When you’re living in the aftermath of an accident that resulted in catastrophic injuries, it may seem like you will never catch up. The bills are coming in, you’re out of work, and you’re overwhelmed with pain or caretaking duties.
It may feel like help is a world away, but if the accident was caused by negligence, you have legal options. Detroit catastrophic injury lawyers can help you hold the at-fault party accountable for your accident and losses. To learn more about getting the compensation you need to cover a lifetime of costs, call us today.
Victims of Catastrophic Injuries: Your Right to Compensation in Michigan Explained
Victims who suffer catastrophic, life-altering injuries as a result of negligent acts have the right to pursue financial compensation in Michigan when certain elements have been met. The elements of a valid claim that a Detroit personal injury lawyer include:
Duty of Care
If individuals or entities engage in agreements, activities, or undertakings in which it is reasonably foreseeable that being negligent could cause others harm, they have a duty to take reasonable precautions to prevent injuries. The failure to uphold this duty of care breaches the responsibility they owed to the victim.
Causation
Our lawyers, through investigation and documentation, will work to determine that the breach of duty via negligent behavior specifically resulted in the victim’s catastrophic injuries.
Accountability
Once we establish a connection between one party’s negligent breach of duties and the victim’s catastrophic injuries, we will work to hold the responsible party accountable for the victim’s damages. Victims can either file a claim or take the negligent party to court.
No victim of carelessness should have to spend the rest of their lives paying for someone else’s tragic mistake.
What Qualifies as a Catastrophic Injury in Michigan?
Detroit drivers involved in an accident follow Michigan No-Fault Auto Insurance laws. Under PIP, drivers usually seek compensation through their own policies. However, if someone suffers serious harm from a car accident, they can sue the negligent driver. Every accident is different, but some examples of catastrophic injuries can include
- Permanent brain damage or spine/spinal cord injuries resulting in significant physical and cognitive impairment levels that prohibit normal daily function and life participation
- Amputated limbs or body system losses that drastically reduce physical capabilities such as movement, strength, stamina, manipulation, coordination, and sensation
- Severe burns and scarring that extensively damage the skin tissue and underlying structures, causing extreme pain, susceptibility to infection, and joint mobility restrictions
- Vision deterioration to legal blindness status that severely limits independence in navigating environments, accomplishing tasks, and interacting safely with obstacles
Any physical harm that severely limits your ability to complete tasks, requires external accommodations/modifications, or requires reliance on direct personal attendant care and assistance for an indefinite lifelong period can warrant designation as a catastrophic injury. A Detroit catastrophic injury lawyer can tell you if your injuries qualify as catastrophic.
Types of Accidents Our Catastrophic Injury Lawyers in Detroit Handle
No matter what kind of accident you had, if it was caused by another party’s negligence and resulted in catastrophic injuries, we can help. Here are some of the types of personal injury claims our lawyers represent in Detroit:
- Car accidents
- Truck accidents
- Motorcycle accidents
- Train accidents
- ATV accidents
- Boat accidents
- Burn injuries
- Child injuries
- Nursing home abuse
- Brain injuries
- Spine injuries
- Construction accidents
- Bicycle accidents
- Pedestrian accidents
- Slip and fall accidents
- Bus accidents
- Industrial accidents
Any of these types of accidents can result in serious, debilitating injuries that can change the life of the victim and their family members. When your future is on the line, you can count on the team at Christensen Law to protect you.
How Much a Detroit Catastrophic Injury Claim Is Worth
Debilitating injuries that dramatically disrupt your mobility and independence carry a hefty price tag. Living with catastrophic injuries takes tremendous resources just to perform daily tasks. When every aspect of your life requires assistance, you may need substantial compensation.
You may be worried about how much compensation you will get in your claim and whether or not it will be enough to make ends meet both now and in the future. Once our Detroit catastrophic injury attorneys have had a chance to examine your evidence, we can estimate your claim’s value.
We will go to bat for you with the insurance companies to fight for fair compensation. Don’t settle for less than you deserve by taking the first offer. Let your attorneys do the talking when it’s time to negotiate with insurance. Call us at 248-900-9000 to learn more about the value of your claim.
