Wilmington Catastrophic Injury Lawyer

Wilmington Catastrophic Injury Attorney

A personal injury can cause an immense strain on your life. Not only can it cause physical and emotional pain, but it also results in significant financial stress. Many people are unable to earn income while dealing with medical costs and their usual bills. If you have suffered a catastrophic injury, you may be unable to ever return to work. If someone else was the cause of your injuries, you need a Wilmington catastrophic injury lawyer to help you obtain some financial security.

A personal injury becomes a catastrophic injury when it results in permanent harm, injury, or disability. When someone else’s negligence, recklessness, or misconduct causes your injury, you shouldn’t have to be responsible for the costs of that injury. Catastrophic injuries can require you to need in-home care or alterations to your home to make it accessible. A personal injury claim could cover these costs, along with lost income, lost earning potential, and the emotional damages from your injury.

To have the greatest chance of a successful claim and maximize your compensation, you need an attorney who is experienced in personal injury and catastrophic injury claims.

Defending the Rights of Wilmington Catastrophic Injury Victims

Catastrophic injuries can keep you from completing daily tasks, require constant care or mobility aids, and prevent you from caring for your family. This can be incredibly frustrating for many people, and it can be even more frustrating when the injury was preventable if only another party took a reasonable level of care. The Law Offices of Wade E. Byrd P.A. want to help you through this extreme change in your life. We can provide you with the legal support you need to get the compensation you deserve.

Our team listens to you and your situation. We can work closely with you to calculate the damages you deserve and how to effectively advocate for that coverage. We can then investigate your accident to determine who the at-fault party is. Our team has more than 40 years of experience in personal injury claims, including extensive experience in catastrophic injury claims. We can defend your rights in negotiation or litigation, giving your claim its greatest chance of succeeding.

Common Causes of Catastrophic Accidents in Wilmington

A catastrophic injury can be caused by the same types of accidents that cause any personal injury. However, there are certain types of accidents that are more likely to result in catastrophic injuries. These injuries include traumatic brain injuries, spine and spinal cord injuries, and severe internal organ damage. Accidents that commonly result in catastrophic injuries include:

• High-Risk Industry Workplace Accidents: Industries such as construction, farming, and industrial factories have a much higher risk for severe and catastrophic injuries. Although these injuries can also occur to visitors or passersby, they are much more likely to happen to employees working in these industries.These employees work at great heights with heavy machinery, dangerous equipment, and hazardous substances. Accidents can happen, but they are more likely on worksites without proper care and protection for workers.
• Motor Vehicle Accidents: Many car accidents have the potential to cause life-altering and catastrophic injuries. Head-on collisions, rollover accidents, multiple-car pile-ups, and high-speed accidents are more likely to cause severe injuries. Trucking accidents are especially dangerous for those in passenger cars due to the greater size and weight of commercial vehicles.Motorcycle accidents, bicycle accidents, and pedestrian accidents are all likely to cause catastrophic and potentially fatal injury to the parties who are not in passenger cars. Motor vehicle accidents can cause traumatic brain injuries, multiple fractures and sprains, and spinal cord injuries.
• Medical Malpractice: Most healthcare providers uphold their professional duty of care to their patients. Unfortunately, some providers are careless, or even malicious, and fail to provide for patient’s health. Medical malpractice can include prescription errors, surgical errors, birth injuries, delayed diagnosis, and misdiagnosis. Malpractice can result in severe and lifelong injuries, including amputation, illness, and traumatic brain injuries.
• Premises Liability Accidents: Premises liability accidents include slip-and-fall accidents, animal attack injuries, and hazards caused by negligent security. When a property owner, either public or private, knows or should know of a hazard, they have a responsibility to take care of that hazard. Falls from heights, accidents in elevators, or electrocution are all premises liability hazards that can cause severe and catastrophic injuries.
• Explosion Accidents: Explosions and fires can occur in hazardous worksites and badly maintained premises. They can result from electrical hazards, gas leaks, and other unsafe materials being left out. These accidents can cause loss of limbs and severe and permanent scarring, along with other catastrophic injuries.
• Drowning Accidents: Drowning accidents are likely when an individual does not know how to swim, but they can also occur from swimming during dangerous weather conditions. These accidents, if they are not fatal, can result in severe internal organ damage and lifelong complications.

