If you’ve been seriously injured, you know the overwhelming physical, emotional, and financial pain such an injury can cause. So does a compassionate Georgia catastrophic injury attorney at Griffin Durham Tanner & Clarkson. They have spent years vigorously fighting for those whose lives have been irreparably damaged due to a few seconds of someone else’s inattention, recklessness, or malice.
Careless or intentional wrongdoing by another can cause life-changing injuries and untold pain and suffering. It can cost victims the loss of income, wages, and unemployment, while causing an avalanche of medical expenses.
You have the right to financial compensation if you suffered a serious injury caused by someone else’s actions or inactions. Call (404) 891-9150 to speak with an Georgia catastrophic injury attorney in Atlanta or (912) 867-9140 to speak with a lawyer in Savannah.
Contact Us As Soon as Possible to Build a Successful Case
The sooner your catastrophic injury is brought to our attention, the sooner we can begin building a strong case against the person or entity that caused it.
The sooner we have our initial consultation with you, the sooner we can:
- Take overall communications with opposing attorneys and insurance adjusters
- Investigate the site of your accident before evidence is swept away
- Examine police records and medical reports
- Investigate the defendant’s prior history of any similar negligence or misconduct
- Interview witnesses while their memories are still fresh
- Consult with experts in pertinent fields who may later testify in court on your behalf
- Craft a strategy designed to bring you maximum damages
Because we know that you are incapacitated and that you have almost certainly lost income as a result of the accident, we will not charge you any attorneys’ fees until we win your case.
What makes an injury catastrophic?
The American Medical Association (AMA) considers injuries catastrophic if they involve skull fracture, or brain, spine, neck, or spinal cord injury. However, the law defines them as injuries “that permanently prevent an individual from performing any gainful work.”
Common types of catastrophic injuries include:
- Amputation or loss of limb
- Loss of sight, hearing, speech, or sensation
- Damage to or removal of an organ or other body part
- Disfiguring burns or other severe burns that result in scarring
- Paraplegia (partial paralysis) or quadriplegia (full paralysis)
- Traumatic brain injuries that result in cognitive, psychiatric, or neuromuscular impairment
- Severe orthopedic injuries
Different Types of Catastrophic Injuries Generally Have Different Settlement Values
The type of catastrophic injury you or your loved one has experienced will determine the amount of compensation you are entitled to.
No two accidents or incidents are the same, and when there are certain factors involved in your case, the amount of your settlement will be impacted.
Next, we’ll explore the three most common types of catastrophic injuries, and the amount of damages that they might entitle you to.
Physical Injuries
The value of damages for your physical injuries will include both short- and long-term medical and occupational costs.
In terms of medical costs, the cost of the short-term medical bills, long-term medications, treatments, and any rehabilitation that might be necessary should all be covered in your damages.
Accurately measuring the impact of your symptoms on your overall health requires follow-up opinions from medical and occupational experts. Your Georgia catastrophic injury attorney will help you schedule these appointments to collect the evidence needed to collect on your full damages.
Spinal Cord Injuries
Motor vehicle accidents and falls are some of the most common causes of spinal cord injuries. If you have experienced an injury to your spinal cord, that means that your body is unable to send messages from your brain the same it was able to before your injury.
Spinal cord injuries can lead to partial or complete paralysis, numbness in limbs, and other symptoms that can impact your overall health and ability to enjoy life and work.
Cognitive Injuries
Cognitive injuries are those that impact your brain and its ability to function. The most common source of cognitive injury is a traumatic brain injury, or TBI.
A traumatic brain injury happens when your head experiences a bump, blow, or penetrating wound, which leads to damage to the tissue of your brain. Damage to the tissues of your brain leads to chemical changes in your brain that can impact your ability to think, concentrate, and even result in changes to your personality.
If you or a loved one has experienced a cognitive injury that has changed your ability to enjoy life or to work and support your family, you could be entitled to compensation.
There are many ways in which the body can be severely injured. Our Georgia catastrophic injury attorneys are skilled at persuading the court that your injuries are severe and impactful enough to be correctly categorized as catastrophic. This way, we ensure you’re eligible to receive every dollar of compensation you are entitled to.
Who is liable for your catastrophic injury?