When to Call a Detroit Catastrophic Injury Lawyer
Here are some of the key signs it’s time to call a serious injuries lawyer in Detroit after sustaining a catastrophic injury:
- You have permanent impairments. If doctors indicate your traumatic injuries cause lifelong disabilities impacting mobility, neurological function, sight, hearing, or mental capacity, don’t hesitate to secure legal guidance.
- The insurance company denies coverage. Insurers hesitating to cover rehabilitation costs, home/vehicle modifications, and long-term care needs warrants engaging counsel to demand fair compensation.
- Your employer terminates your job. Losing work while recovering for months generates financial fears. Lawyers can demand payment for lost earning capacity and income.
When the ripple effects from the initial trauma of your accident continue to deteriorate the stability in your life – from your income to your health to your independence and family – it becomes critical to have a legal advocate on your side.
How Long You Have to File a Claim After a Catastrophic Injury in Detroit
As per Mich. Comp. Laws Ann. § 600.5805, the statute of limitations for filing a personal injury lawsuit is generally three years from the date of the incident. You must file a claim by this important deadline to protect your right to compensation.
Allowing the three-year statute of limitations to expire can bar you from recovering any compensation. Connecting with a Detroit catastrophic injury attorney well before the three-year mark is vital so we can examine issues, preserve evidence, and quantify your harms.
Damages You Can Recover in a Detroit Catastrophic Injury Claim
Here are some of the common categories of damages you may be able to recover with a Detroit catastrophic personal injury compensation claim:
- Medical expenses – This includes all past and reasonably anticipated future costs for hospitalizations, surgeries, medications, assistive devices, at-home nursing care, physical rehabilitation, and other medical services and needs.
- Lost income – This form of compensation seeks damages for the past and future inability of the injured victim to continue earning their established wages had the incident not occurred. This factors in lifelong reduced earning capacity.
- Pain and suffering and mental anguish – We can help you pursue compensation for profound physical anguish, emotional distress, mental health trauma, loss of enjoyment of life activities, and overall hardship the injuries inflict regarding functionality and life participation.
- Disability costs – Expenses involved in disability accommodations like home/vehicle modifications, accessibility construction, special transportation services, vocational retraining for alternate careers if possible, and more.
- Home care expenses – If the injuries require in-home caregivers for activities of daily living due to loss of independence, the costs associated with attendant care, housekeeping assistance, meal prep, case management, etc.
- Loss of consortium – The detriment to family relationships, intimacy, companionship, child-rearing involvement, and stability the injuries impose.
Securing fair compensation for catastrophic injuries and losses is quite complex, but our attorneys can see that we pursue all possible damages.
How Christensen Law Helps Victims of Catastrophic Injuries in Detroit
A dedicated personal injury attorney from Christensen Law can play an invaluable role in helping victims of catastrophic harm. Our focus is on helping the victims of all types of accidents that cause catastrophic injuries, whether you were in a car wreck, a motorcycle crash, or you were the victim of a serious animal attack.
Our catastrophic injury law firm has received numerous accolades for our service to our clients. These include:
- A First-Tier ranking in Detroit in Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs by U.S. News – Best Lawyers® for the 2023 Edition of “Best Law Firms.”
- Recognition as a Martindale Hubbell AV Preeminent Law Firm and a member of ABOTA (the American Board of Trial Advocates).
Our team of experienced trial attorneys have secured record-setting results for accident victims throughout Michigan. Read our client testimonials and case results to learn more about what we can do for you.
Talk to a Catastrophic Injury Lawyer in Detroit for Free
After an accident leaves you with catastrophic injuries, it is easy to feel hopeless. With our attorneys, you will have an ally in your fight for justice. Christensen Law helps catastrophic injury victims regain control through transparent legal guidance, compassionate counseling, and tireless claim representation.
Our legal team stands ready to thoroughly investigate incident causes, quantify the full extent of your losses, and craft compelling arguments upholding victim rights to fair damages reflecting true lifestyle costs incurred.
We have successfully secured settlements for clients facing lifetime hardship and medical expenses by building ironclad negligence cases no insurer can ignore. Call our team 24/7 to get started.
