An accident that results in minor injuries may disrupt your life for several weeks or months. For instance, you may need to wear a cast for an extended period or miss multiple shifts at your job. However, when a car crash, slip and fall, or other type of accident causes injuries that permanently change your life, they are considered to be “catastrophic.” These injuries may require a lifetime of expensive medical care and prevent you from ever working again.
At Cardoso Law, PLLC, we understand the physical, emotional, and financial harm that catastrophic injuries bring into people’s lives. Our mission is to make things right. If you or a loved one suffered catastrophic injury in Pensacola or elsewhere in Florida due to someone else’s wrongful conduct, we will fight for every penny you are due. To discuss your case, contact us today for a free consultation.
Types of Catastrophic Injuries
A catastrophic injury typically refers to one that results in a permanent partial or total disability. In other words, the injury may prevent a person from returning to work at the job they held before, or it may prevent them from returning to work at any job. Some of the most common catastrophic injuries that occur in Florida are:
- Traumatic Brain Injury—A severe brain injury can result in permanent loss of the physical and mental ability to work and perform basic daily living tasks on their own, like getting dressed.
- Spinal Cord Injury—Damage to the spinal cord may cause one to lose sensation and use in one or more limbs, or what is called paraplegia or tetraplegia. Spinal cord injuries may require special transportation equipment and changes to one’s home.
- Soft Tissue Injury—Some injuries to muscles, tendons, ligaments, and other “soft” parts of the body can permanently limit or rob a person of mobility.
- Amputation—The loss of a body part, or multiple limbs, can be devastating and affect one’s ability to earn a living. An amputee may also need a prosthetic device and special equipment.
- Burns—Severe burns can leave a person with scarring, disfigurement, loss of limbs, and other permanent harm.
- Internal Organ Damage — A person’s heart, lungs, and other internal organs may be punctured, crushed, or otherwise damaged from the violent, sudden force exerted on the body in an accident.
Common Causes of Catastrophic Injuries
As a Pensacola personal injury lawyer with years of experience in protecting the rights of catastrophic injury victims and their families, attorney Ryan Cardoso knows that these injuries frequently result from the intentional, reckless, and careless decisions and actions of others. Among the most common causes of catastrophic injuries are:
- Car Accidents
- Motorcycle Accidents
- Truck Accidents
- Bicycle Accidents
- Pedestrian Accidents
- Hotel and Motel Accidents
- Negligent Security
- Slip and Falls
- Nursing Home Abuse
If you suffered catastrophic injuries through no fault of your own, it is essential to seek help as soon as possible. An experienced personal injury lawyer will know how to file your personal injury claim and fight for all compensation you are due.
What to Do After a Catastrophic Injury
If you have been involved in an accident of any kind, you should seek medical attention as soon as possible. For the sake of your health, it is important that you are checked for injuries. A timely diagnosis of your injuries will also prevent an insurance company from claiming that your injuries are not as severe as you claim, or that something besides the accident may have caused or contributed to your injuries.
While you are focusing on your health, you should also do your best to keep copies of the accident report, insurance company correspondence, medical bills, and all other injury-related expenses.
If an insurance company representative contacts you and asks for a recorded statement, you should politely decline until you have spoken with a lawyer first. The insurance company will be out to protect its own interests. Your lawyer will focus on protecting you.
How Can a Catastrophic Injuries Lawyer Help?
By working with an experienced Pensacola catastrophic injury lawyer, you will give yourself a better chance of recovering full and fair compensation for the physical, emotional, and financial harm you have suffered. Your lawyer will not only conduct a thorough investigation of the accident that caused your catastrophic injuries but also handle all communications with the insurance companies.
Because they are for-profit businesses, insurance companies will try to pay as little as possible to resolve catastrophic injury claims and, if possible, attempt to avoid paying anything at all. An attorney with experience handling personal injury cases will know how to establish responsibility for an accident, calculate all damages that are due, and negotiate aggressively with insurers.
If the insurance company refuses to play fair, your lawyer should be ready to go to court to pursue a judgment that justly compensates you.
Types of Compensation Available for Catastrophic Injury Victims
When you suffer a catastrophic injury due to someone else’s fault, you may be entitled to compensation that includes:
- Past and future medical expenses (including the costs of surgery, hospitalization, prosthetics, assistive devices, medication, and ongoing therapy and treatment)
- Lost wages and loss of future earnings (including the loss of all wages, bonuses, commissions, and other earnings caused by the injury)
- Pain and suffering (or damages that reflect the loss of quality of life brought on by a life-changing injury)
- Punitive damages (which are granted, in some cases, to punish and deter especially wrongful conduct).
Since 2009, Ryan Cardoso and Cardoso Law, PLLC have recovered millions for catastrophic injury victims. We know how to carefully calculate the damages our clients are due and demand maximum compensation when dealing with insurance companies.
Statute of Limitations for Catastrophic Injuries in Florida
Generally, you must file a personal injury lawsuit in Florida within two years after the date of the catastrophic injury (or when you reasonably should have discovered the injury). If you fail to file a claim before the statute of limitations period expires, it could cost you the right to recover any compensation for the harm you have suffered. For this reason, it is vital to seek help from an experienced personal injury attorney without delay.
Contact Our Pensacola Catastrophic Injury Attorneys for Help
Life can be confusing and frightening after you or a loved one suffers a catastrophic injury. At Cardoso Law, PLLC, we’re here to help. While you focus on your health, we will work tirelessly to pursue every penny you deserve for harm that you have suffered through no fault of your own. To discuss your case in a free consultation with our law firm, contact us today.