Personal Injury

Any injury, especially one caused by another, is harmful to the victim and has the potential to disrupt their life temporarily. Catastrophic injuries, however, have the potential to change your life permanently. Catastrophic physical injuries are serious and can lead to severe emotional distress or mental illness, like depression or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). If an injury is catastrophic and a person suffers such an injury due to the fault of another person or entity in Massachusetts, maximum compensation should be the goal of any personal injury lawsuit.

Catastrophic injuries are defined as severe injuries that have a life-changing impact on the person who experiences them. These are injuries that typically never fully heal or can never be fully repaired. They are also injuries that require significant, short-term medical treatment and consistent, long-term rehabilitative care.

People suffering from catastrophic injuries may not be able to return to gainful employment for an extended period, if ever. Victims of catastrophic injuries may never lead the life they enjoyed prior to the injury, and that is why these injuries deserve special consideration. The most common types of catastrophic injuries involve the spinal cord, brain injuries, burns, or loss of limbs.

TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURIES (TBI)

Brain injuries can result from sudden impact like an object striking the head or an object penetrating the skull and entering the brain. Often times, a brain injury can be catastrophic without impact or obvious injury in the first few hours. Brain injuries cause a range of symptoms, including changes to emotion, language, and cognitive abilities. Unlike other obvious catastrophic injuries, brain injury can be invisible and not treated properly without immediate and knowledgeable intervention.

TBIs can range from mild to moderate to severe. Treatment for moderate or severe TBI varies from medications to brain surgery or skull fracture repairs. In more severe TBI cases, life expectancy can be shortened dramatically.

SPINAL CORD INJURIES

Spinal cord injuries can result in changes to a person’s strength and sensations. Not all spinal cord injuries are catastrophic, but those that cause paralysis, specifically paraplegia or quadriplegia, are considered catastrophic. In the worst case scenario, spinal cord injuries are fatal.

BURN INJURIES

Third-degree burns cause damage to body tissue and muscles. Scarring is significant, and skin grafting is often required. Pain from third-degree burns is extensive as is any subsequent disfigurement.

LIMB LOSS

The loss of a limb is devastating and irreparably alters that person’s quality of life. A severely injured limb must often be amputated to prevent serious and potentially fatal infections. Amputations, however, have their own complications, like “phantom limb” pain or an increased risk of deep vein thrombosis (DVT), heart attack, and other infections. Additional surgery or treatment may be required to minimize pain or repair issues that develop post-amputation.

OTHER POTENTIALLY CATASTROPHIC INJURIES

Other potentially catastrophic injuries include:

  • Loss of sight
  • Loss of hearing
  • Facial deformities
  • Nerve damage
  • Neurological damage
  • Severe organ damage
  • Mesothelioma or other occupational illness

Though not exhaustive, this list provides an idea of what other injuries may be catastrophic and, thus, require special attention with respect to available remedies. Attorney Khan has experience in every type of catastrophic injury, with a 100 percent success rate in personal injury trials on behalf of her clients.

THREE COMMON CHARACTERISTICS OF CATASTROPHIC INJURIES

In personal injury cases, there are differences between catastrophic and other types of injuries.
Three common characteristics exist in catastrophic injuries that do not exist in non-catastrophic injuries.

SEVERITY OF DAMAGE

Catastrophic injuries cause damage much more severe than a regular injury. Victims’ lives are significantly and often permanently altered. Once fully independent, many victims may require assistance with daily living activities. It is not unusual for people with catastrophic injuries to live in a medical treatment facility or have a full-time medical caregiver.

}

RECOVERY TIME

Recovery time for normal, regular injuries is much less than the time needed to recover from catastrophic injuries. While it varies with catastrophic injuries, recovery time can range between months to years. In many cases, full recovery is not possible. The severity of the injury is life-altering. The recovery time is potentially life-long. The trauma is sustained and enduring.

SUSTAINED TRAUMA

Catastrophic injuries cause significant trauma to victims. Severe trauma takes considerable time for recovery. Recovery generally includes medication, therapy, counseling, and constant medical supervision.

IMPACT OF CATASTROPHIC INJURIES IN MASSACHUSETTS ON COMPENSATION

When a person is injured by another person or entity, the idea behind a settlement or lawsuit is to make the injured person whole again after considering their losses. In catastrophic injury cases, being “made whole” – physically, mentally, or emotionally – will likely not be possible. As such, your losses are more substantial and enduring. The person may suffer more physical pain and emotional distress, have higher medical bills, lose out on earning wages, be denied the ability to engage in activities they once loved, and more.

What’s more: Catastrophic injuries do not impact the individual alone but also their loved ones.

Compensation must reflect all these things, and that is why it matters if an injury is categorized as catastrophic.

Although it varies by state, catastrophic injuries generally qualify for a higher level of compensation for economic and non-economic damages. In some cases, they might even qualify for punitive damages.

Economic Damages

Economic damages are the easiest type of damages to calculate for most personal injury claims. By the time a settlement occurs or trial commences, the injured party has received complete or near complete medical treatment. The economic damages are calculated by adding up the medical expenses by using receipts, invoices, and statements.

Catastrophic injury cases, however, are different. There may be extensive future economic damages to consider. Calculating the value of these damages usually requires expert analysis and testimony. This testimony can attest to the value of the loss of future earned income as well as to the importance, extent, and duration of medical care necessary for the injured party.