Catastrophic injuries occur under a variety of circumstances. The defendants our firm aggressively pursues may be:
- Negligent, distracted, intoxicated, or reckless drivers
- Private property owners who did not maintain safety for visitors from slip and falls or dog bites
- Government agencies or public schools that did not protect visitors from defective equipment or security risks
- Construction companies that did not prevent hazardous conditions at their sites
- Car manufacturers that produced and sold defective car parts that resulted in a serious traffic accident
- Medical, legal, or other professionals who engaged in malpractice that resulted in permanent harm
- Departments of public works that fail to maintain roadways
- Pharmaceutical companies that distributed tainted medication, resulting in permanent harm
At Griffin Durham Tanner & Clarkson, we treat catastrophic injuries as the disasters they are. No individual, corporation, or government agency is too big or important for us to go after in the battle for the compensation you need and deserve.
Let our Georgia catastrophic injury attorneys use their sharp negotiation and litigation skills to your advantage.
What happens if catastrophic injuries are fatal?
In some cases, a victim dies within moments of suffering a catastrophic injury. In others, they die later, during necessary surgery or due to complications.
If your family has sustained such a tragic loss, our highly competent attorneys understand the depth of your grief. We will work diligently to reclaim funds for final medical costs, lost financial support for dependents or loss of inheritance, funeral and burial or cremation expenses, and pain and suffering before death.
You may be able to bring a claim on their behalf through a wrongful death lawsuit. The purpose of this lawsuit is to put your family in as close a position as possible as though you had not lost your loved one in an accident.
While they can never be replaced, a wrongful death suit awards you damages for the amount of money they would have contributed to your household through their working life, and also damages for the loss of their companionship and contributions to the household.
How We Prove Your Injury Is Catastrophic
Determining whether or not your injury is catastrophic requires that the facts and circumstances of your case be considered in terms of how they impact your health and ability to work. To collect damages associated with your injury, it is necessary that you prove them with evidence.
You can only collect damages that you can provide evidence for. If you do not have evidence, your family will have to cover any related bills now and in the future.
An injury is generally classified as “catastrophic” when:
- The injury happened suddenly and without warning
- The injury leaves the victim with life-changing consequences
- The symptoms of the injuries are long-term
Working with one of the Georgia catastrophic injury lawyers from Griffin Durham will ensure that you are able to collect complete compensation for your injuries. We collect the evidence you need to accurately measure your losses.
We work with victims of a variety of catastrophic injuries, including:
- Amputation
- Spinal cord injury
- Traumatic brain injury
- Nerve damage
- Paralysis
- Birth injury
- Eye injury
- Facial injury or disfigurement
- Neurological damage
The most effective way to determine if your injury is catastrophic, and to collect what you are entitled to, is to speak with a Georgia catastrophic injury attorney as soon as possible after the accident or incident that led to your injury.
Damages We Can Seek for You and Your Family
If you have been catastrophically injured, you may be entitled to damages for:
- Medical and rehabilitation expenses
- Lost income, present and future
- Psychotherapy for PTSD, anxiety, and/or depression
- Ongoing nursing care
- Pain and suffering
- Permanent disability and/or disfigurement
- Loss of enjoyment of life
Punitive Damages
Punitive damages are damages meant to both punish the party responsible for the action and also to discourage society at large from engaging in the activity.
Think of intentional crimes like drunk driving, assault, fraud, and other actions. What matters is that the behavior caused you harm, is prohibited by law or general common sense and decency, and the party knowingly engaged in the action.
For example, if a person hits you because a bird flew into their windshield and blocked their view, it was an accident and you will not be able to collect punitive damages. They did not do anything intentionally wrong, and nothing that society has an interest in preventing. A bird simply was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Consequently if that same person got behind the wheel while drunk and then hit you, you might recover punitive damages, if they are properly incorporated into your case. If the person or entity responsible for your injury committed a criminal or egregiously reckless act, our firm may also be able to win you punitive damages.
Let Our Lawyers Do the Heavy Lifting – Contact A Georgia Catastrophic Injury Attorney Today
Our empathic attorneys know all too well the enormous and intricate ways your catastrophic injury is affecting your life and the life of your family. We are dedicated to doing all we possibly can to win you maximum compensation.
Our goal is to relieve you of financial worries so that you can look forward to a peaceful, fulfilling future despite the restrictions forced upon you. Contact us today for a consultation.
Call 404.891.9150 for our Atlanta office, or dial 912.867.9140 to speak with an attorney in Savannah.