Catastrophic accidents and their resulting injuries have high medical costs. They also often cause significant damaging psychological effects. It can be difficult for injured individuals to calculate the true extent of their damages without the proper experience, especially while they are injured.

An experienced attorney can properly calculate the full costs of present and future medical care, along with other damages that you have suffered. You are able to rest after a significant incident while an attorney handles your civil claim.

What Is the Time Limit for Catastrophic Injury Claims in North Carolina?

Civil claims must be filed within their statute of limitations to be valid. A personal injury claim, including catastrophic injury claims, has a statute of limitations of 3 years. This begins from the date when the injury or incident occurred.

If you did not discover the injury or illness until a later date, the time limit begins from the date when you knew or should have known that you were injured. There are some situations where the statute of limitations is much shorter, such as claims against a governmental agency.

It’s important to talk with an attorney as soon as possible. Even if you believe that there is significant time left on the statute, it’s important to discuss a case as quickly as you can. Over time, key evidence, such as eyewitness accounts or CCTV footage, may be difficult to obtain or vanish entirely. This may be the difference between winning and losing a claim. The sooner you work with an attorney, the more time they have to investigate and prepare your claim before filing it.

FAQs

Q: What Is a Catastrophic Injury Claim?

A: A catastrophic injury claim is a type of personal injury claim. In it, an injured individual can recover damages when their injury was caused by another party’s negligence or misconduct.

A catastrophic injury differs from a personal injury because it results in lifelong complications and potential disability for the injured party. If someone suffers permanent harm due to another party failing to take appropriate care, they could file a catastrophic injury claim. These claims typically have more damages and higher levels of compensation as a result.

Q: What Are Catastrophic Injury Damages?

A: The damages available in a catastrophic injury claim depend on the damages suffered in the accident or injury. Potential damages that would be compensated in a claim include:

• All past and current medical costs, such as medication, doctor’s appointments, surgery, reconstructive surgery, transportation to the hospital, and other care
• All future medical costs or anticipated complications for the unique type of injury
• Any property damage from the accident
• Lost income from time off work
• Lost earning potential due to being disabled and unable to return to work
• Noneconomic damages, including loss of quality of life, emotional suffering, physical pain, and scarring or disfigurement

Any other damages that an individual suffers as a direct result of the at-fault party’s actions could be compensable.

Q: What Is the Maximum Pain and Suffering in North Carolina?

A: In many personal injury claims in North Carolina, there is no cap on noneconomic damages, such as pain and suffering. Medical malpractice claims are the only form of personal injury claims with capped noneconomic damages. This cap is set at $500,000. Noneconomic damages compensate for losses that are not financial and have a subjective value. They are meant to reflect losses such as loss of enjoyment of life and mental trauma.

Q: What Is the Difference Between Catastrophic and Non-Catastrophic Injuries?

A: Catastrophic injuries are those that have some permanent effect on a person. This may include permanent scarring, disability, disfigurement, or other debilitating injuries and illnesses that prevent someone from being fully functional on a daily basis. Catastrophic injuries may include:

• Traumatic brain injuries
• Paralysis and other spinal cord injuries
• Severe burns
• Amputation
• Internal organ damage

These injuries are also different because the costs and damages associated with catastrophic injuries are more significant. If an individual qualifies for a personal injury claim, the compensation available is much higher.

Catastrophic Injury Attorneys in Wilmington

The sooner you begin working with the qualified attorneys at the Law Offices of Wade E. Byrd P.A., the sooner we can begin building a claim and work to efficiently get you the compensation you deserve. We understand how frustrating and overwhelming a catastrophic injury can be. We want to help you and your family by advocating for the compensation you need to fully recover. Contact our team today to learn how we can help with your claim.