Most of the time, the purpose of a personal injury claim is to restore the injured person completely to their pre-injury condition by reimbursing them financially for every form of harm they suffered because of their injury. Sometimes, injuries caused by the negligence of others are so severe that no amount of medical treatment can repair all of the damage done, which means no amount of money can make up for the effects that injury will have on the victim’s life.
If you’ve experienced a “catastrophic” injury like this as a direct result of someone else’s misconduct, you still have important legal rights that a skilled personal injury attorney can help you enforce. Even when money alone can’t get you back to the way you used to be, demanding fair civil recovery with a York catastrophic injury lawyer’s assistance may still be key to maximizing your quality of life now and well into the future.
In a past claim, our lawyers represented a client who suffered a severe neck injury in an accident involving a Greyhound bus. We recovered over $4 million for this client, and we have aggressively represented many other victims of catastrophic injuries in York County and beyond in South Central Pennsylvania since 1993.
What Makes an Injury Catastrophic?
While there are a few more specific definitions put in place under state law for what counts as a “serious” or “catastrophic” injury, generally, this term refers to an injury that’s expected to last for the rest of the injured person’s life and cause them to suffer from a significant physical or psychological disability. Examples of injuries that commonly meet this threshold include:
- Spinal cord damage resulting in paralysis
- Brain damage resulting in a loss of motor function, sensation, or ability to think and concentrate
- Loss of the use of a limb through amputation or some other means
- High-degree burns resulting in nerve damage or permanent scarring
- Crushing injuries
- Internal organ damage
- Any injury causing blindness or deafness
In many states, calling an injury “catastrophic” can help emphasize to a civil court or settlement negotiator just how serious the injury is, but it generally doesn’t have any direct effect on the process of seeking civil compensation. As a catastrophic injury attorney in York can explain, establishing that you’ve suffered a serious injury can sometimes have a big impact on a civil claim—in fact, when it comes to car accident claims, it can even be necessary to do this if you want to file suit at all.
Getting Around Obstacles to Effective Recovery for a Severe Injury
Many of the roadblocks that can get in the way of other civil lawsuits can also affect claims built around catastrophic injuries. The two-year filing deadline set by state law for injury claims remains in effect even when your injury is expected to cause you debilitating harm and last for the rest of your life.
In addition, any amount of comparative fault you’re found to hold for causing your own injury through your own negligence could still be held against you as a reduction from the value of your final damage award or even used as a reason to deny you all compensation for your injury. Guidance from a seasoned lawyer can be vital to navigating around these restrictions and getting paid fairly after a catastrophic accident in York.
A York Catastrophic Injury Attorney Can Help
Getting severely hurt under any circumstances is a uniquely traumatic experience that will alter every aspect of your life afterward. Getting hurt in this way solely because of another’s misconduct can add a lot of other feelings, like frustration and anger, into the mix. It can also up-end your family and life as you know it. Attempting to move past that in order to effectively demand restitution for the harm you’ve sustained can be far from easy.
Fortunately, you have support available from an experienced York catastrophic injury lawyer at Ostroff Godshall, well-known for winning cases like yours on behalf of people like you. Call today for a free, no-obligation consultation.
