Catastrophic injuries are often life-changing events that result in long-term or permanent disability. Unlike injuries that people fully recover from, a catastrophic injury will often leave a person disfigured or impaired for the rest of their life. These kinds of cases often involve major changes to a person’s career and ability to live independently.
If you’ve been hurt in a serious accident and suffered a catastrophic injury, the attorneys at Bye, Goff & Rohde can help. Our team understands the many physical, financial, and emotional complexities of these kinds of claims. We will take time to listen to your story and fight to seek maximum compensation.
To request a free consultation, call our personal injury law firm at (715) 425-8161 or submit a contact form online today. Bye, Goff & Rohde is here to help.
How Catastrophic Injuries Differ from Other Accident Cases
While all major injuries need to be taken seriously, catastrophic injuries alter a person’s life in significant ways.
Most people can return to work and regular activities following non-catastrophic injuries. That’s not the case with catastrophic injuries. Survivors of catastrophic injuries will face substantial changes in daily life even after reaching maximum medical recovery.
- Catastrophic Injury Causes Disfigurement or Disability: A catastrophic injury causes permanent disfigurement or potentially permanent changes to a person’s mobility, motor skills, health needs, and independence.
- Catastrophic Injury Disrupts Normal Function and Daily Life: Survivors of catastrophic injuries may require a wheelchair for mobility, a prosthetic limb to accomplish daily tasks, or other changes in their home to accommodate their needs after an accident.
- Catastrophic Injury Requires Extensive Medical Treatment: Many people who’ve experienced a catastrophic injury will require surgery, physical rehabilitation, occupational training, and ongoing medical treatment to address what has happened.
- Catastrophic Injury Can Affect Your Career Goals and Earnings: People who’ve suffered catastrophic injuries may not be able to work in their chosen field. This changes future career trajectory, which may mean a substantial loss of future earnings and financial stability.
People who suffer catastrophic injuries can receive a substantial amount of compensation because of the nature of the injuries sustained and their impact on someone’s life. These kinds of cases tend to lead to higher settlement and verdict amounts than other kinds of injury cases.
Examples of Catastrophic Injuries
Catastrophic injuries can take many forms. Below are just a few examples of injuries that change a person’s life.
Spinal Cord Injuries (SCI)
Injuries to the spine and spinal cord can severely alter your daily life. Many people who suffer spinal cord injuries experience partial paralysis, paraplegia, or quadriplegia (tetraplegia). For injuries in the cervical spine, the accident survivor may need constant medical monitoring and assistance with all daily tasks.
Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI)
A severe blow to the head or multiple blows to the head over time can cause lasting brain damage. Whether you suffer a concussion or another type of traumatic brain injury, you may suffer from significant changes in your memory, cognition, mood, mental health, and motor function.
Loss of Limbs/Amputation
Some injuries are so severe that they result in the loss of a limb at the accident site. In other situations, doctors may be required to amputate a severely injured limb. In either case, accident survivors will need to adapt to many changes in daily activity following the loss of a limb.
Severe Burn Injuries
Major third-degree and fourth-degree burns cause major damage to skin, muscle, and nerve tissue. Even after debridement and skin grafting surgeries, accident survivors may have visible scars. Depending on the nature of the injuries, severe burns could also result in the loss of limbs.
Loss of Hearing or Vision
Head and facial trauma can result in the loss of hearing or vision. You do not need to experience total blindness or deafness for an injury to be considered catastrophic. Any significant loss of hearing in one or both ears or loss of vision in one or both eyes can alter how you handle daily activities.
Severe Fractures, Broken Bones, or Complex Soft Tissue Injuries
Compound fractures, broken bones, or complex soft tissue tears can lead to major mobility limitations. While function can be restored thanks to surgery and the use of artificial joints, survivors of serious bone or joint injuries may have limitations in their range of motion or the ability to safely engage in both daily and work activities.
Potential Causes of Catastrophic Injuries
Catastrophic injuries can occur in all kinds of incidents. These are just a few common causes of catastrophic injuries that our Wisconsin attorneys have seen over the years.
Motor Vehicle Accidents
A severe car wreck can cause catastrophic injuries to all parties involved. Our law firm has helped clients who have suffered severe physical trauma after a car accident or motorcycle crash. The same is true of semi-truck collisions, which can cause severe injuries to motorists in multiple lanes of traffic. Drivers and motorcyclists aren’t the only victims in vehicle collisions, however. Our clients also include those injured as a result of a bicycle and pedestrian accident.
