Personal Injury: Catastrophic Injury and Wrongful Death

Personal injury accidents can be emotionally and financially strenuous, both for the victim and their family members. The possibility of your loved one facing a permanent disability, or worse, losing their life just because of someone else’s neglectful act can put a strain on your mental well-being and leave you in a terrible position financially.

Even though all injuries can be a source of major discomfort and inconvenience in your life, there are some injuries that can cause much greater emotional, physical, and financial consequences and leave you in a state where you would benefit significantly for the help of a lawyer. These catastrophic injuries require the experience, knowledge and empathy of a Lawyer.

Proving a Catastrophic Injury in a Personal Injury Case

When you’ve suffered a catastrophic injury due to someone else’s negligence, you need to file a personal injury claim (lawsuit) against the party at fault to seek compensation for all economic and non-economic losses.   Sometimes your losing could be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.  We have settled cased where damages exceed One Hundred Thousand Dollars ($100,000).

To prove these claims, you need to provide evidence that the defendant was involved in a negligent act when they owed you a duty of care and caused you to suffer serious injuries.   Sometimes this may require the hiring of an expert.

It’s important for you to provide all of your medical records, bills, doctors’ notes, and anything else that can show how the accident managed to put your life on hold, suppressed your ability to earn, and caused you pain and suffering.

The nature and severity of the injuries you’ve experienced play an important factor in how the value of your claim is determined. We have had claims that quadrupled in amount as we methodically showed the insurance company adjuster why the value was much higher.

In personal injury claims such as car accidents, you’re allowed to seek compensation for the following types of losses:

  • Expensive bills for medical treatment that include surgery, continuous care, medication, and physical therapy.
  • Expenses related to the emotional trauma you’ve experienced.
  • Lost wages when you were unable to return to work.
  • Lost earning capacity.
  • Pain and suffering.

Personal Injury vs. Wrongful Death

Wrongful death cases involve incidents where someone’s wrongful conduct, whether it’s their negligence or an intentional act, leads to the death of the victim. These cases can arise in a variety of incidents, such as medical malpractice and motor vehicle accidents.

Wrongful death claims are filed by the surviving family members of the victim who seek monetary damages to compensate for economic and non-economic losses they’ve suffered as a result of their loved one’s death.

Sometimes the value of these claims can be increased significantly if the actions of the person that caused the injury or death were malicious, intentional, or reckless.  Cooper Law Firm, PLLC, may be able to get an injured client or the deceased persons family Punitive Damages. Punitive damage can be significantly more money because the goal is to punish the person that caused the damage or injury. Any example of when punitive damages may be appropriate are if you are involved in a car wreck with a drunk driver.

Proving Wrongful Death Claims

Wrongful death claims are based on the theory that the defendant’s negligent acts are the direct or proximate cause of the victim’s death. Even in cases where the defendant’s conduct only contributed to the decedent’s death, along with many other factors, they may still be held liable and responsible for the damages.

Final Words

If you or your loved one has had a serious accident, you should  hire an experienced personal injury attorney who will help you recover compensation for all the losses you’ve suffered. These include medical expenses, pain and suffering damages, loss of income, and loss of earning capacity, and loses of consortium.

In wrongful death cases, you need to look for an attorney who has the experience and knowledge to help you get full and fair compensation for injuries.