We understand that a major injury can completely devastate the life of a victim and their family. If you or a loved one need a Glendale catastrophic injury lawyer, we are ready to help. At the Law Offices of Howard Kornberg, our knowledgeable and experienced team will get to work investigating what happened. If the careless or negligent actions of another person, company, or entity were responsible, we want to ensure you get the compensation you deserve, not a lower amount an insurance company offers.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO HAVE A CATASTROPHIC INJURY?
When you think of personal injuries, you probably think of something that a person will recover from. However, a catastrophic injury is different. The injuries we want to talk about today are those that are life-altering for victims and their families.
- These injuries impact a person’s ability to lead their lives
- These injuries can prevent a person from working
Catastrophic injuries are those that usually limit a person’s mobility or cognitive abilities. Consider the following:
- Spine or spinal cord injuries
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Skull or spinal fractures
- The loss of a limb
- Internal organ damage or failure
The costs for treating these injuries will extend well beyond the considerable initial medical expenses. You must also consider all of the following:
- Cost of rehabilitation
- Long-term care if necessary
- Any necessary medical devices
- Home or vehicle accommodations for mobility
- Emotional and psychological care
- Lost wages and benefits if a person can no longer work
Each catastrophic injury is unique and sees different challenges and costs:
- The first year of medical care for a spinal cord injury can cost anywhere from $359,000 to over $1.1 million depending on the severity of the injury. Each year of care following can reach hundreds of thousands of dollars.
- Losing a limb often requires expensive prosthetics. Around 185,000 people lose a limb each year in the US.
- There are over 2 million new traumatic brain injury cases each year in this country.
Most people think of these injuries as being caused by car collisions, but there are various other ways they occur, including:
- Pedestrian accidents and bicycle accidents
- Workplace incidents
- Medical mistakes
- Falls from height
- Sports incidents
- Defective products
THE ROLE OF A GLENDALE CATASTROPHIC INJURY ATTORNEY
Struggling with the various consequences of a catastrophic injury can be a very difficult experience that takes years to overcome. However, victims should at least know that they can ease their burdens to some degree by seeking compensation for certain losses if they can show that their injuries resulted from the negligence or actions of another party.
Recovering compensation after sustaining catastrophic injuries because someone else was careless usually involves filing a claim to collect from the insurance of the negligent party. Naturally, there are instances when the liable party does not have insurance. Even if they do, it’s possible their insurer will not offer a fair settlement or may even attempt to deny a claim. Thus, if recovering compensation via an insurance claim is not an option, a victim may be able to pursue compensation by filing a lawsuit to seek damages in court.
Regardless of whether a victim files a claim or lawsuit, they should strongly consider enlisting the help of the experts at a Glendale catastrophic injury law firm when doing so. A qualified Glendale catastrophic injury attorney can assist a victim in the following key ways:
Investigating the accident or circumstances
Victims can only demonstrate that they are eligible to recover compensation if they can prove that another person was negligent and that negligence caused the injuries. They need to present sufficient evidence showing that another party’s carelessness directly contributed to their accident or the circumstances that caused their injuries.
This typically requires conducting an investigation. An investigation might involve such steps as:
- Identifying witnesses and getting their statements
- Inspecting any products or equipment that may have caused injuries due to defects
- Inspecting the conditions at the scene of the accident
- Acquiring and reviewing photos and/or footage of the accident
These are not tasks a victim is equipped to handle on their own. Instead, they should hire a catastrophic injury lawyer who has the experience and resources necessary to investigate an accident for them.
DETERMINING HOW MUCH COMPENSATION A VICTIM IS OWED
When a victim seeks compensation after sustaining fairly minor injuries, often, it is relatively easy to calculate the full dollar value of their losses. This is not necessarily the case when someone sustains a catastrophic injury. Because a catastrophic injury can indefinitely deprive a victim of their ability to work and may result in the need for ongoing medical treatment, calculating the amount of compensation a victim may deserve tends to involve accounting for past, present, and future losses.
This is another complex task that a Glendale catastrophic injury lawyer can handle on behalf of a victim. It’s also worth noting that lawyers understand how insurance companies attempt to deny claims or minimize settlement amounts in order to avoid paying claimants what they may be owed. If an insurance company is not immediately willing to offer a fair settlement, your lawyer can negotiate aggressively to optimize your chances of recovering appropriate compensation.
Allowing you to focus on recovery
It can take some time to adjust to life after sustaining a catastrophic injury. Now is not a time when you should be adding to your burdens by attempting to handle your claim or lawsuit without professional assistance. While you focus on your recovery, your Glendale catastrophic injury lawyer can focus on securing compensation for your losses.
WHAT WE CAN DO FOR YOU NOW
Now is the time to act. If the careless or negligent actions of another person have caused you or a loved one harm, you need to seek legal assistance. At the Law Offices of Howard Kornberg, we are going to step in on your behalf and ensure you are treated fairly. Our goal is to get to the bottom of what happened so we can secure the compensation you deserve. This can include:
- Coverage of your medical bills
- Compensation for lost income if you cannot work
- Loss of future wages or earning capacity
- Mental anguish damages
- Loss of enjoyment of life damages
- Possible punitive damages
- Paid and suffering damages
When you need a Glendale catastrophic injury attorney, you can contact us by calling 310-997-0904 for a free consultation.
