In the blink of an eye, an accident can forever define a life into two clear time periods: before the devastating injury and after. In the wake of so disastrous a turn of events, it is often impossible to fully return one’s life to what it was before the tragic accident.
But a seasoned injury lawyer can help you and your family obtain financial security and proactively prepare to live the rest of your lives as comfortably as possible.
Catastrophic injuries can occur in almost any fashion and at any time: driving on a highway, walking down the street, performing normal work duties, visiting a friend’s home, or when undergoing a simple outpatient surgical procedure. They all have the potential to produce permanent disability and can wreak disastrous fiscal hardship on victims and their families. Huge medical bills and tremendous life alterations occur.
Just a few of the many possible catastrophic injuries include
- Amputation
- Traumatic brain injury (TBI)
- Spinal cord injuries, paralysis, or other neurological issues
- Serious burns
- Coma
- Multiple fractures
- Organ damage or failure
- Severe mobility challenges
- Sight, hearing, or other sensory losses.
A large percentage of traumatic injury victims never work again. Many can no longer do the jobs they were trained for. Most victims of traumatic injuries usually need lifetime, specialized, and expensive treatment or rehabilitation. And when these injuries are not the victim’s fault, but are the product of some person or entity’s negligent or callous behavior, the victims are owed significant damage awards by those who caused the accident.
Certain family members of injured victims who do not survive their injuries are also eligible to collect wrongful death damages. A seasoned Texas catastrophic injury attorney can help these family members determine the best course of action after a tragic accident took the life of their loved one.
Accidents That Lead to Catastrophic Injuries
Those who suffer a traumatic injury because of another party’s recklessness, carelessness, or willful behavior are likely eligible for legal compensation. Catastrophic injuries can occur in all types of accidents. A few of the most prominent causes include:
Vehicle accidents – Car, commercial truck (18-wheeler), and other roadway accidents can produce catastrophic injuries such as broken bones, spinal injuries, traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), burns, and massive internal organ damage.
Defective products – Consumer products, children’s toys, exploding gas grills, dangerous car or truck defects, commercial machinery, and other products that have safety problems or have been recalled by the manufacturer can cause catastrophic injuries and even wrongful deaths in the blink of an eye. Likewise, defective, improperly installed, or poorly maintained medical devices can also produce severe, life-altering injuries, and untimely deaths of loved ones.
Medical malpractice – When a healthcare provider makes a negligent mistake that falls below their high level of duty to protect patients from harm during treatment, their actions can be called into question and they are often found to be liable for the damage they caused.
Construction accidents – Injuries on a job or work site can cause catastrophic injuries and wrongful deaths. Heavy equipment and huge construction materials, such as steel girders and large modular structures, cause injuries that can be especially severe. Falls from heights due to improperly assembled scaffolding or unsafe fall protection on high buildings severely injure thousands and kill hundreds of construction workers every year. Falls are one of the most onerous workplace safety violations, according to the Occupation Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
Premises mishaps – The most common premises-related injury is a slip-and-fall, which can cause broken bones and even a serious brain injury. Other serious injuries can be caused by electrocution, explosion, a defective amusement park ride, massive injuries suffered by a child in a dog attack, or an accidental drowning in a swimming pool.
Damages Available to Victims of Catastrophic Injuries due to Negligence
- Medical expenses, both current and future
- Loss of current and future earning capacity (known as lost wages)
- Pain and suffering (which can also include mental anguish of suffering a catastrophic injury)
- Punitive damages, if circumstances warrant
- Loss of consortium due to wrongful death
- Special damages unique to catastrophic injuries:
- Physical impairment
- Disfigurement
- Loss of household or other similar services.
Knowing that the circumstances surrounding all injury accidents are different, the seasoned Terry Bryant Accident & Injury lawyers pursue an aggressive and strategic approach to every client’s claim. To schedule your free consultation with one of our experienced catastrophic injury attorneys, call us at (800) 444-5000 or contact us online. We can help protect your family’s full compensation rights for the catastrophic injury suffered at the hands of a negligent, or willful, defendant.
Attorney Terry Bryant
Terry Bryant is Board Certified in personal injury trial law, which means his extensive knowledge of the law has been recognized by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, setting him apart from many other injury attorneys. The 22 years he spent as a Municipal Judge, Spring Valley Village, TX also provides him keen insight into the Texas court system. That experience also helps shape his perspective on personal injury cases and how they might resolve. This unique insight benefits his clients. [ Attorney Bio ]
