What Is The Difference Between A Catastrophic & Personal Injury?
Catastrophic injuries are similar to personal injuries in many legal aspects, but they will cause the victim to incur more severe injuries that require greater medical assistance. This article will discuss how catastrophic injury claims differ from normal personal injury cases.
Catastrophic Injury Claims
Catastrophic injuries are compensated differently than other injuries, but catastrophic injuries are still applicable under catastrophic injury law. Your injuries must be severe enough that they require costly medical treatment, extensive operations, or continual at-home assistance in order to have a valid catastrophic injury claim. Instances of typical catastrophic injuries are:
- Serious burn injuries;
- Psychological disorders;
- Organ damage;
- Permanent disfigurement;
- Bone injuries;
- Back injuries;
- Loss of hearing or vision;
- Amputation injuries;
- Spinal cord injuries; and
- Traumatic brain injuries.
These injuries will often place a large amount of stress on the family of the victim, as well as stress placed on the victim caused by the reality that he or she will probably require permanent help or supervision. Because of this, catastrophic injury settlements often provide significantly higher damages compared to what is usually recovered in a personal injury claim. Even more, victims who have sustained catastrophic injuries usually are unable to return to their jobs, which causes them to need compensation for lost income as well as an inability to return to work entirely.
Future Medical Needs
This is an important reason why catastrophic injuries usually cause costly damages. The greater a severity of an injury, the greater likelihood that it will require long-term medical assistance. A personal injury could also be severe enough to require extensive care, but they are usually less serious in duration when compared to the care that is need for a victim of a catastrophic injury. For instance, cases that involve paralysis or severe traumatic brain injuries can ultimately leave victims with ongoing conditions that will last for their entire lives. These conditions will require future medical appointments, prescriptions, numerous kinds of therapy, specialized treatment, accommodations, and sometimes necessary medical equipment. In certain cases, a victim may even need at-home living assistance for the remainder or his or her life. Unfortunately, when the family of the victim is financially dependent on the injured party, it will likely cause serious difficulties for more than the just the victim.
It is important that you hire a skilled Las Vegas personal injury lawyer in order to make sure that you can recover maximum compensation due to the high stakes involved in a catastrophic injury case. Insurance providers will not likely want to cooperate during the negotiation process due to the increased amount of damages, so having a lawyer that will work tirelessly for you will help you in the long run.
Catastrophic Injuries in Nevada
Catastrophic injuries can happen in a wide array of accidents, such as car accidents or in the workplace. Regardless of the cause, victims should contact a skilled Nevada personal injury attorney to prepare your case and ensure you recover the compensation you deserve. Contact the Cottle Firm today at (702) 722-6111 if you or a loved one has sustained severe injuries in an accident caused by a negligent party.
