Catastrophic Injuries

ORANGE COUNTY CATASTROPHIC INJURY LAWYERS

Experienced Orange County Catastrophic Injury Lawyers Since 1984

Catastrophic injuries often involve permanent disability, significant pain, lost wages, and huge medical bills. The physical, emotional and financial consequences can sometimes last for years, if not for the duration of a person’s life.

What Is a Catastrophic Injury?

A catastrophic injury is one that permanently impacts you. You may have permanent mental or physical injuries that affect the way you live your life on a long-term basis. Even after you recover, catastrophic injuries continue to influence the way you live your life.

Many catastrophic injuries permanently prevent you from working or taking care of activities of daily living. If you are injured and no longer able to work, then your injury may be considered catastrophic. Similarly, if you are no longer able to feed yourself, clean yourself, or otherwise care for yourself, then you may be catastrophically injured. A catastrophic injury lawyer can help you determine if your injury is serious enough to be considered catastrophic.

Types of Catastrophic Injuries

• Head or Brain Injuries
• Spinal Cord Injuries
• Spinal Fractures
• Upper Back Injuries
• Severe Burn Injuries
• Amputations
• Paralysis
• Eye Injuries and Vision Loss

Catastrophic Spinal Cord Injuries

Our catastrophic injury lawyer can help you understand spinal cord injuries. Traumatic events that cause catastrophic injuries are often caused by damage to cells in the spinal cord. Other spinal cord damage involves pressure on the cord or rupture of disks. Damage to the spinal cord can result in:

• Quadriplegia — often called “tetraplegia” and involves an injury that begins at level C1 through T1. These injuries often cause loss of feeling or movement in the upper chest, neck, arm, shoulder, or head. Only 30 percent of people who suffer such an injury return to work.
• Paraplegia — often used to describe a person who has no feeling or ability to move the lower parts of their body. This includes the legs, feet, chest, hips, and stomach areas. Injuries may have occurred to the T2 through S5 level of the spinal cord. Around 40 percent of people who suffer paraplegia return to work.

The majority of people who suffer catastrophic spinal cord injuries are between the age of 16 and 30. Males make up around 80 percent of those who suffer spinal cord injuries.

People may suffer complete or incomplete spinal cord injuries. Our catastrophic injury lawyer often sees complete injuries, which result in loss of function below the injury.  Incomplete injuries may result in loss of sensation or feeling below a certain point.

Catastrophic spinal cord injuries are highly diverse, with each one being different. If you’re injured and suspect a spinal cord injury, you should immediately contact a doctor and then call a catastrophic injury lawyer.

Causes of Catastrophic Injuries

An Orange County Catastrophic Injury Lawyer can explain to you that there are many different causes for catastrophic injuries including:

Car and motorcycle accidents

Motor vehicle accidents are some of the most common causes of catastrophic injuries. A serious impact with another vehicle or stationary object can cause spinal cord damage, head injuries, and more.

Sporting and recreational accidents

Although head and spinal cord injuries are some of the most common sporting accidents, they can become catastrophic. Many sporting and recreational accidents are left untreated, which can increase the severity of damage.

Bicycle injuries

Bicycle riders have very little protection. Even if a rider is wearing a helmet, their spinal cord is exposed. An accident with a motor vehicle or stationary object can result in a catastrophic injury.

Medical malpractice

When a medical provider harms a patient, the results can be devastating. Birth injuries and other harms can result in catastrophic injuries.

Other collisions and blunt force trauma

Any time the body suffers an impact, the brain, spinal cord, and more can suffer damage. Catastrophic injuries are common after collisions and blunt force trauma.

These injuries can result in serious harm, such as a concussion, memory loss, skull fracture, internal bleeding and hemorrhaging, and long-term behavioral and personality changes.

Catastrophic Injury Settlements

When you’re injured due to someone else’s actions, they should be liable for your losses. You can work with your catastrophic injury lawyer to take your case to trial or obtain a settlement. A settlement often covers your losses and takes less time.

Catastrophic injury settlements are often more significant than other types of settlements. Because you are seriously impacted, unable to work, or unable to live your life normally, you deserve a significant amount of money. You may even be able to obtain a maximum insurance policy payout if you were in a motor vehicle accident or injured on someone’s property. Speak with your catastrophic injury lawyer to find out more about what your case is worth.

Contact Our Orange County Catastrophic Injury Lawyers for a Free Consultation

Orange County Catastrophic injury claims are difficult for individuals and families to resolve on their own. If you or a loved one have been seriously injured due to the negligence of another person or business, contact our personal injury law firm today for a free legal consultation.

Attorneys Chris Russell and Marc Lazarus have over 28 years of experience, and they have a dedicated team that works diligently on the behalf of their clients to obtain ample and appropriate medical care, rehabilitation, and damages including loss of compensation.  If you have suffered a catastrophic injury, it is important that you work with an experienced attorney. It can be difficult to prove the extent of your injuries especially when dealing with a closed head injury or wound. Your Orange County catastrophic injury lawyer can help evaluate your claim and go over your options for recovery.

How a Orange County Catastrophic Injury Lawyer Can Help

Your attorney can help you determine the extent of your injuries and limitations. This can involve tests to determine if you suffer any cognitive or motor impairment and measurements of such limitations. The job of your Newport Beach catastrophic injury lawyer is to determine how much damages you need to collect to make you as whole as possible, and then to fight for that amount.

Contact a Orange County Catastrophic Injury Lawyer

At Russell & Lazarus APC, we have experience helping injured clients recover from their catastrophic injuries. We will work with you throughout every step of the legal process to ensure that you collect what you are entitled to. Contact your Orange County catastrophic injury lawyer by calling (800) 268-9228 to schedule a consultation.