Atlanta Catastrophic Accident Lawyer
Have you sustained serious injuries after a catastrophic accident?
Minor injuries are frustrating enough to deal with. It can be devastating when you’re severely injured due to someone else’s actions or negligence.
Not only are you likely dealing with constant or chronic pain as a result of the injury, but you’re probably also facing mounting medical expenses, time lost at work, and maybe even a permanent disability.
Whether your severe injury was due to an auto accident, a workplace mishap, or even a slip-and-fall incident, if you’re going through the aftermath of a catastrophic injury, you deserve justice for your ordeal.
Contact an Atlanta catastrophic accident lawyer to work with you on getting the maximum compensation possible for your physical pain, financial loss, and other massive damages.
What Is Considered a Catastrophic Injury?
While a standard personal injury settlement can often make the injured party “whole” again through financial compensation, that’s not always the case in cases of serious injury.
Catastrophic injuries are often life-changing injuries, and they typically:
- Require months or years of medical treatments
- Involve a high level of pain
- Leave permanent disabilities or disfigurements
When it comes to personal injury lawsuits, catastrophic injury cases are some of the most severe. They tend to result in much higher settlements due to the loss and pain the injured person has experienced and may continue to live with.
Examples of Catastrophic Injuries
When an accident occurs—whether on the road, in the workplace, or in some other space that should be safe—all types of injuries could result.
Cuts, lacerations, and broken bones are common, but catastrophic injuries are often the result of significant, horrific accidents. This leads to some of the most severe and debilitating injuries we know of.
Traumatic Brain Injuries
A blow to the head during an accident that results in a severe head injury can lead to major and often permanent brain damage.
A traumatic brain injury can result in permanent disability, including:
- Personality changes
- Altered speech
- Reduced ability to use limbs or other body parts
- Impaired cognitive skills
- Emotional issues
Spinal Cord Injuries
The spinal cord is a complex area of the body and is responsible for sending signals to and from the brain and other parts of the body. That’s why a spinal cord injury can result in life-long injuries, countless surgeries, high medical expenses, and sometimes even paralysis.
Amputations
When a limb is severed from the body due to an accident or medical necessity, the change in the person’s life is massive. Amputations make the ability to care for themselves and their loved ones severely hampered, and mental health issues often become a problem in amputees’ lives.
There’s also an added emotional component to this type of severe disfigurement.
Severe Burns
Burns typically occur in four levels of severity, with fourth-degree burns being the most severe. Third- and fourth-degree burns are considered catastrophic injuries as the body’s tissues and muscles are affected by the burns. Treatments for severe burns are a long and extremely painful process involving skin grafts.
Burn injuries aren’t always just from fire. Thermal burns, road rash burns, electrical burns, and even chemical burns can lead to severe bodily damage.
Internal Organ Damage
Vital organs have some big responsibilities in our bodies, and the effects can be devastating when they’re damaged. Internal bleeding can occur, which could mean multiple invasive surgeries and a long recovery time.
There can also be permanent damage to organs like the lungs, kidneys, liver, or other organs, leading to reduced functionality of the organ and life-long medical issues.
Multiple Bone Fractures
A fractured bone is a treatable condition, and bones can usually heal in weeks. However, severe breaks often require invasive surgery, implants, screws, or other aids to help to heal along.
The results can be catastrophic when someone experiences multiple severe bone fractures after an accident. Months or years of treatments could be necessary. Many people who experience severe bone breaks have life-long pain and more limited functionality in that area of the body.
What Damages Can Be Recovered for Catastrophic Accident Cases?
In personal injury cases, there are typically two categories of damages that can be recovered from the at-fault party: economic and non-economic damages.
Economic Damages
Sometimes referred to as “compensatory damages,” economic damages refer to the measurable, verifiable financial loss sustained by the injury victim.
Economic damages could include:
- Medical costs
- Damage to property
- Lost wages
Non-economic Damages
Damages considered non-economic, however, are not as measurable as direct financial loss (like medical care). These types of damages often compensate an injury victim for unseen losses. Still, they are just as damaging to the person’s life.
Non-economic damages often include:
- Extreme pain and suffering during and after medical treatment
- Emotional distress or mental anguish (from disfiguring injuries, for example)
- Reduced earning capabilities due to permanent disabilities
- Loss of enjoyment in life
Contact an Experienced Atlanta Catastrophic Injury Lawyer
Suppose you or a loved one have sustained a catastrophic injury due to someone else’s negligence. In that case, you’re already traveling on a painful road. You don’t have to walk the road toward financial recovery alone.
Contact us today at Sawyer Injury Law, and an experienced Atlanta catastrophic injury lawyer will advocate for you and try to get you the maximum compensation possible for your case.
FAQ: Atlanta Catastrophic Injury
Will I get more settlement money with a personal injury lawyer?
In any personal injury case, a plaintiff with an experienced attorney usually gets a higher settlement.
Catastrophic injury attorneys are even more experienced in personal injury cases where serious injury is a factor. They’ll be able to negotiate with the at-fault party’s insurance company or lawyers to achieve the highest possible settlement.
How is fault determined in personal injury claims with catastrophic accidents?
Georgia personal injury law uses a modified comparative negligence model to determine fault for an accident or case of negligence. This means that if an injured person is 49% or less at fault for the incident, they can receive compensation. However, the amount of their settlement award may be reduced by their share of the fault.
For example, suppose an injured person is found to be 25% liable for a car accident, and the jury awards $100,000 as a settlement. In that case, the injured party may only receive $75,000.
How much time do you have to file a personal injury claim for a catastrophic accident?
In the state of Georgia, any personal injury claim or lawsuit must be filed within two years of the initial date of the injury. This means that if you wait too long to file your catastrophic injury lawsuit, you may not be able to recover any damages.
