Suffering any kind of injury after an accident can have a serious impact on a victim’s life, but if you have suffered from a serious, life-changing injury as a result of someone else’s negligence or recklessness, then your experience can be exceptionally difficult to accept and to understand. While no amount of money can undo the trauma and the pain that you have endured, hiring a Florida personal injury lawyer after a catastrophic injury can help you get the money that you deserve, so that you are not financially liable for any of the impacts of the injuries that the defendant is responsible for.
While it may seem that it is only reasonable that a victim is compensated fairly after an accident of this sort, it can be exceptionally difficult to actually get the money that you are entitled to from the insurance company. Remember that an insurance company, like any business, exists to make a profit, meaning that they need to minimize the amount that they pay out for any individual claim. Your case will be no different.
Hire a Personal Injury Lawyer From Fasig | Brooks After a Catastrophic Injury
Before even initiating your claim with the insurance company, one of the most important steps that you can take following a catastrophic injury (other than taking care of your medical needs) is to partner with a personal injury attorney who can help guide you through the complicated process you are about to undertake. When you have an award-winning law firm representing your case, you can focus on your personal life, recovery, and getting your life back on track with trust and confidence in your attorney to take care of the legal issues that require their attention.
Read more below about the process following a catastrophic injury, and contact our firm as soon as possible for a free initial consultation. During our consultation, we will have the opportunity to discuss your specific experience and unique situation, and answer any questions that you may have to help put a lot of uncertainty to rest.
Start Your Free Case Evaluation
What Is a Catastrophic Injury?
A catastrophic injury is, as the name suggests, a major injury, typically to the spine, brain, spinal cord, skull, or could also apply to the loss of a limb or loss of senses. Essentially, a catastrophic injury is one that has a lasting, life-changing impact on a victim’s life.
According to the U.S. Code – Unannotated Title 42. The Public Health and Welfare § 3796b, a catastrophic injury is legally defined as “an injury, the direct and proximate consequences of which permanently prevent an individual from performing any gainful work.”
Start Your Free Case Evaluation
What To Do After a Catastrophic Injury
After any accident, the hours and days following this terrifying experience can be overwhelming as you attempt to determine what steps you need to take for your recovery, your legal needs, your job, and more. While no two accident is alike, and no two injuries are the same, the following steps can give you some general guidelines as to how you can move forward while maximizing your chances of a positive outcome for your legal issues.
Call 911
As soon as you are injured, it is extremely important that you or someone else at the scene of the accident contact 911. The police, fire department, and EMTs will be able to address all immediate issues at the scene of the accident, including your catastrophic injuries, any hazards and threats to further injury, and more. The police officer on the scene will gather information including eyewitness statements, your own statement, contact information for everyone involved, and more before making their own statement about what they believe happened.
Be mindful of how you explain the situation to the police, being careful to avoid making any statements that indicate that you are accepting responsibility for anything that happened. This includes apologies, although it may seem natural and polite to do so.
Get Medical Attention
The EMTs will be able to examine your injuries at the scene of the accident, and will then be able to make suggestions on how you should proceed. In many instances, especially with catastrophic injuries, this could result in a ride to the emergency room in the ambulance. If you do not take an ambulance, it is essential that you see your own doctor as soon as possible to make sure that you get the treatment and care necessary to facilitate recovery.
In addition to the obvious benefit of getting treated for your injuries, each medical visit you have will further generate documentation of your injuries, which will be important when you are seeking compensation for your injuries – all evidence supporting your claim will be essential.
Hire an Attorney
It may seem like the logical next step after having your initial medical needs addressed is to file an insurance claim, but realistically you will benefit from hiring a personal injury attorney before that happens. As soon as you contact an insurance company, they will begin to look for every possible way to limit your final award, including every statement that you make and piece of evidence that you submit.
When there is an attorney who is handling this process, they will be able to use their history of legal experience to make sure that there are no misstatements that will come back to haunt you as you are working to reach an agreement on your settlement amount. During this time that your personal injury lawyer is handling the insurance claim, you will be able to focus on your medical needs while remaining as stress-free as possible.
Start Your Free Case Evaluation
Seeking Compensation For a Catastrophic Injury
There are a lot more factors that need to be considered for a catastrophic injury than more minor or temporary injuries since you will likely need to deal with the impacts of these injuries for the rest of your life. The insurance company, if left to their own devices, will not make an attempt to pay you for all of the money that you deserve, which will need to be projected years into the future.
When you are working with an experienced personal injury attorney like those at Fasig | Brooks, you can be confident that there is a legal professional who is examining every aspect of your case to make sure that all areas of your injuries and damages are addressed and accounted for when it comes time to negotiate a settlement.
Start Your Free Case Evaluation
