Any accident, be it large or small, takes a major toll on your mental and physical health, and it can also leave you with severe and long-lasting injuries, thus impairing your abilities to fulfill your daily tasks and work responsibilities efficiently. So, you are left with the pain and temporary disability for a certain period of time, whereas the person in the wrong might even get away without a scratch.

However, things don’t have to be this way, and you certainly deserve to be compensated if you have fallen victim to someone else’s negligence. However, personal injury claims that involve catastrophic injuries can be quite complex to settle. In most of these injuries, the victims often require lifelong treatment and might not be able to work ever again.

In this article, we take a deeper look at catastrophic injury claims and how the compensation for these cases is determined. If your loved one or friend suffers a life-threatening injury, you can help them seek representation and get compensated fairly as well.

What Can Be Considered a Work Catastrophic Injury?

Catastrophic injury claims are a tad different from personal injury claims because in the former, your life may be altered permanently, and you would also require extensive medical attention. Not only catastrophic injuries include medical malpractice, road accidents, and other types of injuries, but they also include:

  • Spinal Cord Injury: this type of injury often leads to partial or complete paralysis, and it can lead to other medical issues as well.

  • Internal Organ Damage: The injury could affect any of the internal organs and impair their function forever.

  • Brain Injury: These are the most catastrophic brain injuries out there, and they may cause long-term or temporary brain damage, which renders the victim unable to function properly for the rest of their lives.

  • Amputation: There are several injuries in which loss of limbs or amputation becomes imminent, mainly due to a life-threatening injury.

  • Second and third-degree burns: Depending on the severity of the burns, victims may be left disfigured and in need of multiple surgeries in order to mitigate the pain and restore appearance.

  • Compound fractures: Victims who have compound fractures may require intensive surgery and long-term physical therapy as well. Most of the victims also develop arthritis in the long run, which can be quite difficult to live with.

  • Permanent vision or hearing loss: Catastrophic injuries can leave victims with vision and hearing loss, leading them to require a hearing and visual aids, devices, multiple surgeries, and rehabilitative care.

How are Damages Calculated for Work Catastrophic Injuries In Oakland?

As you can see above, there are different types of catastrophic injuries, and your catastrophic work injury attorney in Oakland will be able to guide you about the factors involved in determining the compensation for your injury. One of the key factors includes the loss of wages, the medical treatment you underwent and require in the future, and several others. Here are some of the damages that you may be entitled to:

  • Prior, existing, and future medical treatment is required due to the injury

  • Loss of wages and potential earnings due to inability to work

  • Personal care specialists

  • Loss of leisure and enjoyment

  • Mental stress and suffering

  • Emotional distress

  • Psychological therapy and counseling

To get a more detailed breakdown of the damages caused due to your injury, you can get in touch with a catastrophic injury attorney. They may also enlist the services of a doctor or medical practitioner in order to determine the severity of the damages and also determine the compensation that you deserve, which can also cover your medical expenses.

How is Loss Measured in Case of Work Catastrophic Injuries in Oakland?

Catastrophic injuries are gauged by several factors, such as loss of limbs, hearing, or eyesight. These are more severe effects, and they amplify the compensation that you can get for your injuries. Other kinds of losses are categorized by traumatic experiences and medical procedures, including pain and suffering that don’t go away for a long time.

Injuries that rob a person of a quality lifestyle usually increase the value of the compensations. Most of the money received in the claims goes towards the medical and rehabilitation expenses, as well as helping them with long-term recovery and fixing any impairments. In most cases, victims even require medical equipment and devices to be installed in their homes for the remainder of their lives. This would further increase the level of compensation that you can receive.

When to Seek Compensation Following a Work Catastrophic Injury in Oakland?

If you have fallen victim to a catastrophic injury, you may have to spend a lot of time in the hospital being treated for whatever injury you face. Once you have partially recovered, you may be able to get in touch with a catastrophic injury lawyer. They would visit you and listen to your version of the story, taking in as many details as possible.

The work injury lawyer in Oakland will evaluate your case and try to determine whether there is a basis for compensation. They will make use of the aforementioned factors to decide whether you are eligible to receive compensation for your catastrophic injury, which has been caused by the negligence of another person. Once the lawyer values the damages caused due to the incident, you have to expect that your insurance company or the negligent person’s plaintiff will try to pin the blame on you in order to get out of paying a hefty amount of money.

Because of this, it is highly important that you hire the services of a seasoned and expert catastrophic injury lawyer who not only represents your interests but also defends you fiercely when needed. Make sure to do this before you get in touch with the insurance company so that you aren’t misled by their professionals.

This concludes our guide on determining the compensation for catastrophic injuries. If you have been wronged or someone you know has gone through a catastrophic injury, make sure to get proper representation so that you can receive fair compensation. If you aren’t sure where to go, just visit the Law Offices of James E. Latimer, and their skilled attorneys will help you determine whether you are eligible for compensation or not.