Catastrophic Injuries

Q: As a result of my serious injury, I am out of work and bills are piling up. Should we try to settle my case right away?

Money pressures are common for victims of serious personal injuries, and understandably may create the desire to settle the case as soon as possible. Insurance companies understand this fact and are all too willing to take advantage of the plaintiff's financial distress. Remember that your personal injury court case is your only chance to receive fair compensation for your injuries caused by another's negligence. If you settle too soon, you will receive only a fraction of what your case is worth. Except in very unusual cases, obtaining a good settlement usually requires that discovery be completed and a trial date either obtained or expected in the forseeable future. At that point, if the case is strong and your attorney is prepared to go to trial, the insurance company knows that it may lose more by failing to settle than by settling fairly. There are companies that will advance money to personal injury victims while they await a settlement or verdict, in return for a very high return on the loan. I generally advise my clients to stay far away from these companies. For most victims of serious personal injury, the best approach for money problems is to work with creditors to obtain reductions in amounts owed, forgiveness of interest, or extensions of time - and wait until your attorney can obtain full value for your case.

Catastropic personal injury attorney

Q: What do you mean by a catastrophic personal injury case?

A: By a catastrophic personal injury case, I mean any case in which the carelessness of a corporation or another person caused death or what I term, "life-altering injuries." These may include serious brain damage, head injury that affects the ability to work, learn, or conduct daily tasks, paralysis, loss of a limb, and any injury that permanently impairs the quality of life in a significant way.

Q: Of course, a catastrophic personal injury case is different than more minor personal injury cases because of the serious nature of catastrophic injuries. Other than the difference in the scale of the injuries, how is a catastrophic case different from your point of view as an attorney?

A: The major difference, as might be expected, is the enormous commitment of time and money necessary to properly prepare a catastrophic injury case. Intense investigation of the facts need to be undertaken, and appropriate medical, economic, rehabilitation, and other experts, will need to be retained.

Q: How much is my catastrophic personal injury case worth?

A: The amount of money that can be recovered in a serious personal injury case depends on many factors, some objective and some subjective. To learn more about how a personal injury case is valued, follow the link and read my article on this web site, titled, How do I know what my catastrophic personal injury case is worth?