Catastrophic injuries are those that typically leave individuals permanently disabled or impaired. These injury victims may require ongoing medical treatment and assistance with activities of daily living. They also may be unable to work and support themselves.
When a catastrophic injury occurs, you may wish to look to an Alexandria catastrophic injury lawyer for assistance. A compassionate injury attorney from Laborde Earles Injury Lawyers can evaluate the facts and circumstances surrounding the accident that led to your injury and determine whether you have any legal claims against the responsible party.
Pursuing available claims may enable you to recoup the costs of your medical expenses and get the continuing treatment you need.
Defining Catastrophic Injuries in Alexandria
An injury may be catastrophic if it indefinitely impacts the ability of an individual to function as they did before the accident. Some common examples of catastrophic injuries include:
- Limb amputation
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Neck and spinal cord injuries
- Burn injuries
When a catastrophic injury occurs, injury victims may be unable to perform simple self-care tasks, such as bathing, dressing, and eating. In some cases, individuals may require 24-hour care or must be confined to a nursing facility.
Therefore, you may want to seek advice from an Alexandria catastrophic injury lawyer who can help you or your loved one recover damages that could help cover treatment.
For a free legal consultation with a catastrophic injuries lawyer serving Alexandria, call (318) 333-3476
Causes of Catastrophic Injuries in Alexandria
Catastrophic injuries have many possible causes. Generally, these injuries occur in accidents, though some may result from intentional actions.
Motor Vehicle Accidents
Many people end up facing a catastrophic injury in a motor vehicle accident. We all take a chance each time we ride in a car, truck, van, or motorcycle. You may sustain a serious injury in the event of a:
- Head-on collision
- Rear-end collision
- Side-impact collision
Some drivers sustain an injury in a single-vehicle accident, while other collisions involve multiple drivers and passengers. Anyone involved in the wreck could face serious injuries and a lengthy recovery period.
On-the-Job Accidents
Work accidents frequently lead to catastrophic injuries. Some fields expose workers to more hazards than others. For example, construction workers face risky situations regularly, while office workers may avoid many obvious hazards.
Accidents on a jobsite can lead to electrocutions, burns, crushing injuries, etc. A catastrophic injury attorney in Alexandria can assist with these occurrences.
Medical Malpractice Accidents
Healthcare professionals have a duty of care to each patient they see. We expect doctors, nurses, anesthesiologists, and other medical workers to provide us with proper care and consideration.
Unfortunately, some medical professionals behave dangerously or negligently. They may:
- Provide an incorrect diagnosis
- Take too long to issue a diagnosis
- Give you the wrong medication or the wrong dosage of the correct medication
- Make a mistake when using anesthesia
- Commit an error during a surgical procedure
Any of these activities could leave you with a catastrophic injury. In these situations, you may have the option to file a medical malpractice claim against the healthcare worker who caused your injuries.
Pool or Drowning Accidents
Playing in the water is a great way to stay cool in the summer in Louisiana. However, water also exposes you to the risk of drowning. You face this risk if you swim in a pool, go to a river, or visit a larger body of water.
Many people survive drowning accidents. However, they may sustain brain injuries due to reduced oxygen in their blood during the accident. You can discuss the severity of your injuries with a doctor and a catastrophic injury lawyer working in Alexandria.
Alexandria Catastrophic Injuries Lawyer Near Me (318) 333-3476
Negligence and Injuries in Alexandria
Even when accidents are unintentional, individuals may have acted in a manner that does not meet a reasonable standard of care, given the circumstances. For instance, if a driver disregards a stop sign, proceeds through an intersection, and strikes another vehicle, thus causing its occupants injuries, that driver probably failed to live up to the requisite duty all drivers have to obey traffic laws and regulations.
This example may qualify as negligence under Louisiana law.
Even those injury victims whose own negligence contributes to the accident and their injuries may have recourse under the principle of comparative negligence. According to La. Civ. Code § 2323, partially at-fault individuals still may seek compensation for their damages from other responsible parties.
The law simply limits their ability to recover the total amount of damages, as any recovery of damages decreases according to the percentage of fault allocated to the claimant.
