Catastrophic injuries can turn your life upside down. Your life may never be the same after suffering a catastrophic injury, and you may require financial assistance to help you get through these difficult times.
Fortunately, if someone else is to blame for your catastrophic injuries, you can hold them accountable. Reach out to a catastrophic injury lawyer serving Plano at D. Miller & Associates, PLLC® for a free consultation today. You can learn more about who could be at fault for your injuries and what to expect next from your case.
What Injuries Are Considered “Catastrophic”?
After being involved in a serious accident or incident, you may be wondering whether your injuries are considered catastrophic. After all, the last thing you want is to reach out to an attorney for help, only to be accused of pursuing a frivolous claim.
However, it should be noted that catastrophic injuries do not necessarily refer to the type of injury you were diagnosed with. Instead, it refers to the catastrophic losses you suffer as a result of your injuries.
With that in mind, there are some types of injuries that are known for being far more impactful than others. Some of the most common types of catastrophic injuries our firm has sued for include:
- Catastrophic brain trauma, including head injuries, concussions, traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), comas, and contusions
- Internal injuries, including heart troubles, lung failure, internal bleeding, organ punctures, and complete organ shutdown
- Loss of limbs, paralysis, quadriplegia, spinal cord injuries, paraplegia, back injuries, herniated discs, neck trauma, soft tissue injuries, and whiplash
- Shattered, broken, and fractured bones
These are only a few of the different types of injuries that may be considered catastrophic. If you are interested in learning more about whether you have grounds for a catastrophic injury claim in Plano, our personal injury attorneys can go over your legal options.
Financial Recovery for Your Catastrophic Injury in Plano
If you are hoping to maximize the settlement you are awarded in your catastrophic injury claim, it is important to be prepared to pursue all available options for financial recovery. Generally, this includes filing a claim with the insurance company and bringing your case to trial.
Insurance settlements are often limited by the amount of coverage purchased by the liable party. Since Texas follows a fault-based system for accidents and insurance purposes, if the liable party only purchases the minimum amount of coverage, you might have excess losses.
How Insurance Claims and Settlements Work
We previously discussed how insurance settlements are often not enough to cover the totality of a catastrophic injury victim’s needs. This is, in part, because of the fact that insurance settlements only cover certain types and amounts of losses. Insurance settlements will often only provide coverage for:
- Property losses
- Healthcare costs
- Loss of income (this is rare)
The insurance company will only be required to pay out up to the highest limits of the policyholder’s claim. The insurance company may also attempt to reduce its financial obligation if possible.
They will be combing through your claim, looking for discrepancies, lack of supporting evidence, and any other reasons to deny you the financial relief and benefits you might otherwise deserve.
Take steps to protect yourself throughout the insurance negotiations process when you retain a catastrophic injury attorney to advocate for your rights.
What Is Your Catastrophic Injury Claim Worth?
Calculating the value of your claim is one of your catastrophic injury attorney’s most important tasks. To ensure every loss is considered and accounted for accordingly, we can separate your losses into categories known as economic losses and non-economic losses.
Economic losses describe all of your monetary losses. That might include your inability to earn a living, your loss of income, current and future medical treatment and care, property losses, loss of household services, and other financially-based losses.
Non-economic losses are much different. Your lawyer will need to consider how severely your life has been affected by a particular non-economic loss before it can be quantified.
Examples of non-economic losses could include pain and suffering, loss of consortium, loss of enjoyment of life, disfigurement, and emotional trauma.
Statute of Limitations for Catastrophic Injury Lawsuits
There are several personal injury laws in Texas that could have a significant impact on your catastrophic injury lawsuit. However, one of the most notable is the statute of limitations.
Texas law sets the maximum amount of time an injury victim has to file a lawsuit. Once this time limit runs out, you no longer have the opportunity to have your case heard within the Texas civil courts.
When you have suffered a catastrophic injury in Plano, your claim must be filed before two years have passed. Your attorney could gather compelling evidence to support your case if you contact us to get started as soon as possible after the accident.
Meet With a Catastrophic Injury Lawyer Serving Plano Today
If you have made the decision to pursue a catastrophic injury claim, your case is in good hands. With help from a catastrophic injury lawyer serving Plano at D. Miller & Associates, PLLC® backing you up, you can feel empowered as you move forward with your insurance and civil claims.
Start working on your case when you contact our office for a no-cost, risk-free consultation. Fill out our quick contact form or call us today.
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