Weld County Catastrophic Injury Lawyer
Suffering a personal injury is an experience that no one wishes to have. However, most of these incidents cause only temporary losses. Minor injuries can heal, you can seek compensation for lost earnings, and payments could help to ease the emotional trauma that often follows an injury.
However, catastrophic injuries have the potential to follow you for the rest of your life. As a result, people suffering from catastrophic injuries that are the result of another party’s actions often need to act quickly to protect their rights.
A Weld County catastrophic injury lawyer could help you pursue the compensation that you deserve under such circumstances. With assistance from an experienced personal injury attorney, you could seek recovery of damages for medical payments and other future costs that your condition may require. En Español.
Examples of Catastrophic Injuries
A catastrophic injury may have a permanent effect on a person’s life. While medical treatment may certainly help to stabilize a person’s condition, the long-term effects of a catastrophic injury typically never go away.
The law in Weld County provides no strict definition as to what a catastrophic injury is in personal injury cases. However, in general, a catastrophic injury is one that permanently affects a person’s use of limbs, their organs, or their brain.
Common examples of catastrophic injuries include:
- Brain damage
- Spinal cord injuries
- Paralysis
- Loss of ability to breathe on one’s own
- Third-degree burns over a significant portion of one’s body
- Falling into a vegetative state
A Weld County catastrophic injury lawyer could provide further clarification about whether a condition is catastrophic.
What Does the Law Say About Catastrophic Injuries?
While a catastrophic injury may have a profound impact upon an individual’s life, the extent of an injury has no bearing on whether a defendant is at fault in an incident. Indeed, civil defendants may carry liability towards plaintiffs regardless of the extent of their injuries. Similar incidents can produce significantly different injuries, so a defendant usually cannot argue that a plaintiff’s injuries are disproportionate to the facts that led to the incident.
Still, plaintiffs must be able to connect the behavior of a defendant directly to their injuries in order to recover compensation. One common way to accomplish this is proving negligence.
The core concept behind legal negligence is that certain parties carry a duty to protect others. If they fail in this duty and another person suffers an injury as a result, that defendant has an obligation to pay for the damages their conduct caused. However, the extent and value of these payments can vary based on each case’s individual circumstances.
What Types of Damages are Recoverable in a Catastrophic Injury Case?
Plaintiffs should pursue full compensation for all their losses, including medical bills, lost earnings, and pain and suffering. However, state law does control certain avenues of compensation.
Colorado Revised Statutes §13-21-102.5 limits the amount of non-economic damages that a plaintiff in a personal injury case may claim. According to the statute, a court may award a plaintiff in Colorado no more than $250,000 in non-economic damages following a personal injury. In rare instances, the court may raise this cap to $500,000.
Unfortunately, this law limits the compensation that many victims of catastrophic injuries may demand from an at-fault party. In the interest of maximizing their recovery, a catastrophic injury lawyer in Weld County could help a plaintiff demand the appropriate compensation following an injury.
Contact a Weld County Catastrophic Injury Attorney Today
A basic concept under the law states that all people are responsible for their actions, as well as any damage those actions cause. This includes situations where a defendant’s carelessness or negligence leads to an injury. Even if their actions result in catastrophic injuries, defendants should provide compensation when they are at fault.
Catastrophic injuries may have a lasting impact on your life, so it could be essential that you take steps to protect your legal rights and your financial future. A Weld County catastrophic injury lawyer could help evaluate the value of your case, gather the evidence needed to prove that a defendant caused your injuries, and demand appropriate payment for your losses. Contact an attorney today to let them get started fighting for your future.