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If you’re living with a catastrophic injury caused by a preventable accident, you know how emotionally, physically, and financially devastating it can be. You may be unable to work or enjoy the things you used to, or you may be facing a lifetime of caretaking for a loved one. When the future is uncertain, you want a strong legal advocate to protect your interests.
After an injury of this magnitude, healing may come gradually, but the disability can last forever – as will the expenses that come along with it. The Ann Arbor catastrophic injury lawyers at Christensen Law will stand by your side and fight for you.
Learn more about what our Michigan team can do to get compensation for your expenses now and in the future. Call us today or reach out to us online to make sure you protect your right to full compensation.
What Qualifies as a Catastrophic Injury in Michigan?
As Ann Arbor personal injury lawyers, we understand how catastrophic injuries completely change lives by preventing the victim from ever fully going back to their regular work and activities. Catastrophic injuries under Michigan law include:
- Permanent traumatic brain injuries affecting movement, thinking, behaviors
- Burns covering major body areas with destruction of tissues
- Loss of or non-working limbs and body parts
- Paralysis from spinal cord damage
- Total failure of an organ or body system
Doctors also look at the amount of time spent recovering and the level of permanent disability.
Getting Help With Medical Expense Reimbursement
Michigan also offers assistance for medical expenses through the Michigan Catastrophic Claims Association (MCAA).
Meeting the level for catastrophic means eligibility for immediate medical dollars from this state program. This covers urgent costs while you’re waiting for a settlement from those who were actually responsible.
Getting Adequate Compensation Is Crucial for Accident Victims in Ann Arbor
Catastrophic injuries change everything for victims like you. You may lose your health, money, family life, and hopes for the future. The injuries may affect you for your entire life, and they require many expensive medical treatments for years. Victims need lots of care, equipment, and house changes to adapt. Massive health costs pile up, especially if you cannot work anymore and earn income.
The catastrophic label fits these serious injuries extremely well because one sudden accident can permanently catastrophize victims’ livelihoods in exponential, unanticipated ways for life. In these cases, it is worth pursuing justice because you will need help covering the costs.
In a catastrophic injury claim in Ann Arbor, you may be able to claim a range of damages on top of your medical costs and the value of your lost work. You may be able to collect damages for caregiver compensation, your loss of enjoyment of life, your pain and suffering, and more.
Our Michigan Catastrophic Injury Lawyers Have Proven Results
One of the most common questions many people have about filing a claim is how much will it be worth. Each catastrophic injury case is unique, and the eventual outcome will be as well. However, our case results speak to our commitment to justice:
- $17.8 million verdict – Our client was awarded the largest personal injury verdict in Michigan after a serious car accident that left her unable to live independently.
- $9.5 million award – Our client was struck by a car that crossed the center line while he was riding his motorcycle, resulting in a leg amputation that left him in a wheelchair.
- $2 million settlement – Our client suffered a traumatic brain injury that resulted in lifelong inpatient care when they were struck while riding a bicycle.
- $1.2 million award – Our client was severely injured in a wreck and then injured again in a second accident, resulting in them being placed in a residential rehab for a traumatic brain injury.
Your Ann Arbor catastrophic injury attorneys will examine the details of your claim to come up with an estimate of its value. We are proven negotiators who understand how to counter common insurance company tactics.
Types of Accidents Our Ann Arbor Catastrophic Injury Lawyers Represent
At Christensen Law, our personal injury attorneys have decades of experience fighting for the families of the victims of the worst injuries imaginable. These are some of the types of cases we typically see that can result in catastrophic injuries:
- Car accidents
- Motorcycle accidents
- Pedestrian accidents and bicycle accidents
- Bus accidents
- Truck accidents
If you or a loved one has suffered catastrophic injuries in any type of accident that was caused by another party’s negligence, you may have a valid claim in Michigan. Call us at 248-900-900 or fill out our online contact form to get started on the road to justice.
What Is the Statute of Limitations for Catastrophic Injury In Michigan?
Mich. Comp. Laws Ann. § 600.5805 states that victims generally have three years from the date of the accident to file a claim in Michigan after a catastrophic injury. After the three-year mark passes, the injured party can lose their right to sue and pursue financial compensation related to the incident.
In cases where catastrophic injuries prove to be fatal, Michigan also allows three years to file a wrongful death claim. Your injury attorney can tell you who is allowed to file a claim and who may be eligible for compensation.
It’s important for victims to speak to a catastrophic injury lawyer in Ann Arbor much sooner than the deadline rather than waiting. This gives our attorneys time to start gathering evidence and documentation, investigating liable parties, calculating damages, and assessing legal options while your case’s details are still fresh.
How an Ann Arbor Catastrophic Injury Attorney Proves Negligence in a Claim
Our catastrophic injury attorneys can take many actions to prove negligence when pursuing fair compensation on victims’ behalf. Some of these include:
- Conducting investigations – We gather extensive reports and data regarding accident circumstances, parties involved, liability disputes, contributing hazards/oversights, and victim actions.
- Retaining experts – Our team can enlist testimony from specialists able to explain safety standards, verify scientific evidence, validate the long-term effects of injuries and medical conditions, and refute defense expert witnesses.
- Finding witnesses – Our firm will seek third-party observations and accounts that support our claims about negligent parties and duty of care breaches.
- Consulting medical teams – We have developed physician partnerships to help us explain prognosis consensus, treatment necessities, and disability assessments to showcase the lifelong effects of the accident.
- Researching statutes – Our team may need to reference federal, state, and local statutes and regulations when establishing negligence and duty of care. This helps us show where at-fault parties failed safety, maintenance, or operational obligations that led to the accident.
- Proving causation – We will demonstrate the direct breach of duties leading to the creation of the hazard that caused the accident and your subsequent injuries and disabilities.
- Quantifying damages – We meticulously account for every tangible and intangible current and future loss to accurately reflect the true cost of your loss.
Holding the responsible parties accountable for your injuries and damages means creating a well-evidenced negligence argument that proves liability. In cases with serious, debilitating injuries, your Ann Arbor catastrophic injury lawyer will need to establish that these lifelong costs will require substantial compensation.
Why Choose Christensen Law for Your Ann Arbor Catastrophic Injury Claim
Christensen Law protects those whose lives are suddenly turned upside down after an accident that results in catastrophic injury. Our team understands what you are facing: the pain, disability, money gaps, and family stress. It can quickly become too much. We are dedicated legal advocates who will stand by your side to take the burden off of your shoulders.
We will push the insurance company to pay you everything you are owed under Michigan law. Insurance companies try to take advantage of the victims of catastrophic injuries because they know you are in a difficult position. You need money to cover your immediate costs, and they count on you signing away your right to compensation for the costs you will incur down the road.
Our injury attorneys will actively listen to your concerns – medical, vocational, emotional, and financial. Then we will build a case that truly reflects the impact this tragedy has had on your life. Finally, we will use our negotiation skills to demand the full value of your compensation so you will have the financial support to get the treatments and care you need.
Get a Free Consultation With a Catastrophic Injury Lawyer in Ann Arbor, MI
If you or a loved one suffered a life-changing catastrophic injury in Michigan, the lawyers at Christensen Law offer free consultations. We know you feel overwhelmed trying to deal with huge medical bills, changed abilities, insurance paperwork, and an uncertain future. You can contact us anytime to schedule a free meeting with our team.
Our catastrophic injury attorneys in Ann Arbor only get paid if we win. To get caring legal experts on your side, call us or contact us online to learn more about how we can protect your rights.
