While being involved in any type of accident where you’re injured is challenging, in some cases, those injuries can be catastrophic. If you’ve been involved in a catastrophic accident, you may be dealing with serious, life-altering consequences. You may be unable to return to your current job and therefore be unable to pay your normal monthly expenses. In some cases, you may never be able to return to work at all. You may also be watching your medical expenses mount each month with no way to pay those bills. These concerns can make recovering from a catastrophic accident even more difficult.
Truck accidents and motorcycle accidents are two common sources of catastrophic injuries, including traumatic brain injury, amputations, disfigurement, and spinal cord paralysis. If you find yourself facing catastrophic injuries, do not face them on your own. The experienced Miami injury attorneys at Redondo Law can help you through this difficult time in a number of ways. If needed, Mike Redondo will first help you obtain the medical treatments you need. Next, Mike will work to ensure you receive fair compensation from the negligent party, which can pay for your medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and any other damages you may have sustained as a result of your catastrophic accident.
What are Catastrophic Injuries?
Catastrophic injuries are classified not only by the specific nature of the injury but also by how your life will be affected years into the future. A catastrophic injury generally describes a severe injury that may inflict permanent harm to an accident victim. You may be dealing with physical injuries and limitations as well as altered work-life, altered family life, and your own loss of ability to enjoy your life and your future. Other frequent results of a catastrophic accident include:
- Loss of vision
- Loss of hearing
- The need for lifelong accommodations, care, or assistance
- Amputation of a limb or limbs
- Severe scarring or disfigurement
- Spinal cord injury which leads to some level of paralysis
- Traumatic brain injury
- Organ damage
- The need for prosthetics or assistive devices
- The need for certain medications for life
- The inability to work
- Permanent disability or loss of function
- Severe burn injuries
In some cases, certain catastrophic injuries can be more difficult to detect than others. For example, some types of catastrophic injuries, such as paralysis or amputations, are obvious. It should be noted, however, that even when the catastrophic injury is obvious, there can be a number of additional side effects, such as chronic neuropathic pain, skin breakdown, and traumatic brain injury, all of which bring their own challenges. Indeed, a person with a head injury could appear relatively “normal” to the outside world, yet those closest to him or her could be witness to extreme mood swings, serious levels of depression, a change in basic personality, the inability to fully concentrate, the inability to handle day-to-day tasks, and a loss of memory among others.
What About Medical Expenses Related to Catastrophic Injuries?
The monetary cost of catastrophic injuries can vary significantly. However, as an example, estimates place the cost of traumatic brain injuries range from $85,000 to $3 million. The Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation places the cost of high quadriplegia (sometimes also referred to as tetraplegia) at $1,064,716 the first year, and $184,891 every year thereafter. For a low quadriplegia injury, the cost is estimated to be $769,351 the first year, and $113,423 each subsequent year. Paraplegia is estimated to cost $518,904 the first year, and $68,739 each year thereafter, and incomplete motor function at any level is estimated to cost $347,484 the first year and $42,206 each subsequent year. Of course, each individual’s circumstances and injuries will vary and the specific costs may be much higher in any given case. There are many more expenses related to catastrophic injuries that impact the amount of medical expenses that may be incurred, including:
- Medications (sometimes for a lifetime)
- Emergency medical expenses
- Surgical expenses
- Expenses for medical equipment (hospital beds, wheelchairs, lifts, etc.)
- Expenses for retrofitting a home or vehicle to accommodate a wheelchair
- Continuing medical care
- Physical therapy
- Lost wages
- Diminished earning capacity
- Occupational therapy
- Visiting nursing care
- Psychological counseling
- Pain and suffering
- Disfigurement
- Emotional distress
How Redondo Law Can Help After a Catastrophic Accident
Victims of a catastrophic accident may often face a lifetime of physical, emotional, and financial hardship because of the injuries suffered in the accident. Further, most of us assume we will receive fair compensation from the negligent party or their insurance company after a catastrophic injury. Unfortunately, this is rarely the case unless you have a skilled and experienced Miami catastrophic accident attorney by your side who can accurately calculate the long-term costs of your medical care in the future while working with you to build the best strategy to pursue any compensation you may be entitled to. Mike Redondo will be your advocate—the person who stands by your side and aggressively fights for your future. If you have been injured in a catastrophic accident, you can benefit from Mike’s experience in fighting for justice and securing equitable compensation for his clients. Contact Redondo Law today for a comprehensive consultation for your catastrophic injuries.