Victims suffering from a life-changing injury or their families should seek the advice of a catastrophic injury lawyer in St. Louis. The team of lawyers at Walton Telken Injury Attorneys have the experience and expertise to help you get the compensation you need to cope with the expenses and the long-term impacts that result.
What Is Considered a Catastrophic Injury?
First of all, it’s important to know that not every injury is catastrophic. Many times, victims of personal injuries are able to recover and continue with their lives as before. However, in some cases, the life of the victim and their family is impacted for life.
A catastrophic injury is one that happens suddenly and unexpectedly, altering the course of your life. These injuries often result in significant long-term or permanent physical and/or mental impairment.
These injuries usually have a significant impact on the victim’s ability to perform activities of daily living, prevent them from working, impact relationships, and so much more.
Types of Catastrophic Injuries We Handle
Walton Telken Injury Attorneys has the experience and expertise to handle a variety of catastrophic injury cases, including:
- Traumatic brain injury, or TBI, resulting in a learning disability or a vegetative state
- Spinal cord injury, or SCI, causing chronic pain and/or paralysis
- Full or partial amputation of a limb, occurring at the time of the accident or later after surgical intervention could not preserve it
- Burn injuries, causing pain and/or permanent disfigurement
Many times, these injuries require extensive medical treatment, rehabilitation, and other support to cope with the consequences. A catastrophic injury attorney from Walton Telken Injury Attorneys can help.
Most Common Causes of Catastrophic Injuries
Every year, there are approximately 230 people who are severely injured in vehicle crashes in St. Louis. There are several “hot spots” across the city where accidents are common. Typically, these accidents are the result of a negligent or reckless driver.
There is also a high percentage of vehicle-pedestrian accidents, where a driver hits a pedestrian.
Catastrophic workplace injuries are also common. In fact, recently, there were 103 deaths and 102,824 injuries resulting from a workplace accident. The state does not separate catastrophic versus non-catastrophic injuries, but even if only 10% were significant, that’s still a high number.
Other types of serious accidents that could result in catastrophic injuries include
- Slip and fall accidents
- Bicycle and motorcycle accidents
- Injuries/complications due to medical malpractice or negligence
- Construction site accidents
If you or a loved one is involved in an accident and suffers a catastrophic injury, it’s important to discuss your case with a catastrophic injury attorney. Walton Telken Injury Attorneys can evaluate your case and help you pursue compensation.
How Much Is a Catastrophic Injury Lawsuit Worth?
If you or a loved one has suffered a catastrophic injury, you may be concerned about your financial future. There are several factors that will be considered when determining what your case is worth.
When evaluating your case, a catastrophic injury attorney will consider both economic and non-economic damages. They will evaluate the following factors and assign a number value to your claim.
- Costs associated with medical treatment including emergency services, surgery, hospital stays, etc.
- Costs associated with home health/caregivers
- Physical, occupational, and/or other therapies
- Current and future lost wages/earning capacity
- Mobility assistance devices and/or prosthetics
- Reduced quality/enjoyment of life
- Counseling for emotional distress
- Loss of consortium or companionship
It’s important to understand that the victim is often not the only one who is impacted— the family is also affected. It can be physically and emotionally exhausting to care for a family member with a limitation, especially when that change happens unexpectedly.
Many times, the partner of the victim must decide if it’s more cost-effective to stay home and care for their loved one or hire a caregiver. This often means that the household loses two incomes instead of one. Even if the victim didn’t work outside the home, they may have been the one who took care of the children and home, which are valuable contributions.
When assigning a value to your case, our catastrophic injury lawyers will ensure that compensation is fair and reasonable.
How Long Do You Have to File a Catastrophic Injury Claim?
Accident cases have a statute of limitations, which means that there is a specified period of time that you can file a claim. In the state of Missouri, the statute of limitations is 5 years. After that time, you will not be able to receive compensation.
Missouri is an at-fault state. This means that if any of the responsibility for the accident falls on you, then your compensation will be reduced by that percentage. For example, if your case is worth $200,000 and the accident was 25% your fault, you would receive $150,000.
How Walton Telken Injury Attorneys Can Help
If you or a loved one suffered a catastrophic injury, let the team Walton Telken Injury Attorneys evaluate your case. Our attorneys have experience as a plaintiff’s attorney in St. Louis in a variety of cases including fatal and class action lawsuits. If the catastrophic accident occurred at work, we can discuss the disability benefits that could be awarded. Schedule your free case evaluation today by visiting our website or calling our office at 844-307-7349.
