How Can an Attorney Help You with a Catastrophic Injury?

A catastrophic injury results in extreme damages that prevent or limit injured individuals from performing daily tasks and working in the same way they did prior to the injury. Under New York personal injury law, if another party’s negligence led to the injury, you have the right to pursue legal action to recover damages.

What damages can you recover in a severe injury case?

You can seek compensation to recover damages for the following:

• Medical expenses
• Future medical costs
• Expenses related to the injured person’s care
• Loss of income
• Future loss of income
• Loss of enjoyment of life
• Pain and suffering
• Loss of consortium

Economic Damages

Economic damages are the monetary losses that you experience when seriously injured. Some of the damages listed above are considered economic damages, such as medical expenses, future medical costs, expenses related to care, and loss of income, both current and future loss of income.

Non-economic Damages

Non-economic damages are less tangible than the out-of-pocket expenses associated with economic damages. Examples of non-economic damages include pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life and loss of consortium.

If an individual experiences pain and suffers whenever attempting to perform daily routines such as showering, getting dressed, preparing meals and other activities, this falls under the damage of pain and suffering. For example, standing up for an hour to cook a meal may no longer be an option because it results in too much pain.

What is loss of enjoyment of life?

There are many activities people participate in that make their lives enjoyable. People who lead live active lives may enjoy hiking, playing sports, going dancing or engaging other physically active pursuits. Such activities are enjoyable and relieve stress. Traumatic brain injury and spinal cord injuries can limit the scope of an individual’s activities. It is easy to grasp how when an active person is now bound to a wheelchair that loss of enjoyment of life can become a difficult challenge.

What is loss of consortium?

Loss of consortium refers to the loss a spouse experiences in terms of services the other spouse can no longer provide, such as house cleaning, doing laundry, cooking meals, watching children and driving the children to and from school or other activities. However, loss of consortium also refers to loss of companionship, attention, guidance, care and sexual relations due to the other spouse’s catastrophic injury. The emotional stress involved with adjusting to a loss of consortium can be considerable.

Why is hiring an attorney essential for pursuing a catastrophic injury case?

An experienced personal injury lawyer can investigate the accident that led to the catastrophic injury and gather evidence to prove negligence on the part of the other party or parties involved. Unless you can prove that negligence caused the injury, there are no grounds for a case. When arguing the case before a judge or jury, substantial and convincing evidence is also necessary to prove that the damages being pursued are warranted.

Call an Experienced Long Island Catastrophic Injury Lawyer

If you have suffered devastating injuries due to another person’s negligence, I can help you recover the compensation you need to offset extreme expenses. Call 516-933-7550, or contact the Law Office of David R. Lewis, P.C. today for a free initial consultation. Personal injury cases are taken on a contingent basis, which means there are no attorney’s fees owed unless I recover compensation on your behalf.

Personal Injury Representation

Personal Injury Representation