What Is Classified as a Catastrophic Injury?

An injury classified as a catastrophic injury typically compromises your ability to live a fully-abled life. The most common catastrophic injuries include broken bones, traumatic head injuries, burns, amputations, and paralysis.

However, there’s a difference between medically and legally classifying a catastrophic injury. While you can work with medical professionals to determine the severity of your injury, lawyers have the best bet in determining your right to file a catastrophic injury claim. 

Fortunately, you can book a free case evaluation with our New York catastrophic injury lawyers, who can represent your best interests.

You Can Work with Emergency Responders to Identify a Catastrophic Injury

Catastrophic injuries are referred to as such because of the devastating impact they can have on your ability to take care of yourself. However, you, as a private citizen, can’t classify an injury as catastrophic – not medically and not legally. You need input from medical and legal professionals if you want applicable parties to understand the severity of your losses.

The best place to start when determining what is classified as a catastrophic injury is with your emergency responders. If you’re contending with an injury that has compromised your long-term safety, you’re likely going to have to go to the emergency room for treatment. Ambulance staff may help stabilize you on the trip, at which point a doctor can classify your losses.

It’s never in your best interest to refuse treatment at the scene of an accident. We understand many people are concerned about medical costs and may compromise their safety to save money. Our New York personal injury lawyers are here to help you tackle your finances. You need to prioritize your health if you eventually want to ask for legal help.

Catastrophic Injuries Often Require Long-Term, Intensive Treatments

There’s a good chance that a catastrophic injury, be it a broken bone, traumatic head injury, or paralysis, will require long-term treatments. You can work with emergency responders, specialists, and other medical experts to determine which treatments might put you back in control of your life faster than others.

Again, don’t worry about the cost of treatment. You can work with a catastrophic injury lawyer to hold bad actors financially responsible for your post-accident care. Our team can make sure you have the chance to fight for the support you deserve.

Catastrophic Injury Lawyers Can Classify Your Fight for Accident Compensation

Medical professionals determine what injuries are classified as catastrophic injuries from a healthcare perspective. Lawyers classify catastrophic injuries by determining how the severity of a person’s injuries may impact their fight to recover from a serious accident.

Catastrophic injury claims tend to see the prosecution ask for more compensation than it would when addressing bruises or minor losses. Because these cases tend to involve large possible settlements, they may take longer to resolve or require more specialized expertise.

Fortunately, our lawyers have cultivated a comprehensive understanding of the statutes that apply to the civil system’s interpretation of catastrophic injury cases. We’re here as your advocates and can break down what arguments you can use to preserve your right to accident compensation, no matter how serious your injury seems.

What Damages Can You Recover After a Catastrophic Injury Accident?

As mentioned, you have the right to ask a liable party to fund your catastrophic injury recovery. So long as you can prove that your catastrophic injury stemmed from someone else’s negligence, you can ask for compensation based on your:

• Emergency medical care and ambulance fees
• Pain management
• Surgeries and stabilizing treatments
• Physical therapy
• Psychological therapy
• Property damage
• Mobility aids and home treatments
• Lost wages or lost opportunities to work
• Pain and suffering
• Emotional distress
• Reduced quality of life
• Temporary or permanent disabilities

When Should You Call a Catastrophic Injury Lawyer?

We recommend that you get in touch with a catastrophic injury lawyer as soon as possible after a devastating accident. If you can’t call a representative, consider having your personal representative act in your name.

Why do we push for early contact? Unfortunately, insurance claims adjusters are quick to act in bad faith after serious accidents. Many adjusters will pressure you or your family to give statements about the severity of your losses. Companies can then turn those statements on their head to limit your right to recover.

You need someone to stand between you and the parties that don’t want you to financially recover from your accident. Moreover, you need to preserve your right to act before your relevant statute of limitations expires. Our catastrophic injury attorneys can protect your rights while giving you the time you need to work with medical professionals.

We Offer Catastrophic Injury Case Representation Free of Charge

It doesn’t matter whether you want to go toe to toe with an insurance company or take a case to civil court – our catastrophic injury lawyers are on your side. We want to make it as easy as possible for you to pursue legal action against the bad actors involved in your accident, which is why we work on a contingency fee basis.

Our contingency fees ensure that everyone, no matter their financial situation, can get the legal advice they need to decide how they want to recover from an accident. You can walk into our office, meet with our team, and walk out without paying a dime.

If you choose to work with our lawyers to fight for catastrophic injury damages, you won’t pay a dime toward our legal fees while your case is in progress. Our catastrophic injury lawyers only get paid when we win your case.

You Can Book Your Catastrophic Injury Case Consultation Today

Don’t let your right to file a catastrophic injury claim pass you by. You don’t have to resign yourself to fending off aggressive insurance claims adjusters or defending your own best interests. Our catastrophic injury lawyers are here to make your experience within the civil system as straightforward as possible.

We’ve secured over $1 billion for our clients. Get in touch with our team today to determine what is classified as a catastrophic injury after a serious accident.