related to your injuries. Economic damages are those that have a set number, like medical bills or vehicle repairs. Non-economic damages include pain and suffering as we mentioned, and are measured differently for every case.
To ensure that the unique facts and circumstances of your case are fully taken into account and incorporated into your damages, work with a lawyer who has experience winning catastrophic injury claims, like the attorneys at Griffin Durham Tanner & Clarkson LLC.
Who is liable for your catastrophic injury?
Determining who is liable for your catastrophic injury will often determine whether you are entitled to compensation, or will have to cover the costs yourself. To collect compensation for your catastrophic injury, the incident or accident that caused it must have been caused by another person or entity. Someone or something else must have been negligent, which is a legal concept that includes four parts: duty, breach, causation, and damages.
For example, a driver has a duty to drive sober, or at least below the legal blood alcohol content level. If a driver drove drunk and caused an accident that injured you, resulting in damages, they would be liable. Our seasoned Atlanta catastrophic injury lawyers, like the attorneys at Griffin Durham Tanner & Clarkson LLC, will collect evidence and review the facts of your case to determine what party is liable.
Our Atlanta Catastrophic Injury Lawyers Can Prove Your Injury Is Catastrophic
You can only collect compensation for damages that you can prove with evidence. If the only evidence you have is an emergency room bill for a traumatic brain injury, that is the only damages that the insurance company will be willing to award you. However, a traumatic brain injury as noted can permanently impact your ability to concentrate and forever change your mood, impacting your ability to work and enjoy your personal life. This entitles you to compensation.
To measure the compensation that you are entitled to for your catastrophic injury, follow-up opinions from medical experts are essential. Some injuries are internal, and the full scope of their symptoms in the short- and long-term can only be determined through further assessment. This is especially true of brain and spinal cord injuries.
A medical expert determines how your catastrophic injury will impact your health in the future, and what medical treatments will be required to address the symptoms. Treatments for your catastrophic injury may be required from the time of your accident through the remainder of your life, and the medical experts help calculate these amounts.
Your attorney then incorporates this information into the evidence in support of your damages. We will also help you schedule appointments with often hard-to-see medical experts who are in demand. Occupational experts take these medical assessments to measure the impact of your injuries on your income, and we also incorporate this into your damages as we’ll discuss.
Let Us Help You — Contact Our Atlanta Catastrophic Injury Lawyers Today
Reach out to Griffin Durham Tanner & Clarkson LLC by calling (404) 891-9150 or visit us online to schedule a consultation.