Any injury caused by another person’s misconduct can alter the course of your life in the short term and cause you no small amount of physical, financial, and personal discomfort. However, some injuries that occur after an accident are severe enough that no amount of money can completely erase the damage done to you. Catastrophic injuries of this nature can make for exceptionally complex civil claims.
Our experienced personal injury attorneys know how to handle high-stakes situations like yours and minimize the negative impacts of your disability. Even when you will have to deal with the physical consequences of someone else’s negligence for years, a seasoned Reading catastrophic injury lawyer could hold a negligent person liable for the financial and personal harm they caused you.
State law provides a few definitions for what constitutes a catastrophic injury or a serious injury as they are sometimes called. Generally, an injury is considered catastrophic when it causes substantial physical or cognitive function and is expected to last for the rest of the injured person’s life.
Examples of injuries that often meet these criteria include:
A catastrophic accident attorney in Reading could go into further detail during a private initial meeting about how a court and insurance companies define and handle injuries of this nature.
In many situations, calling an injury catastrophic is important to establish how severe an injured person’s long-term losses are expected to be and what amount of compensation they will need to make up for those losses. It does not change the basic rules and procedures for their personal injury lawsuit. Sometimes, establishing that an injury is catastrophic can be essential to proving someone has grounds to file suit at all.
For example, people with limited tort car insurance coverage may be restricted from filing suit over their accident even when someone else is 100 percent to blame for causing it. However, one of the few exceptions to this limited tort system applies when the injured person suffers a serious injury expected to result in permanent disfigurement or disability. A person would be able to file suit regardless of what type of insurance coverage they have.
Importantly, the time limits imposed by state law on standard injury cases also apply to catastrophic injury claims. Specifically, 42 Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes § 5524 grants most people two years to file suit, even when the injury will have permanent and debilitating consequences. Support from a knowledgeable lawyer in Reading could be crucial to building and successfully filing a strong catastrophic injury claim within this strictly enforced deadline.
Civil claims built around catastrophic injuries are challenging on both legal and personal levels. Without support from a dependable legal representative, you may have trouble getting paid what you deserve for the life-altering injury you should have never sustained.
A Reading catastrophic injury lawyer could be a compassionate advocate throughout your legal proceedings. Schedule a consultation to discuss your claim by calling today.