If you’ve suffered a catastrophic injury, it’s likely you’re facing extremely high expenses for medical care and rehabilitation. Catastrophic injuries can be the result of workplace accidents, car accidents, 18-wheeler accidents, defective products, and other causes.
Catastrophic injuries result in permanent or long-term damage to a person’s body. Often, they result in ongoing physical pain and continuing rehabilitation. In many cases, injuries involve the brain, spine, or spinal column.
From an emotional perspective, people who have sustained a catastrophic injury often suffer from depression and anxiety. Many people are unable to conduct the necessary activities of daily living due to both mental and physical distress.
To prove liability for a catastrophic injury case, you must prove four elements:
- A person had a duty of care to you: This could be an attorney, a business owner, or someone in the general public.
- That duty of care was breached by the defendant’s failure to act reasonably or by a breach of an industry standard or established safety protocols.
- That breach of duty caused your catastrophic injury, and
- You have suffered compensable and provable damages.
Financial Recovery for Your Catastrophic Injury
It’s difficult to calculate what your financial needs will be after sustaining a catastrophic injury. In our experience, medical and rehabilitation costs can range up to several million dollars for a traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, burn injury, or amputation. It is possible to recover these financial damages, but working with an experienced Houston catastrophic injury attorney from the start is important.
We begin by reviewing the so-called economic damages. These include:
- Medical and Rehabilitation Costs: All costs related to doctors, medical specialists, rehabilitation therapists, medical devices and appliances, prescription drugs, and similar items.
- Lost Wages: A person who has suffered a catastrophic injury is unlikely to be returning to work soon after the accident. In a number of cases, people never return to work at all.
- Other Out-of-Pocket Costs and Expenses: These include lodging, gas, parking, airfares, and similar out-of-pocket costs and expenses.
The next step is to review non-economic damages. These include:
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional Distress
- Loss of Enjoyment of Life
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Economic and non-economic damages are meant to compensate the victim for the costs of the catastrophic injury.
In certain instances, punitive damages may be awarded. These are to compensate the victim who has been the subject of willful or wanton negligence or misconduct. While these damages are difficult to prove, a Houston catastrophic injury attorney can help you understand if you have a punitive damages claim.
Contact Lopez Franco
Catastrophic injuries shatter the lives of those who are injured and their loved ones. The ongoing medical and rehabilitation treatments cause distress for everyone in the family, and the financial implications are a stark reality for most people. At Lopez Franco, we have many years of experience helping people move on with their lives after a catastrophic injury by getting them the financial compensation they deserve. Contact us today for a free consultation.