Non-Economic Damages

Non-economic injuries are intangible and, thus, harder than economic injuries to quantify. They cover compensation for pain and suffering, loss of companionship, loss of enjoyment of life, and loss of consortium. In catastrophic injury cases, non-economic damages can be considerable due to the impact the injuries have on the victim’s quality of life.

Punitive Damages

Punitive damages are designed to (1) punish the wrongdoer who caused the accident; and (2) serve as a deterrent to keep others from engaging in the same behavior. While not typically awarded in personal injury cases, they may be warranted in cases that result in catastrophic injuries. Much of it depends on the jurisdiction, as some states do not allow punitive damages in personal injury cases.

At SKC Legal, our catastrophic injury attorney will advise you on the extent of compensation you can anticipate, and whether that could involve punitive damages.

COMMON ACCIDENTS IN MASSACHUSETTS THAT CAUSE CATASTROPHIC INJURIES

Any type of accident can cause catastrophic injuries. In terms of personal injury lawsuits in Massachusetts, common types of accidents most likely to cause a catastrophic injury are described below.

Motor Vehicle Accidents

Accidents involving cars, trucks, motorcycles, and other types of motor vehicles (e.g., boats) are a leading cause of catastrophic injuries. When these accidents also involve pedestrians or bicyclists, the chances of a person involved in the accident receiving a catastrophic injury greatly increase. If you live in a no-fault accident state, injured parties cannot file lawsuits against the at-fault party for personal injuries, but an exception is often made if the injury is catastrophic.

Workplace Accidents

Workplace accidents, especially those that occur in construction areas and warehouses, typically cause catastrophic injuries. Examples of workplace accidents leading to catastrophic injuries include but are not limited to:

  • Heavy objects falling and striking worker
  • Worker’s body getting pinched or crushed in equipment
  • Fires, explosions, or chemical spills
  • Falls from equipment or platforms
  • Exposure to toxic fumes or chemicals

Workplace accidents are unique in that compensation might have to go through workers’ compensation, but not always. It is always best to speak to our catastrophic injury attorney to understand when workers’ comp applies and how to best proceed to obtain fair and just compensation.

PREMISES LIABILITY ACCIDENTS

Property owners are under an obligation to certain visitors to keep their property free of unsafe conditions. Hazardous conditions that can lead to a catastrophic injury include but are not limited to:

  • Defective stairways, elevators, or escalators
  • Inadequate lighting or security
  • Violations of fire safety and building codes
  • Unsafe environmental conditions (e.g., sinkhole)
  • Poor construction, faulty design, inadequate maintenance of buildings or structures
  • Wet floors or loose carpets

Premise liability cases can be complex, and liability depends on many factors, including whether the injured party is categorized as a licensee, visitor, or trespasser.

Dog Bites

Dog bites or dog attacks can be severe, resulting in catastrophic injuries or even death. A dog’s teeth can tear through skin and muscle to penetrate the chest wall, which can cause serious injury to internal organs, like the intestines or lungs. Dogs may also attack a person’s head – children are particularly vulnerable to this type of attack due to their height.

Dogs attack hundreds of people a year, and though few die, many suffer permanent scarring and disfigurement. Though rare, if the dog is rabid, the bite can be fatal unless proper medical attention is promptly given.

DEFECTIVE PRODUCTS

Products may be designed, maintained, or even manufactured defectively. When this happens, unsuspecting consumers often suffer catastrophic injuries. Examples of products that have been deemed defective and have caused catastrophic injury or death include:

  • Automobiles and auto parts (e.g., tires)
  • Asbestos
  • Elevators and escalators
  • Firearms
  • Food and agricultural products
  • Machinery and equipment
  • Medical products or devices
  • Pharmaceutical products
  • Tobacco and other narcotic products

Many of these products have caused serious and life-altering injuries, as well as death. Unlike other personal injury claims, these claims are often based on strict liability – meaning you do not have to prove negligence. In some cases, however, negligence might be required. How your case proceeds depends on the jurisdiction, the facts, and the circumstances.

For Sara, personal injury law is very personal. Sara’s grandfather was an immigrant cab driver who worked to bring Sara’s family to the US when she was a child. One day he was hit by a drunk driver and narrowly escaped death, his leg smashed to pieces.

Sara’s family retained a personal injury lawyer, who got a small settlement offer from the drunk driver’s insurance carrier and urged Sara’s family to settle the case. Sara’s dad was not a lawyer but felt that such a small settlement couldn’t be right – so he went to a local university’s law library. After reviewing stacks of books, he realized that their attorney should not be settling, and should instead be suing the bar that had over-served the drunk driver. Sara’s family fired the lawyer, and hired a new attorney who was willing to dig deep and do the hard work to get a better result.

Thanks to the larger settlement that this new attorney achieved, Sara’s family moved to neighborhood with good public schools, and Sara attended college. Sara’s own career as an attorney became possible because her family refused to settle for poor legal representation.

Sara’s personal injury practice is rooted in this direct experience of how much the skill and expertise of a personal injury litigator truly matters. Sara’s 15+ year career has been 100% focused on litigation and she has obtained multiple 7-figure settlements for her clients. She believes in treating every personal injury client as if they were a member of her own family, and using the full depth of her skill and experience to get the best possible result every time.