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Damages In Claims for Catastrophic Injuries in Alexandria
In any personal injury suit, injury victims can seek various damages to cover their needs arising from their injuries. These damages may include compensation for:
- Hospital, surgical, and medical bills
- Home health care services
- Current and future loss of income
- Pain and suffering and emotional distress
These are just a few of the potential losses injury victims may seek compensation for. A catastrophic injury lawyer in Alexandria can help you through the process of seeking compensation for your losses.
Under La. Civ. Code § 3492, catastrophic injury victims have only one year from the date of the accident that resulted in their injuries to file a personal injury claim. If individuals miss this deadline, they risk being unable to pursue any legal claims related to their injuries.
A lawyer who handles catastrophic injury claims can help you keep track of the timeline to file a legal claim for your case.
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Defining Catastrophic Injuries in Alexandria
Louisiana law does not define what makes an injury “catastrophic,” but injuries are generally considered catastrophic when they impose severe and long-term and/or permanent disabilities. Catastrophic injuries often leave victims unable to work or care for themselves and their families, leading to emotional and financial stress.
Accidental Amputation
Workplace accidents, as well as collisions involving motor vehicles, boats, pedestrians, or bicyclists, may result in injuries requiring the amputation of an arm or a leg. While prosthetics may be available, they are often expensive and need to be replaced often.
Depending on the situation, an individual may lose part of a limb or the entire limb. In some cases, individuals lose multiple limbs in a single accident, increasing the extent of their injuries.
Organ Damage and Internal Bleeding
Even if an accident victim initially seems fine, serious internal injuries may jeopardize their health. Impact from an accident, whether an automobile crash or a slip and fall, can damage crucial organs, including the intestines, spleen, stomach, liver, heart, and lungs.
Blood loss can lead to shock and organ failure, and infections can be deadly.
Head Trauma and Brain Injuries
A healthy brain is crucial to one’s ability to perform the most basic life functions. Brains control breathing, voluntary movement, organ function, memory, communication, thoughts, and sensory perception. A brain injury can impede any of these processes for life.
The Financial and Emotional Impacts of Catastrophic Injuries
Catastrophic injuries are expensive. Victims may be burdened with bills from hospitals, medical device providers, home care nurses, rehabilitation, and home modifications. Meanwhile, the injured person may be unable to work.
The physical and financial stress can take an extreme toll on a victim’s mental health, adding depression, anxiety, and more drug and therapy costs to the mounting bills. The impact of all these challenges can be overwhelming and terrifying.
Recovering Damages in Rapides Parish for Catastrophic Injury Victims
Fortunately, a Rapides Parish catastrophic injury attorney can help. Louisiana law allows victims to recover compensation for the full extent of their losses. This compensation falls into two main categories: economic and non-economic damages.
Economic, or special, damages are objective expenses and losses a victim suffers, including lifelong medical care, lost earnings, pharmaceuticals, therapy, and property damage.
Non-economic, or general, damages compensate a plaintiff for pain and suffering, mental distress, disfigurement, loss of enjoyment of life, and loss of consortium.
In limited situations, a Rapides County court may also authorize punitive damages designed to punish a defendant and deter similar future conduct. For example, Louisiana Civil Code Article 2315.4 permits some plaintiffs to recover punitive damages from defendants who caused a motor vehicle accident while intoxicated.
Louisiana follows a pure comparative fault system (CC 2323), which means plaintiffs who are deemed to be partly at fault for their injuries will receive a proportionately reduced damages award.
Working with an Alexandria Catastrophic Injury Attorney
Suffering catastrophic injuries in an accident can be life-altering. When your injuries arise from an accident caused by the negligence of others, you may be entitled to seek damages from those whose actions caused your injuries.
An Alexandria catastrophic injury lawyer may be able to help you obtain any compensation to which you are entitled. Holding others accountable for their carelessness can be just as important as receiving compensation for your losses. Doing so may help ensure that others must pay for their carelessness.
You can start building your claim today with Laborde Earles Injury Lawyers. Contact us today for your free consultation.
Call or text (318) 333-3476 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form
