A catastrophic injury is a life-altering event that forces you and your family to adapt to a new reality. Recovery from a catastrophic injury is often slow, painful, and incomplete. Those who suffer from a devastating injury usually have permanent impairments and disabilities.
Negligence often leads to incidents or situations that cause catastrophic injuries. A local personal injury attorney could help you get fair compensation when you are severely hurt.
A Bakersfield catastrophic injury lawyer could investigate the incident, identify responsible parties, and ensure they are accountable for the harm they did to you. Get in touch as soon as possible after an injury so a legal professional can begin building a robust case for compensation.
There is no universal definition of catastrophic injuries. Most people think of them as causing life-changing, permanent damage to the body, such as amputations, injuries causing deafness or blindness, spinal cord damage, or traumatic brain injuries.
Severe disfigurement due to burns, car accidents, or birth injuries could be catastrophic. Any harm causing someone to lose bodily function could be a catastrophic injury—for example, by forcing them to be unable to digest food or permanently short of breath.
Sometimes, a person’s characteristics or lifestyle might make an injury catastrophic for them when it would not necessarily be life-altering for someone else. For example, someone in sales or restaurant management might adapt to paralysis in the fingers, but the injury might be debilitating for a professional pianist or surgeon. A Bakersfield attorney could assess the severe injury’s impact on the individual and craft a demand that accounts for all their losses.
Any behavior in which someone does not use appropriate care to protect others from harm is negligent. People, companies, and even governments can be negligent. Almost all accidents have their roots in someone’s negligence.
For example, the National Institutes of Health states that most spinal cord injuries result from vehicle accidents or falls. The Centers for Disease Control reports that car crashes, falls, gunshots, and violent assaults are also the leading cause of traumatic brain injuries. Other common causes of catastrophic injuries include building fires or explosions, construction site accidents, medical errors, or sports injuries.
A hardworking lawyer in Bakersfield could investigate the situation that led to the severe injury. Depending on the circumstances, drivers, product manufacturers, property owners, or medical professionals could be responsible for paying damages to someone who suffered an injury due to negligence. In many cases, more than one party could be at fault. In these cases, a legal professional could make a claim against multiple parties, increasing the likelihood of securing a favorable settlement.
Under state law, anyone involved in an accident is responsible for their actions. Sometimes, an injured person bears partial responsibility for the incident that caused their injuries. According to California Civil Code §1714, a negligent person can collect a portion of their damages from other responsible parties.
When a case goes to trial, the injured person must prove their total damages to the court. Then, a jury allocates fault among the parties on a percentage basis. The other parties pay the percentage of the injured person’s damages the jury awarded them, while the injured person pays the portion attributable to their own conduct.
Most cases settle before a trial, but the allocation of fault is an essential element of settlement negotiations. A Bakersfield attorney could ensure that an injured person does not bear an unfair portion of the blame.
When you or someone you love suffers severe injuries in an accident, contact a Bakersfield catastrophic injury lawyer immediately. Our legal team members at Colvin Accident Lawyers could preserve your legal rights throughout your recovery and ensure you receive appropriate compensation from the responsible parties.
A catastrophic injury can overwhelm a family. Having experienced legal support can relieve some of the stress. Call today to speak with dedicated attorney Donald Colvin.
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