Champaign Catastrophic Injury Lawyer
Any accident can cause serious injuries, but when an accident victim suffers catastrophic injuries, his or her life is changed forever. A catastrophic injury often means permanent disability and the need for lifelong continuing care. If you or a loved one has suffered a catastrophic injury in central Illinois, trust the experienced personal injury attorneys at Patel Law, P.C. to zealously advocate for your needs. To meet with a Champaign catastrophic injury lawyer, call the office or contact us today to learn more about the wide range of legal services provided to our clients who have suffered catastrophic injuries at the hands of others and schedule a free evaluation of your case now.
What is a Catastrophic Injury?
A catastrophic injury is an umbrella term for any injury caused by an accident that results in serious and permanent harm to the victim. In many cases, catastrophic injury causes disability or disfigurement and may mean that the victim can never return to gainful employment. Usually, catastrophic injuries require significant medical treatment, surgery, months or years of rehabilitation, and in some cases, a lifetime of continued care. Some of the most common catastrophic injuries include the following:
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Hypoxia (a lack of oxygen to the brain)
- Spinal cord injuries
- Paralysis (paraplegia or quadriplegia)
- Amputations
- Burns
- Internal organ damage
- Blindness
- Deafness
If a catastrophic injury was caused by the negligence, recklessness, or intentional act of another person you may have a claim for compensation against those parties responsible for the harm. Hiring an expert in catastrophic injury claims is your best chance at success to secure the compensation you need after an accident.
Compensation for Catastrophic Injuries
Compensation for catastrophic injuries is often necessary for victims and their loved ones. These types of injuries often require substantial medical care and significant out of pocket costs for the victim. Expenses can pile up quickly after an accident, especially when the injuries prevent the victim from returning to work. The physical, emotional, and financial burdens can sometimes feel like too much to bear. Thankfully, damages for a catastrophic injury accident include payment for all economic and noneconomic costs incurred by the victim as a result of the catastrophic injuries.
Economic damages include all out of pocket costs that resulted from the accident, including medical bills, lost wages, property damage, and loss of future income and benefits. Medical costs include all present and future medical expenses, surgeries, hospitalizations, treatments, medications, rehabilitation, and transportation costs associated with care. Noneconomic damages compensate the victim for all disability, disfigurement, loss of enjoyment of life, pain and suffering, and emotional distress. Currently, there are no caps in Illinois for noneconomic damages for catastrophic injuries in personal injury cases.
However, when calculating compensation for catastrophic injury claims Illinois courts use a
modified comparative fault rule to determine the overall award for injury victims. The court determines the degree of fault for every party involved in the accident and reduces the overall compensation by that percentage. In addition, if a party is found to be 50% or more at fault for the accident they are barred from recovering anything for their injuries. For example, if a victim suffered $1,000,000 in damages for a catastrophic injury and was found 25% at fault the total compensation would be reduced to $750,000. In the same example, if the victim was found 50% at fault, he would not receive any compensation for his injuries.
How Our Office can Help
At Patel Law, P.C. we recognize the need for our catastrophic injury victims to get the compensation they deserve after an accident. With a track record of success representing clients that have suffered catastrophic injuries after an accident, our office is prepared to aggressively negotiate with insurance companies and zealously advocate for our clients in court. Let our team of highly qualified attorneys handle the legal aspects of your claim so that you can focus on what is most important – your recovery. Our lawyers will not settle for anything less than the full and fair value of your case to ensure that you and your loved ones are taken care of after a catastrophic accident.
Call or Contact Us Today
Catastrophic injury cases require the most skilled legal representation from experienced personal injury attorneys like those working at Patel Law, P.C. If you would like to sit down with one of the expert catastrophic injury attorneys at our law firm in Champaign, call the office or contact us today to schedule a free evaluation of your claims.
