East Orange Catastrophic Injury Lawyers
Catastrophic injuries are life-changing, altering your career and impacting your whole family. Catastrophic injuries are severe and disabling, and spouses and other family members often step into the role of caregiver or main source of financial support.
At Goldstein & Goldstein, we have witnessed the far-reaching devastation caused by catastrophic injuries and are dedicated to holding responsible parties accountable for their actions. If you or a loved one has suffered a catastrophic injury due to someone else’s negligence, our compassionate and experienced East Orange catastrophic injury lawyers can help you fight back and recover the compensation you deserve.
What Is a Catastrophic Injury?
Any injury resulting in permanent disability, an inability to work or gain employment, or that requires life-long assistance is considered a catastrophic injury. Many catastrophic injuries involve brain or spinal damage and result from a wide range of accidents, including but not limited to:
- Accident-induced stroke
- Amputation
- Brain injuries, including traumatic brain injuries (TBIs)
- Crushed and broken bones
- Death
- Disfigurement
- Blindness caused by unnecessary or improperly performed surgery; or
- Hearing loss and deafness
- Nerve damage
- Neurological damage and disorders, such as cerebral palsy
- Organ damage and failure
- Paralysis, including paraplegia and quadriplegia
- Dystrophy
- Severe burns
- Spinal cord injuries
- Vision loss
What Are the Long-Term Effects of Catastrophic Injuries?
Catastrophic injuries are permanent, and their effects are typically life-long, impacting survivors in numerous ways, including but not limited to:
- Permanent loss of function or disability.
- The inability to gain meaningful employment.
- Life-long care, assistance, or accommodations.
- Permanent medication use.
- Necessary prosthetic devices.
- Use of assistive devices, such as walkers and wheelchairs.
How Are Catastrophic Injuries Caused?
Accidents resulting in catastrophic injuries can happen in a second, and usually when you least expect them, but the effects can last a lifetime. Catastrophic injuries require immediate medical intervention. Delayed treatment can lead to even more severe injury. Some of the most common causes of catastrophic injuries include but are not limited to:
- Bus Accidents
- Car Accidents
- Construction Accidents
- Medical Malpractice
- Motorcycle Accidents
- Pedestrian Accidents
- Slip and Fall Accidents
- Truck Accidents
- Workplace Accidents
Catastrophic injuries require emergency and critical medical care, and often extensive surgeries and hospitalization, long-term treatment, and, in some cases, life-long care. In some cases, catastrophic injuries can be managed through therapy and assistance from caregivers, which allows some individuals to live somewhat independently or make their own decisions.
Other catastrophic injuries render some unable to live on their own, manage their finances and bills, walk, or drive, particularly those involving paralysis or serious traumatic brain injuries. Unfortunately, many who suffer catastrophic injuries spend the rest of their lives in a permanent vegetative state, requiring 24-hour nursing home care.
What Should I Do After an Accident?
Typically, it is recommended to photograph the scene, exchange information with other parties, gather witness statements, maintain records, seek medical attention, and more following an accident. However, catastrophic injuries are too severe for these actions. However, that does not mean this information and evidence cannot be obtained. Police or incident reports, depending on where the accident occurred, will contain this information, and your catastrophic injury lawyer can take on these tasks and more on your behalf.
Who Is Responsible for My Catastrophic Injury?
When you sustain catastrophic injuries, the individual or entity that caused the accident can be held accountable for your injuries and losses. For instance, a reckless driver can be liable if they are driving while distracted, impaired, or speeding. Property owners can be held accountable if the accident occurred on their premises, such as a store, business office, or private residence.
How Long Do I Have to File a Catastrophic Injury Claim?
In New Jersey, the statute of limitations for filing personal injury claims is two years from the date of the accident or death. Cases involving catastrophic injuries are incredibly complex and can take years to settle, so it is highly recommended to seek legal representation as soon as possible to avoid missing the deadline and to receive compensation more quickly.
Can I Receive Compensation for a Catastrophic Injury?
The lifetime costs associated with a catastrophic injury can easily exceed hundreds of thousands, or even millions, of dollars. The value of personal injury cases is based on the injuries’ severity and the accident’s circumstances. However, it is usually significant for catastrophic injuries as they typically result in permanent disability. Compensation is based on economic, non-economic, and potentially punitive damages.
Economic and non-economic damages refer to the actual and personal losses you have incurred due to the accident and injuries, including medical expenses, current and future lost wages, property damage, emotional distress, disability, and pain and suffering.
In some cases, punitive damages are awarded for catastrophic injuries if the individual who purposely caused your injuries was behaving in an especially careless or reckless manner. Punitive damages are meant to punish those actions and deter them from happening again. In New Jersey, punitive damages are capped at $350,000, or five times the total economic and non-economic damages.
At Goldstein & Goldstein, we often consult experts to help determine the total cost you deserve for your injuries, including all future medical care, home modifications, such as wheelchair ramps or accessible bathroom amenities, and total lost income and benefits. We devise a strategy to recover maximum compensation.
Why Choose Goldstein & Goldstein for Your Catastrophic Injury Case
Expenses and losses associated with catastrophic injuries are significant, and injuries are too severe for most people to pursue their claims. These cases tend to be lengthy and an almost constant uphill battle. With so much money on the line, insurance companies aggressively fight to reduce or avoid large payouts. Without legal representation from a knowledgeable catastrophic injury lawyer experienced in handling and negotiating these cases, insurance companies benefit more than the injured.
When hiring our East Orange catastrophic injury lawyers at Goldstein & Goldstein, you can rest assured that your case will be handled properly and timely and that you will recover the maximum you deserve. We will investigate the accident, work closely with your medical team to establish your current and ongoing medical care, interview witnesses, hire medical experts, and represent you in court, where many of these cases end up. With over 50 years of combined experience, Goldstein & Goldstein has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars in compensation for clients suffering catastrophic injuries.
Our East Orange Catastrophic Injury Lawyers at Goldstein & Goldstein Fight for Clients Severely Injured in Senseless Accidents
If you or a loved one has suffered catastrophic injuries in an accident, our seasoned East Orange catastrophic injury lawyers at Goldstein & Goldstein can help fight for the justice you deserve. Call today at 973-675-8277 or visit us online to schedule a free consultation. Located in East Orange, New Jersey, we serve clients in the surrounding areas.
