Suffering a catastrophic injury in an accident in Albuquerque can change your life forever. You may never be able to restore the life you lived prior to your accident. While no amount of money can take back what happened, seeking financial compensation through a personal injury claim can make it easier for you to move forward. You may need assistance from an experienced Albuquerque ersonal injury lawyer to obtain the financial compensation you deserve for a life-altering injury.
What Is a Catastrophic Injury?
In personal injury law, a catastrophic injury describes a severe injury that will have a profound impact on the accident victim’s life. It may not be possible for an individual to ever recover fully from a catastrophic injury. The injury may inflict lasting damage that affects the victim’s future, including physical disability or debilitation, loss of mobility, permanent scarring or disfigurement, and psychological trauma.
Examples of Catastrophic Injuries
Accidents in Albuquerque can inflict a severe level of harm on those involved. Each year, thousands of accident victims in New Mexico visit emergency departments with injuries that will have lasting physical, emotional and financial consequences.
Examples of catastrophic injuries include:
- Multiple broken bones: bone fractures that occur in multiple places in the body or severe breaks, such as compound fractures, can be catastrophic and require surgical intervention and ongoing therapies or rehabilitation.
- Traumatic brain injury: any injury that affects the tissues or cells of the brain can be catastrophic, as it could alter the way a victim thinks, acts, moves and communicates. Severe brain injuries can cause irreversible brain damage.
- Spinal cord injury: a serious injury involving the spine, such as a severed spine, could cause permanent paralysis, or loss of feeling and function in the body below the point of injury. Types of paralysis include paraplegia and quadriplegia.
- Third-degree burn: burn injuries may be catastrophic if they inflict a severe amount of damage, such as tissue damage that extends beneath the outer skin layers and into the ligaments, muscles or bones.
- Internal injuries: harm to any of the internal organs – such as the heart, lungs or liver – is catastrophic and may require surgical intervention. Internal bleeding or organ injuries could lead to a decline in function or total organ failure.
- Amputation or loss of limb: the loss of an arm, leg, finger or toe in an accident will permanently affect a victim’s life. Amputations change a victim’s capabilities and may require extensive rehabilitation and prosthetics.
Any injury that inflicts long-term physical or cognitive damage, disfiguring scars, the loss of an important bodily function, the loss of vision or hearing, or wrongful death can be deemed “catastrophic” for the purposes of a personal injury claim.
What Makes Catastrophic Injury Claims Unique?
Personal injury cases involving catastrophic injuries should be treated differently compared to other injury claims in Albuquerque. By their nature, catastrophic injuries inflict greater damage on victims than less serious injuries. A victim who suffers a catastrophic injury in an accident may be looking at a lifetime of related costs and personal losses.
A catastrophic injury claim will most likely involve significant damages. This means the victim may be entitled to greater financial compensation than if he or she suffered a less severe type of injury. To pursue fair financial compensation for a catastrophic injury, a victim may need to enlist the help of an experienced personal injury attorney.
How to File a Personal Injury Claim for a Catastrophic Injury in Albuquerque
If you or a loved one suffers a catastrophic injury in Albuquerque and suspect that someone else is to blame, the first step in pursuing justice is consulting with a lawyer near you. An attorney can give you trustworthy legal advice about your situation and guide you as you move forward with a claim.
Your attorney can establish negligence for your catastrophic injury claim:
- Duty of care
- Breach of duty
- Causation
- Damages
These four elements establish that the accused party (defendant) had a responsibility not to cause harm, committed an act or omission that fell short of this responsibility, and that this is what caused your catastrophic injury. With evidence that these elements are more likely to be true than not true, you can recover compensation for your losses.
Common Causes of Catastrophic Injuries in Albuquerque
Catastrophic injuries in Albuquerque can be caused by a wide range of accidents and incidents, including:
- Motor vehicle accidents
- Premises liability accidents
- Serious falls
- Swimming and drowning incidents
- Workplace accidents
- Medical malpractice
- Defective product accidents
- Physical abuse
Seek advice from a personal injury lawyer if you sustained an injury that will affect you in major ways in any type of accident in Albuquerque.
Types of Financial Compensation Available for Catastrophically Injured Victims
You and your loved ones may be eligible for many different types of financial compensation from the person or party at fault for causing a catastrophic injury. In New Mexico, plaintiffs can recover both economic and noneconomic damages in civil lawsuits.
While every case is unique, general types of compensation available include:
- Past and future medical bills
- Long-term disability costs
- Property damage
- Lost wages and employment opportunities
- Lost future capacity to earn
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress or psychological trauma
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Loss of consortium
- Wrongful death damages
- Punitive damages
Discuss the potential value of your catastrophic injury claim with an attorney before accepting a fast settlement from an insurance claims adjuster. If necessary, your lawyer can negotiate with an insurer on your behalf for maximum compensation.
Why You Need to Hire a Personal Injury Lawyer for a Catastrophic Injury Claim
In a catastrophic injury claim, an insurance company wants to protect its profits as much as possible. Unfortunately, this means it is difficult to achieve a fair and full settlement as a claimant. An attorney can provide the legal services you need to fight for a just financial recovery; one that accounts for all past and future foreseeable damages.
At The Fine Law Firm, we know that catastrophic injuries can turn life upside-down not only for the individual but for their loved ones, as well. Our team of catastrophic injury lawyers in Albuquerque can provide the skilled legal representation, negotiation and litigation you need to navigate this challenging type of claim.
Our lawyers can help your family seek maximum compensation for a long-term or permanent disability, foreseeable medical expenses, and the profound mental and emotional impact a catastrophic injury has had on you. Contact us today at (505) 889-3463 to request a free consultation.