What is considered a Catastrophic Injury after a Car Accident?

What Defines Catastrophic Injury?

Some injuries, although painful and significant, are less severe than others. A catastrophic injury is one with serious, life-altering, and long-term consequences. Typically a catastrophic injury will require surgical treatment. This is common after severe multiple motor vehicle crashes or truck crashes. Are you a victim that has suffered devastating injuries due to someone else’s negligence? If so, please consider a Seattle catastrophic injury accident attorney at the firm of Albert Law PLCC for help and guidance.

Examples of Catastrophic Injury

Here are some examples of these life-altering injuries.

• Amputation
• Loss of hearing (acquired deafness)
• Loss of sight (acquired blindness)
• Need for permanent assistance, care, or accommodations
• Need for medications for life
• Need for prosthetics or an assistive device (canes, walkers, or wheelchairs)
• Paralysis
• Permanent disability or loss of function
• Severe burn injuries
• Severe disfigurement or scarring
• SCI or spinal cord injury
• TBI or traumatic brain injury
• Unable to work full-time

When a Seattle catastrophic injury attorney from Albert Law PLLC represents clients who have suffered devastating injuries, the overall impact on the lives involved will be evaluated and documented. They do not consider only how the person is following the accident or explosion, but how their lives will be affected for years to come. Catastrophic injuries typically involve physical injuries with limitations on family life, work life, and a person’s ability to enjoy life. The Seattle catastrophic injury lawyer you retain to help you will ensure you will receive the fair settlement you deserve.

Some catastrophic injuries can be difficult to detect. A person who materializes from an accident paralyzed, blind, or in a wheelchair is apparently disabled. But a person with a head injury may appear normal after a period of recovery but could have lasting disabilities such as:

• Irritability
• Memory loss
• Mood swings
• Personality change
• Unable to concentrate
• Unable to handle finances

Many individuals suffering a brain injury have been forced to quit working even after reaching a total recovery and looking healthy to others. Testimony of loved ones and friends, evaluations by neuropsychologists, and other evidence may be required to build a case strong enough for people with invisible but life-altering injuries. This is where the Seattle car accident lawyers at Albert Law PLLC can help.

Also, people with apparent catastrophic injuries, such as paralysis, have debilitating side effects like urinary tract infections (UTI), skin breakdown, and neuropathic pain. These are secondary ailments that can be as life-altering as the more visible effects of a severe accident. All the results of an injury should be taken into account in a lawsuit or personal injury claim. The Seattle car accident attorney you retain from Albert Law PLLC will ensure that all evidence is bright to light to ensure you are compensated fairly.

How a Lawyer Can Help

All vehicle accident cases in Washington state are based on fault. Fortunately for residents of Washington state, they use pure comparative negligence law allowing anyone who is not completely at fault for a collision to receive financial compensation. The assigned comparative negligence percentage discounts their claim. Even someone 90% at fault is able to collect 10% of their total damages. However, this does not keep insurers from contesting the claim as one percentage point can save them money. That is the adjuster’s primary goal when assessing a claim. This is when your car accident lawyers Seattle work diligently in negotiating a settlement on your behalf.

Recovery for specifics such as lost income and medical bills can be submitted in actual dollars, but general non-economic damages are where most victims are helped. Most insurers want to avoid this at all costs, and those that make claims with no lawyer usually get short-changed in this process.

The personal injury law firm in Seattle focuses on receiving the most in general damages for all clients in spite of their contribution to causing the collision. This is a serious claim issue for all drivers because they are assessed for personal fault, unlike passengers. Your representative from Albert Law PLLC Seattle car accident lawyers gives you a professional negotiator who knows what to expect from respondent insurance companies.

You can proceed with confidence knowing you will get the best compensation and treatment from Albert Law PLLC if you have been injured in a car accident. Call them today. You will be glad you did.