San Diego Catastrophic Injury Lawyer

San Diego Catastrophic Injury Attorney

No one expects to undergo a catastrophic injury, so few people have plans in place for what to do if they sustain severe damage to their bodies. The first thing anyone in this position should do is to consult a San Diego catastrophic injury lawyer. You may be eligible to receive compensation if another party’s negligence caused your injuries or if you were injured on the job.

Trust Perry Law

The team here at Perry Law can help you get the compensation you need to address the long-term effects of catastrophic injuries. Whether you were hurt at work or in a car accident, you’ll need financial help to pay bills and make up for not just lost wages but also the loss of future earnings. Our team has a clear understanding of catastrophic injury laws and how they could apply to your case. We can help you maximize the benefits you receive from your personal injury claim.

San Diego Catastrophic Injury by the Numbers

Catastrophic injuries can occur for all kinds of reasons, but the two top causes are motor vehicle crashes, often involving distracted driving or drunk driving, and workplace accidents. In 2024, San Diego saw 438 car crashes that caused either fatalities or severe injuries.

Many of the victims of these crashes suffered catastrophic damage. In 2023, 55,189 workers sustained on-the-job injuries in San Diego County. In 2023, California saw a total of 439 fatal injuries on job sites.

When you put all of this information together, it tells a story of many patients arriving at emergency rooms across San Diego, including the Scripps Mercy Hospital and Kindred Hospital San Diego, with severe, life-threatening injuries. Many of those people are eligible to receive compensation through workers’ comp or insurance benefits.

Why Hire a Catastrophic Injury Lawyer?

When you hire a catastrophic injury lawyer, you’re taking the first step toward getting access to the money you need to pay for extensive, ongoing medical care and make up for potentially a lifetime of lost wages. Your lawyer can help you gather and evaluate evidence and come up with a case that shows the full extent of the damages you suffered due to your accident. Lawyers can also negotiate with insurance companies and provide courtroom representation if necessary.

Proving Liability for Catastrophic Injuries

If you were injured at work and plan to file for workers’ compensation, you don’t need to prove liability. If you plan to file a claim against your employer, a driver, or anyone else who has caused you harm, you will need to prove liability. This involves four elements:

1. Duty of care. You’ll need to prove that the responsible party had a legal duty to act with a certain level of care.
2. Breach of duty. Next, you’ll need to show that the defendant breached that duty of care through either their actions or their inaction.
3. Causation. The breach of duty must have directly caused your catastrophic injuries.
4. Damages. Finally, you must show that you’ve suffered actual damages as a result of your injury.

A lawyer can help you gather the evidence required to prove these elements of your case. Lawyers also have access to resources, such as expert witnesses, who can help explain important elements of your case to the relevant parties.

Damages Recoverable After a Catastrophic Injury

The damages you’ve suffered in a catastrophic injury case may be substantial. They could include:

• Past and future medical expenses
• Lost wages and earning capacity
• Cost of rehabilitation and long-term care
• Expenses associated with home modifications
• Pain and suffering
• Emotional distress and mental anguish
• Loss of enjoyment
• Disfigurement

In cases where a defendant’s conduct was uniquely reckless or actively malicious, you may also be eligible to receive what are known as punitive damages. Punitive damages are intended not to compensate you for a specific type of damage suffered due to your injury but to punish the wrongdoer and deter similar future behavior.

FAQs

What Would Be Considered a Catastrophic Injury?

Things that would be considered catastrophic injuries involve damage to the body that permanently impairs physical or cognitive function. Catastrophic injuries often prevent people from returning to work and living normal lives. Common examples include:

• Spinal cord injuries
• Traumatic brain injuries
• Severe burns
• Amputations
• Loss of sight or hearing

What Are the Criteria for Catastrophic Impairment?

The criteria for catastrophic impairment vary but can include specific severe injuries, such as paralysis, amputation, or TBI. Catastrophic impairment can also be determined by whole-person impairment ratings, depending on the metrics used by your insurance company. If your rating is sufficiently high, you’re considered to have a catastrophic injury. Catastrophic injuries can also include specific brain injuries or psychological impairments in children.

What Is a Fair Amount of Compensation to Request for Pain and Suffering?

What’s a fair amount of compensation to request for pain and suffering depends on the circumstances of your case and how much coverage the responsible driver carried. If you’re not sure what to expect from your settlement, you should consult a San Diego catastrophic injury attorney. An attorney can evaluate every aspect of your case and take steps to maximize your benefit amount.

What Is the Catastrophic Injury Policy in California?

There is no single catastrophic injury policy in San Diego, California. Generally, catastrophic injuries cause life-altering effects and long-term, severe disabilities. They require complex insurance claims. There are laws and regulations that impact how much your claim will be worth, but they’re applied on a case-by-case basis, given the injury’s severity and the impact it’s had on the victim’s life.

Your San Diego Catastrophic Injury Lawyer

It doesn’t matter how you were injured. If you’ve suffered a severe, life-altering injury due to another person’s negligence, you should speak with a San Diego catastrophic injury lawyer. The team at Perry Personal Injury Lawyers has handled many catastrophic injury cases and knows how to maximize settlement amounts for our clients so they can get the money they need to heal and try to move on. Contact us to schedule an initial consultation today.

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