Any accident that leaves you with a serious physical injury can make a mess of your finances and interfere with every part of your personal and professional life. Most of the time, though, a comprehensive lawsuit or settlement proposal can get you money to pay for all the losses your injury will cause you—unless your injury is so severe that you can’t expect to ever heal from it fully.
You still have the right to file a civil suit with help from a skilled personal injury attorney in a situation like this, but the focus of your case will need to be a bit different, given how catastrophically you’ve been hurt through the negligence of another person. If you’re dealing with a permanent and debilitating injury after an accident that wasn’t your fault, you should talk to a Pennsauken catastrophic injury lawyer at Ostroff Godshall Injury and Accident Lawyers. Our skilled personal injury attorneys have experience handling and winning cases with stakes as high as yours. Attorney Rich Godshall has spent the past 18 years successfully focusing on multi-million dollar, catastrophic injury cases.
What Counts as a “Catastrophic” Injury?
A “catastrophic injury” is one that leads directly to you becoming significantly disabled or disfigured with little or no hope of ever making a full recovery. Common examples of “catastrophic” injuries that our seasoned Pennsauken attorneys often take legal action over include:
- High-degree burns
- Severe brain damage
- Loss/amputation of a limb
- Severe internal organ damage
- Spinal cord damage or any injury that causes permanent paralysis
In most states, “catastrophic injury” is just a casual term that lawyers and court officials use to emphasize how much money an injured person might need to make up for an uncommonly serious injury. In New Jersey, though, formally defining an injury as “catastrophic” can be important to prove you have the right to file a civil suit in the first place. For example, suppose you have “limited right to sue” car insurance coverage. In that case, you may only be able to sue the person at fault for a wreck if you can show you suffered a very serious injury from the accident.
Getting Paid Fairly for Short- and Long-Term Losses
Proving you have legal standing to sue over a catastrophic injury is just the first step of many in the recovery process. By definition, injuries like this will alter the course of the injured person’s life and continue to affect them for years after their accident. So, it’s important when suing over this sort of injury to account for expected future losses that won’t fully come to pass until long after your case concludes.
This can include things like:
- Physical pain and suffering
- Long-term medical bills, including costs of things like wheelchairs and other treatment/help you need to live a normal life
- Loss of life’s pleasures
- Lost working and earning ability
- Mental and emotional distress
- Costs of adding wheelchair ramps to your home and other disability-related expenses
An experienced catastrophic accident lawyer at our firm in Pennsauken can discuss what “damages” you should factor into your unique claim during a free consultation.
Contact a Pennsauken Catastrophic Injury Attorney for Help
Catastrophic accidents unfortunately happen every day in New Jersey, and most of them are the fault of someone other than the person who got catastrophically hurt. When you’ve found yourself dealing with a life-changing injury by no fault of your own, you have limited time to hire capable legal counsel and begin seeking compensation for the harm you’ve unfairly suffered.
A conversation with a Pennsauken catastrophic injury lawyer at Ostroff Godshall Injury and Accident Lawyers will help you understand your legal options and answer questions about your next steps. Consultations are absolutely free and no-obligation. Call us today to get started.
