Irvine Catastrophic Injury Lawyer

It’s possible for personal injuries to occur in various ways, including:

• Motor vehicle accidents. These commonly happen because of distracted driving, intoxicated driving, speeding, and moving violations. It is possible for a car, truck, or motorcycle accident to result in various types of catastrophic injuries. Our firm can help you navigate the auto insurance claim filing process before building a personal injury suit against an at-fault driver in Irvine.
• Workplace accidents. Many workplaces are dangerous, and California law requires most employers to have workers’ compensation insurance to provide financial relief to workers on the job. However, workers’ compensation insurance may only provide limited compensation for some serious injuries. If a specific party is directly responsible for causing your injury, you can seek accountability for the remaining damages.
• Violent crime. Unfortunately, California has a very high violent crime rate compared to most other states. If you were seriously injured through any intentional illegal misconduct, the at-fault party faces criminal prosecution along with their liability for your civil damages.

No matter how your catastrophic injury occurred, the first step in recovering from the injury is proving fault. You must identify the party who caused the injury and prove exactly how they caused it. This may require various forms of evidence depending on how and where the injury occurred, and your Irvine catastrophic injury lawyer will be a crucial asset for accomplishing this vital first step of your case.

The main objective of any personal injury claim in Irvine, CA, is for the plaintiff to secure compensation from the defendant that makes them as whole as possible again after their injury. Once you have identified the party or parties responsible for causing your catastrophic injury, you must then determine the full extent of damages their negligence or intentional misconduct caused. You may be entitled to claim more compensation than you initially expected.

Your Irvine catastrophic injury lawyer can help assess the full range of economic damages you can seek from the defendant. These include the direct financial losses you suffered because of the incident, such as:

• Medical treatment costs. Catastrophic injuries inherently incur significant medical bills, both immediately after an injury occurs and in the future. The defendant who injured you is liable for all the medical care you need to recover as fully as possible. This includes ongoing and future medical costs following your initial recovery, such as rehabilitation, necessary medical devices, medications, and even the cost of required in-home care.
• Lost wages. When you are unable to work due to a personal injury, the defendant is liable for the income you cannot earn during your recovery time. Because many people who suffer catastrophic injuries are permanently disabled and cannot return to their previous jobs, they are often able to claim compensation for lost future income as well. Your attorney can help accurately calculate future wages you are no longer able to earn.
• Property damage. If the defendant’s actions also resulted in any property losses, you can hold them accountable for the cost of repairing or replacing any damaged or destroyed property.

You may be surprised to discover that the full range of economic damages you can seek from the defendant is much more than you initially anticipated once you have an attorney on your side. The average person is typically capable of identifying immediately recognizable economic losses, but accurate assessment of their long-term damages is more challenging. Additionally, they will also have the right to claim pain and suffering compensation.

California’s personal injury laws enable a plaintiff to seek compensation for the non-economic damages a defendant caused, namely their physical pain and psychological distress resulting from the incident. A catastrophic injury is inherently disabling, but it can also be severely psychologically traumatic as well. An experienced Irvine catastrophic injury attorney will know how to calculate appropriate pain and suffering compensation to include in your claim.

For most personal injury plaintiffs who have suffered severe catastrophic injuries, their pain and suffering compensation amounts to more than the total of their claimable economic damages. The attorneys at Easton & Easton excel at resolving complex personal injury cases, and when our client has suffered life-changing injuries, we do everything we can to help them maximize their total compensation as much as possible.

Most personal injury cases filed end at the settlement negotiation table. The private settlement process allows all parties involved in a case to reach more agreeable terms in a shorter time than litigation allows, as long as they are willing to compromise. However, litigation is sometimes unavoidable. Whatever your case requires, you can trust Easton & Easton to provide compassionate and meticulous representation through all stages of your proceedings.

Q: When Does a Personal Injury Qualify as Catastrophic?

A: Generally, the term “catastrophic injury” applies to any personal injury that results in permanent disability and/or disfigurement. For example, a bone fracture typically does not qualify as a catastrophic injury, but a severe bone fracture that results in permanent nerve damage and chronic pain would likely meet the definition of a catastrophic injury. Traumatic brain injuries, severe burns, and spinal injuries often qualify as catastrophic.

Q: How Much Compensation Can I Claim for a Catastrophic Injury in Irvine?

A: The total potential value of any personal injury case in the state depends on the scope and severity of the damages the victim suffered. You have the right to claim full repayment of any economic losses associated with your catastrophic injury, such as immediate and future medical expenses, lost wages, and lost future earning potential if you have been permanently disabled. You also have the right to claim pain and suffering compensation from the defendant.

Q: How Do You Calculate Pain and Suffering Compensation for a Catastrophic Injury?

A: Attorneys generally use the multiplier method for calculating pain and suffering compensation for a client with a catastrophic injury. This entails adding the total of their economic damages and then multiplying this amount by a factor that reflects the severity of their condition. For most plaintiffs in catastrophic injury claims, pain and suffering compensation accounts for most of their case awards, and there is no limit to this aspect of recovery in most personal injury claims.

Q: What Are the Penalties for Causing a Catastrophic Injury?

A: The defendant who caused your catastrophic injury through negligence will be liable for all damages associated with the injury. Your Irvine catastrophic injury lawyer can help calculate these damages. Additionally, you can seek as much pain and suffering as you deem appropriate. If they caused the injury through any type of illegal misconduct, they would also face criminal prosecution, likely with harsher penalties to reflect the severity of the harm done to you.

Q: What Does It Cost to Hire an Irvine Catastrophic Injury Lawyer?

A: Easton & Easton operates on a contingency fee basis for most personal injury cases we accept. With a contingency fee agreement, the client only pays a fee to their attorney if the attorney wins their case, and the fee is a percentage of the total recovered from the defendant. There is no fee at all if the attorney cannot obtain compensation for the client, so there is no financial risk to the plaintiff in securing legal counsel with this billing arrangement.

The team at Easton & Easton has extensive experience helping clients in Irvine and surrounding communities of California with all types of personal injury cases, including catastrophic injury claims. Our goal is to help you recover as much compensation as is legally possible from the defendant who injured you. Contact us today and schedule a consultation with an Irvine catastrophic injury attorney to learn how we can assist with your recovery efforts.