An accident can change your life in an instant. Catastrophic injury accidents often involve brain damage, paralysis, disfigurement, and other life-altering damages.
If you or your loved one has suffered catastrophic injuries caused by an accident that was not your fault, you deserve to recover compensation for your damages. You need an experienced Chicago personal injury attorney with the resources, experience, and skills to help you recover maximum compensation.
What Is a Catastrophic Injury?
A catastrophic injury is generally an injury that damages essential parts of your body, such as the spinal cord, neck, or brain, or an injury that results in long-term disabilities. Some examples of catastrophic injuries include:
- Traumatic brain injuries that may impair motor skills, affect memory, thinking, or concentrating, or result in severe headaches and other symptoms.
- Amputated limbs often result in disability and mental and emotional anguish.
- Severe burns are painful and often disfiguring.
- Organ damage that requires a transplant or otherwise permanently alters the victim’s life.
- Spinal cord injuries that result in partial or total paralysis.
These are not the only types of catastrophic injuries. Any injury that permanently impacts a person’s life could be considered catastrophic.
How Catastrophic Injuries Cause Long-Term Devastation
Many catastrophic injuries leave permanent damage. Many victims suffer for the rest of their lives. Before accepting a settlement offer, you need to identify and value all current and future damages. At Meyers & Flowers, we often collaborate with medical and economic experts to help establish the existence and value of your current long-term damages to help you recover maximum compensation.
Some long-term effects of catastrophic injuries include:
- Financial impacts. Your medical care can be highly costly now and in the long term. Additionally, you may not be able to return to work or earn the same income you did before your injuries. The financial impact on catastrophic injury victims and their families can be devastating.
- Lifestyle impacts. In addition to being unable to provide for yourself and your family in the same manner, you may not be able to function each day as you did before your injuries. Many victims require mobility assistance devices or caretakers.
- Emotional and psychological impacts. Many catastrophic injury victims become depressed, lose interest in life, suffer from PTSD, have insomnia, mood swings, or become highly anxious.
Catastrophic injuries can have long-term effects on every part of the victim’s life and also significantly affect the lives of their loved ones.
Top Causes of Catastrophic Injuries
Catastrophic injuries can occur in numerous ways. Some of the most common causes include:
- Motor vehicle accidents, including crashes involving cars, trucks, motorcycles, and buses.
- Work-related, industrial, or construction accidents.
- Dangerous product accidents occur when the product’s defect injures a person.
- Falls.
- Aviation accidents.
- Near-drowning accidents.
- Violent acts, including domestic violence.
Compensation in Catastrophic Injuries
In a successful catastrophic injury claim, you may be able to recover economic damages, such as medical expenses, lost wages, and other costs incurred due to the accident and your injuries. You may also be able to recover non-economic damages such as pain and suffering, mental anguish, loss of enjoyment of life, and other intangible losses.
In rare cases, you may be able to recover punitive damages for catastrophic injuries. Punitive damages are rarely awarded in Illinois. However, under 735 ILCS 5/2-1115.05(b), punitive damages may be appropriate if you can prove by clear and convincing evidence that “the defendant’s conduct was with evil motive or with a reckless and outrageous indifference to a highly unreasonable risk of harm and with a conscious indifference to the rights and safety of others.”
Contact Meyers & Flowers Trial Attorneys Today
If you or your loved one has suffered a catastrophic injury due to another party’s wrongful action, you may be entitled to recover compensation for your damages. Catastrophic injuries often warrant substantial compensation awards. However, you need an experienced, skilled catastrophic injury lawyer to protect your rights and help you recover maximum compensation.
Call (630) 394-5189 or complete the short form on our contact page to schedule a free consultation to discuss your case.