If you are preparing for a personal injury claim, it’s important to consider if your injury is catastrophic. A catastrophic injury is usually compensated differently and has different caps on damages and other legal considerations.
Determining whether your injuries are catastrophic can significantly impact your personal injury claim process—but how can you know if your damages qualify as catastrophic? And how do you get the proper compensation for your injuries? The experienced attorneys at Snyder Law Group are here to represent clients with catastrophic injuries and get them the compensation to pay for medical treatment, lost income, and other costs of their injuries.
What is a Catastrophic Injury?
A catastrophic injury leaves the victim unable to work or perform daily functions without assistance. Devastating injuries can result in a loss of mental and physical ability, ongoing care, and expensive medical devices. Some of the most common ways people are catastrophically injured include:
- Car and truck accidents
- Motorcycle accidents
- Medical malpractice
- Construction accidents
- Falls
The effects of catastrophic injuries deserve a higher level of compensation than other personal injury claims. The reasoning behind higher compensation for catastrophic injuries is that they suffer more for their injuries. They need more money to pay their medical bills, surgeries, medical rehabilitation, and lost wages.
Compensation After a Catastrophic Injury
If you’ve suffered catastrophic injuries in an accident, you could be eligible for certain damages, depending on the particulars of your case:
- Economic damages include medical costs, lost wages, physical therapy, and assistive devices. These damages are easily quantifiable since they have a clear monetary value.
- Non-economic damages aren’t so easily quantifiable. These can include pain and suffering, mental anguish, loss of enjoyment of life, loss of consortium, and emotional distress.
- Punitive damages are awarded in extreme cases when the defendant exhibited gross negligence or intentionally harmed the plaintiff. These are intended to dissuade the defendant from repeating the behavior rather than compensating the plaintiff for damages. For example, a drunk driver might have to pay exemplary damages if they caused an accident resulting in catastrophic injury.
What to Do After a Catastrophic Injury
The first thing you should do is focus on your immediate recovery. Second, if your injury was caused by an accident or someone’s negligence, explore your legal options with the help of a personal injury lawyer. A catastrophic injury might involve extensive medical costs and financial losses. A severe injury will likely exceed your policy’s limits even if it’s covered by insurance. When that happens, the only other way to recover the funds you need is to pursue legal action against the person or entity that caused your injury. Finding a qualified personal injury lawyer to help you gather evidence and build your case is beneficial.
Contact The Snyder Law Group Today
The Snyder Law Group, LLC, proudly represents clients throughout Maryland and Washington, D.C. Our experienced Baltimore attorneys understand the frustration that comes with an insurance company, medical professional, or other party that refuses to accept liability for negligent or reckless behavior. You can take heart in knowing there are talented and experienced lawyers ready to work for you. We are experienced in handling personal injury claims of medical malpractice or injury resulting from serious car and truck accidents, and have secured hundreds of millions in verdicts and settlements. Please visit our website, www.410thefirm.com, or call us at 410-843-3476, for more information. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.