What is a Catastrophic Injury?

Attorney Jan Hinson | 888-364-0226 | Free Consult

“A catastrophic injury though requires a more intense look into how exactly is this going to impact your life.”

If you or a loved one have sustained a catastrophic injury, it’s important to consider the following questions: Will you or your loved one require a life care plan? Are there things you or your loved one used to be able to do that you no longer can? How will you adjust financially to these changes?

Jan Hinson is an attorney with the Law Offices of Jan V. Hinson. She has over 20 years of legal experience with offices in Greenville, South Carolina, and Alpharetta, Georgia.

To learn more, contact the attorney directly by calling 888-364-0226 or by submitting a contact form on this page. There is no charge for the consultation, and you never owe any out-of-pocket attorney fees.

Key Takeaways From Jan Hinson:

Catastrophic injuries require a detailed investigation into the situation in which the injury occurred. Catastrophic injuries often involve blood, broken bones, hospital visits, and other long-lasting or life-altering injuries.

Catastrophic injury cases require expert analysis of non-economic damages in addition to economic damages.

Some examples of economic damages which can be compensated for in a successful lawsuit include medical bills, lost wages, property damage, etc. Economic damages have a tangible, defined value. However, non-economic damages such as loss of enjoyment of life and pain and suffering are harder to calculate the value of but deserve to be compensated as well. It’s important to discuss what experts an attorney has access to and is willing to hire to evaluate your non-economic damages in the process of filing an injury claim.

When someone passes away due to injuries in the midst of filing a catastrophic injury claim, a loved one can continue to pursue the case on their behalf.

If a victim dies from their injuries before they are able to resolve a personal injury claim, a loved one can choose to pursue a wrongful death claim in their stead. Wrongful death claims proceed very much like the personal injury claim would have, with a loved one seeking compensation for the pain the victim suffered before death, in addition to damages that occur to the victim’s family due to their passing.

A variety of factors go into deciding the worth of a catastrophic injury case.

The worth of catastrophic injury is determined on a case-by-case basis. The laws of the state or jurisdiction can impact how much you are able to receive. Additionally, the injury itself requires calculations to predict the economic and non-economic long-term complications for both the victim and their family. In the case of a loved one pursuing a wrongful death claim on the victim’s behalf, it should be noted that each state has a different way of measuring the monetary value of a loss of life.

Medical bills can be taken over by a funding company to help clients pay their expenses as they work toward receiving compensation.

An experienced catastrophic injury attorney can bring people into your case to help you receive the medical care you need and provide advanced funding for lost wages or loss of the wage of a loved one while you work on pursuing compensation. Funding companies exist to cover these expenses until a victim or the victim’s family can pay them back with the winnings of the case.

Personal injury attorneys work on contingency, which means you don’t owe any money unless they win.

If you have a loved one who is injured in the hospital and unable to act on their own behalf, you can contact an attorney for them to seek the help they deserve. An attorney will be able to guide you through the process of becoming the victim’s official legal representation, and it won’t cost you a penny. Only if your attorney wins or settles your case do they get paid a previously agreed upon percentage of the winnings. Waiting to seek legal counsel could result in valuable evidence being lost or destroyed, potentially damaging your case in the future. It’s wise to contact an attorney as soon as possible after a catastrophic injury.

To learn more, contact Jan Hinson directly by calling 888-364-0226 or by submitting a contact form on this page. There is no charge for the consultation, and you never owe any out-of-pocket attorney fees.

Disclaimer: This video is for informational purposes only. In some states, this video may be deemed Attorney Advertising. The choice of lawyer is an important decision that should not be based solely on advertisements.