Alpharetta Catastrophic Injury Lawyers
Accidents happen almost every day. While in most cases, these accidents leave individuals with only minor injuries, others are not so fortunate. Car accidents, trucking accidents, and incidents involving pedestrians may leave the people involved with severe injuries. These injuries may include traumatic brain injuries, paralysis, and other lifelong injuries and debilitation. Someone who has experienced such an injury may strongly benefit from consulting an Alpharetta catastrophic injury lawyer.
Catastrophic injuries are often wide-ranging and may leave an injured person with extensive pain and suffering, along with a multitude of unexpected expenses. Additionally, a person with catastrophic injuries may be unable to return to work and therefore unable to financially support themselves. A skilled injury attorney who understands the devastation of catastrophic injuries could help advocate on your behalf and fight for fair compensation from a negligent party.
Defining Catastrophic Injury
Some injuries are worse than others following an accident. Someone may think that they sustained a catastrophic injury, but that may not be the case. While every injury may be traumatic, it is not always defined as catastrophic.
Some states define catastrophic injuries as specific injuries, such as vision or hearing loss. However, that is not typically the case in Alpharetta. Under Georgia’s workers’ compensation laws, a catastrophic injury is often defined as one that leaves an individual unable to work. In the personal injury context, a catastrophic injury could range from a broken bone resulting in complications and surgery to a traumatic brain injury or paralysis.
The law may allow those who sustained a catastrophic injury to file a lawsuit if the accident was caused by someone else. The process for filing such a lawsuit may involve the injured person may want to speak to an Alpharetta catastrophic injury lawyer who can determine negligence in the accident.
Determining Negligence
Negligence may occur when a person fails to use reasonable care and injures another person as a result of that negligence. This could be the act (doing something) or omission (failing to do something). The law typically looks at the degree of care as exercised by an ordinarily prudent person in the same or similar circumstances. Most personal injury cases, including catastrophic injury cases, frequently rely on the principles of negligence.
When negligence is determined, the negligent party could potentially be held liable for paying compensation. This compensation could help lift the burdens that may follow catastrophic injuries such as medical expenses, lost income, and any other costs associated with the injury.
If the negligent party acted in a particularly reckless or careless manner, the court or jury may also award the injured individual punitive damages. These damages are generally meant to punish guilty parties for acting in such a reckless manner.
In many instances, the negligent party may often try to avoid blame and place it on the claimant or some other third party to reduce the amount of compensation they may have to pay. An Alpharetta catastrophic injury lawyer could interview potential witnesses, gather medical documents, and possibly collect other evidence to help demonstrate the other party’s negligence.
Limitations in Alpharetta
In some instances, the law may place a cap on the amount of damages, or compensation, an injured person may receive. This could be especially true in medical malpractice cases, which can be an area in which catastrophic injuries may occur. In Alpharetta however, caps may be imposed for punitive damages but with respect to economic and non-economic damages, there are typically no damages caps.
Consulting an Alpharetta Catastrophic Injury Lawyer
Most personal injury cases have a statute of limitations, or a time limit, for when lawsuits may be filed. In most catastrophic injury cases, the statute of limitations is two years from the date of the accident. This may seem like a lot of time but it goes quickly, particularly when a person’s focus is on treatment and getting better after an incident. This time limit emphasizes the importance of speaking to an Alpharetta catastrophic injury lawyer after an accident because the initial investigation often yields the facts most critical to the case.
If you suffered a catastrophic injury and you believe someone else was negligent, speak to a capable injury lawyer. There are often many costs associated with these injuries and compensation from a negligent party could help address the unexpected expenses.
