Kansas City Catastrophic Injury Attorney
Proven Representation for Seriously Injured Victims & Families
Personal injury law enables victims who have been harmed as a result of negligence to hold at-fault parties accountable for their misconduct, and to pursue financial compensation for their damages. While any victim can experience physical, financial, and emotional setbacks following preventable accidents, those who suffer serious injuries are often left devastated as a result of the harm and consequences they experienced.
At Bertram & Graf, L.L.C., our Kansas City catastrophic injury lawyers are committed to making the difference in our clients’ lives, especially following serious accidents that have resulted in serious injuries, or injuries so severe they result in profound and life-altering repercussions. Whatever injury you or your loved one may have suffered, our team understands the need for justice and fair compensation are elevated when there are long-term or even lifelong setbacks.
Were you or your loved one seriously injured in a preventable accident? Discuss your case and rights with a member of our team. Call (888) 398-2277 for a FREE consultation.
What Are Catastrophic Injuries?
Catastrophic injuries are a term used to describe any number of injuries or conditions that result in considerable physical harm, emotional consequences, and a range of financial losses. While all injuries are unique, catastrophic injuries share the common thread of greatly altering the lives of victims and their loved ones, sometimes in permanent and profound ways.
Types of Catastrophic Injuries
Common examples of catastrophic injuries include:
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Neck and spinal cord injuries
- Paralysis / permanent disability
- Amputation / loss of limbs or extremities
- Disfigurement
While these are common examples, any injury is severe when it involves serious physical injuries that require extensive treatment, including surgery, and long recoveries. In many cases, victims who suffer catastrophic injuries are left to deal with the consequences of limitations and disabilities that persist for the rest of their lives.
What Are the Most Common Causes of Catastrophic Injury?
Accidents can cause catastrophic injuries that result in considerable physical harm, emotional consequences, and a range of financial losses. These types of accidents can have life-altering effects on victims and their families due to the severity of the injuries resulting from them. Victims may experience long-term disabilities or even permanent disfigurement that will require extensive treatment and recovery time.
Common causes of these injuries include but are not limited to:
- Motor vehicle collisions
- Defective product injuries
- Medical malpractice and negligence
- Slip and fall or trip and falls
- Dangerous premises liability incidents
- Sports injuries, such as traumatic brain injury resulting from contact sports
- Industrial accidents, such as explosions or fires at a workplace
- Boating/watercraft mishaps
Since catastrophic injuries demand greater care and more compensation, a typical personal injury attorney may not be qualified to help a severely injured accident victim. Thankfully, the Kansas City catastrophic injury attorney at Bertram & Graf, L.L.C. is available to help.
Our lawyers have decades of legal experience in the practice areas of catastrophic injury and wrongful death. Our team is here to help accident victims and their families get the compensation they need in order to cover medical expenses, ongoing care costs, and other losses associated with a catastrophic injury.
How Much Compensation Will I Receive?
The compensation awarded to an individual for a catastrophic injury is highly dependent on several factors, including the type and severity of the injury itself. The more severe and debilitating the injury, the higher the potential compensation amount tends to be. Catastrophic injuries can encompass a wide range of conditions, such as spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries, severe burns, or loss of limb, each carrying unique implications for an individual's quality of life and future prospects.
Additionally, the extent of medical assistance and ongoing care required as a result of the injury significantly impacts the compensation amount. Medical expenses, including surgeries, hospital stays, rehabilitation programs, assistive devices, and long-term care, are carefully evaluated to determine the appropriate level of compensation. These costs are considered not only in terms of the present but also with regards to future medical needs and anticipated long-term effects of the injury.
It is important to recognize that each individual's circumstances are unique, and compensation amounts are determined on a case-by-case basis. Factors such as lost wages, diminished earning capacity, pain and suffering, emotional distress, and loss of enjoyment of life may also be taken into account during the evaluation process. An experienced personal injury attorney in Kansas City can help assess the specific circumstances of a catastrophic injury case and advocate for the maximum compensation possible to address the individual's current and future needs, aiming to provide financial support and stability in the face of such challenging circumstances.
Compensation for the Seriously Injured
For catastrophic injury victims, as well as their loved ones, the need for full and fair compensation becomes a critical matter. This is due to the extensive damages they have suffered, and because catastrophic injuries often create years if not lifetimes of additional needs. Fortunately, victims can pursue a recovery of their damages by filing personal injury claims, where they may be entitled to financial compensation for a range of losses, including:
- Medical bills – Catastrophic injuries often require extensive medical treatment and care, which can quickly add up. The need for invasive surgeries, physical therapy, and long-term recoveries can result in tremendous financial losses. Fortunately, victims are able to recover their medical expenses as part of their economic damages.
- Lost wages – Economic damages are not limited to medical bills alone, they also include financial losses such as lost income. Because serious injuries can prevent victims from working while they obtain treatment and recover, they can lose considerable sums in wages.
- Emotional injuries – In addition to economic damages, catastrophically injured victims are entitled to a recovery of their emotional damages. These are damages that are less tangible than medical bills or lost wages, but they can be immensely profound. With severe injuries or permanent impairments and disabilities, victims often suffer tremendous pain and suffering, mental anguish, and a loss of enjoyment or quality of life, among other damages. Victims’ families may also be awarded non-economic damages for their emotional injuries, such as loss of consortium and loss of emotional support.
- Future damages – Future damages are vital in catastrophic injury cases, as they provide the means with which victims can address their long-term or life-long needs. These include future medical care (treatment, medications, medical devices, living assistance, etc.), and lost future earnings that may arise when victims suffer injuries that prevent them from working an earning a living, or which greatly diminish their earning potential. Calculating future damages is crucial to ensuring victims have the resources they need to navigate their lives moving forward.
Maximizing our clients’ compensation is always a top priority at Bertram & Graf, L.L.C. Our catastrophic injury attorneys work diligently to understand the nature of our clients’ injuries and take into account the full scope of how those injuries impacted their lives. By prioritizing personalized service, we know what our clients need when it comes to full and fair compensation.
What is the Statute of Limitations for Catastrophic Injury Claims in Missouri?
If you are filing a personal injury claim in the state of Missouri, it’s important that you understand the statute of limitations for personal injury cases. You have five years from the date of injury to file a catastrophic injury claim, failure to do so can lead to your loss of your rights to be able to file one.
Discuss Your Case During a FREE Consultation: (888) 398-2277
When a catastrophic injury suffered by you or a loved one has disrupted your life, working with proven legal representation is critical to your case and future. Our attorneys have the experience and resources to ensure at-fault parties are held accountable for their negligence, and that powerful insurance companies don’t succeed in their attempts to deny or dispute claims, or minimize payouts for injured victims.
If you wish to discuss a potential catastrophic injury case, your rights, and how our firm can help you and your loved ones, do not hesitate to contact us for a FREE consultation. Do not hesitate to call Bertram & Graf, L.L.C. for a case evaluation at (888) 398-2277