Serious Property Injuries
Injuries at a business or private residence can cause catastrophic injuries. Major slip, trip, and fall accidents can result in broken bones, torn ligaments, and severe head trauma. This is especially true when people fall from a great height or when the victim is elderly and more prone to serious injuries.
Accidents at the Workplace
If you work in construction, agriculture, or an industrial field, there’s a risk of suffering severe harm during an on-the-job accident. When catastrophic injuries occur at a workplace, you could be eligible for more than just workers’ compensation benefits. The team at Bye, Goff & Rohde can let you know if you qualify for a third-party claim, which can supplement what you receive from workers’ compensation.
Physical Altercations and Acts of Violence
If you are attacked or intentionally harmed in some way, you could suffer from catastrophic injuries. The perpetrator of the attack can face criminal charges and also be held civilly liable for your catastrophic injuries.
How Much Is a Catastrophic Injury Claim Worth?
The value of a catastrophic injury claim varies based on numerous factors, including the severity of the injuries and the lasting impact on your life and livelihood. Thus, we advise you to call our offices at (715) 425-8161 for a free case evaluation with an attorney. When our injury lawyers evaluate your case, the team at Bye, Goff & Rohde can review what happened, discuss how your injuries have impacted your life, and talk about how the future has changed even if you reach maximum medical recovery. This will help you understand how much your case could be worth and what a fair settlement offer might look like.
Factors That Affect the Value of a Catastrophic Injury Claim
These are a few important factors when determining the true value of a catastrophic injury claim.
- The Cost of Medical Treatment: This covers the cost of hospitalization, any stabilizing care, emergency surgery, and visits with specialists.
- Ongoing Medical Care Needs: This covers ongoing and estimated costs of future health needs, such as doctor visits, physical rehabilitation, occupational therapy, and mental health counseling.
- Renovations/Accommodations for a Disability: This refers to any changes to your home or vehicle to accommodate a wheelchair and to improve overall accessibility.
- Lost Future Earning Potential: This covers lost wages if you can no longer continue along your career path and possible job-retraining if you can still work following your catastrophic injury.
- Loss of Independence: This refers to your injury causing the loss of your ability to care for your own needs.
- Impact on Quality of Life: This refers to a catastrophic injury causing chronic pain, reducing your ability to enjoy hobbies and other pursuits, and a lower sense of contentment or well-being.
- Partial Fault in an Accident: You can still receive compensation in Wisconsin if you are 50% or less to blame for an accident. Under Wisconsin Statute § 895.045, a plaintiff has what’s known as modified comparative negligence, meaning that the individual injured contributed to or is partially liable for the accident. The compensation for an injury claim is reduced by the person’s percentage of liability. In other words, if you are awarded $100,000 but were found 20% at fault for what happened, you would receive $80,000.
How Long Do I Have to File a Lawsuit for a Catastrophic Injury in Wisconsin?
In Wisconsin, you typically have three years from the date of an accident to file a personal injury claim. Once that three-year deadline has passed, you will not be able to take legal action.
There are some exceptions to Wisconsin’s three-year statute of limitations. However, it’s in your best interests to speak with our lawyers as soon as possible. The team at Bye, Goff & Rohde can let you know if you have a claim and start building your case.
Why You Can Trust Bye, Goff & Rohde with Your Catastrophic Injury Case
Bye, Goff & Rohde has a reputation for advocacy and strong counsel. If you’ve been seriously hurt and have had your life completely changed by your injuries, we’re here to seek maximum compensation to address what happened.
Serving Wisconsinites Since 1974
Bye, Goff & Rohde has represented survivors of catastrophic accidents for over 50 years. We’ve been around for decades because we focus on our clients, their families, their lives, their livelihoods, and their stories.
More Than 215 Years of Combined Legal Experience
When you hire our law firm, you’re not just hiring an attorney—you’re hiring an army. Our lawyers have more than 215 years of combined experience, and we pool that collective knowledge to build strong catastrophic injury cases.
A Reputation for Great Legal Results
Our law firm has fought to secure maximum compensation for our clients after life-altering injuries. We encourage you to view our past verdicts and settlements to get a sense of what we can do for you when your life has changed.
Clients Don’t Pay Unless We Win
Catastrophic injuries often involve extensive and ongoing medical treatments as well as long-term rehabilitative care. To help people in need, we accept cases on a contingency fee basis. That means clients don’t pay us anything unless and until we can secure a settlement or win damages in court.
Request a Free Consultation with Our Catastrophic Injury Lawyers
If you’ve experienced a catastrophic injury and need answers about your legal options, our team is here to help. We get results, and we’re ready to fight for you. To request a free consultation with our team, call our personal injury law firm at (715) 425-8161 or submit a contact form online.