A catastrophic injury lawyer specializes in representing clients who have suffered severe injuries that have long-term or permanent consequences, such as traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, amputations, or severe burns. These injuries typically require extensive medical treatment and may result in significant financial and emotional burdens for the victim and their family.

Catastrophic injury attorneys can help clients pursue compensation for medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other damages caused by those injuries. They handle complex legal processes, negotiate with insurance companies, and often take cases to court to secure fair settlements or verdicts for their clients.

If you or a loved one have suffered a catastrophic injury and need legal representation, Novian & Novian is here to help. We understand the challenges you face and are committed to fighting for the compensation you deserve. Our experienced Los Angeles catastrophic injury lawyers can help you make your case and collect the maximum possible financial compensation. Contact us today for a consultation to discuss your case and explore your options.

Why Should You Choose Novian & Novian’s Catastrophic Injury Attorneys?

Novian & Novian has successfully represented clients in catastrophic injury cases for over 20 years. We have handled complex national lawsuits and have achieved favorable results for injured Plaintiff’s in a variety of contexts. Our experienced attorneys offer personalized attention, ensuring that each client receives the care and dedication their case deserves. We understand the profound impact a catastrophic injury can have on your life, and we are committed to securing the maximum compensation for medical bills, lost wages, long-term care, and emotional suffering. With our deep legal expertise and compassionate approach, Novian & Novian will stand by you every step of the way, fighting tirelessly to achieve the justice you deserve.

What Classifies as a Catastrophic Injury?

A catastrophic injury is a severe life-changing injury that significantly impacts the victim’s life, often resulting in long-term or permanent disability. These injuries usually lead to extensive medical bills, lost wages, and a need for lifelong medical care. Catastrophic injuries can occur due to various causes, such as motor vehicle accidents, construction accidents, workplace accidents, or medical malpractice. These injuries are also more likely to impact the entire family compared to less severe injuries.

Victims of catastrophic injuries often face physical pain, emotional distress, and financial burdens, such as mounting medical bills and loss of income. These injuries can drastically alter a victim’s life, requiring emergency treatment, physical therapy, and possibly even lifelong medical care. The legal process for pursuing a catastrophic injury claim can be complex, necessitating the assistance of an experienced catastrophic injury attorney or catastrophic injury law firm.

These legal professionals work to ensure that victims receive fair compensation for their injuries, including coverage for medical expenses, lost wages, and future medical expenses. A catastrophic injury lawyer can help navigate the legal system, provide a free consultation, and work on a contingency fee basis to seek maximum compensation and a fair settlement for the victim.

When pursuing a personal injury lawsuit related to catastrophic injuries, the legal team will conduct a thorough investigation to determine the at-fault party and prove that the other’s negligence caused the injuries. Victims and their family members may also seek compensation for emotional trauma, mental anguish, and the overall impact on their normal lives.

Examples of Catastrophic Injuries

Catastrophic injuries often describe permanent injuries, such as a spinal cord injury that causes permanent paralysis below the point of the injury (e.g., quadriplegia or paraplegia). Any injury with a poor prognosis for full recovery could constitute a catastrophic injury under California’s civil laws. If the injury takes the victim out of work, it may also be catastrophic in the eyes of the law.

Common catastrophic injuries in injury claims in Los Angeles include:

• Traumatic brain injuries
• Severe head or skull injuries
• Broken bones
• Spinal cord injuries
• Third-degree burns
• Significant scarring or disfigurement
• Temporary or permanent disabilities
• Losses of significant bodily functions
• Vision or hearing damage
• Losses of limb
• Any injury that requires intensive or long-term medical care

The definition of a catastrophic injury in a civil claim can be relative. The same injury that could be catastrophic to one victim may be only moderately harmful to another, depending on the victim’s age, health, pre-existing conditions, and many other factors. Whether or not an injury is catastrophic depends on how much it impacts the victim’s life. If you are not sure whether you or your loved one’s injury qualifies as catastrophic in California, talk to an attorney. A Los Angeles catastrophic injury lawyer will know how to recognize catastrophic injuries and understand the state’s related laws.

What Can Cause a Catastrophic Injury?

Many different accidents in Los Angeles can cause catastrophic and permanent injuries. Any incident that involves blunt force trauma to a victim could cause fractured bones and internal damage. These are serious injuries that could permanently affect a victim. At Novian & Novian, our catastrophic injury lawyer’s represent victims during many different types of accident cases, including accidents that frequently cause catastrophic injuries.

• Car accidents

• Truck accidents

• Motorcycle accidents

• Pedestrian and bicycle accidents

• Falls

• Dog attacks

• Diving accidents

• Sports accidents

• Construction accidents

• Defective products

• Medical malpractice

• Acts of violence

You may have grounds to file a claim for a catastrophic injury in California if someone else’s negligence caused the accident that injured you. The legal doctrine of negligence describes a breach of the duty of care owed. If you or your attorney can prove, using evidence, that someone else lawfully owed you a duty of care but did not meet the standards of this duty, you can recover compensation for your injuries and losses. For example, if a drunk driver gave you a permanent spinal cord injury, that driver may owe you a financial recovery. The word for this compensation in the civil justice system is damages.

Damages for Catastrophic Injuries

The average catastrophic injury can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical care alone over a victim’s lifetime. This does not include the added costs of lost wages and property repairs. Securing a monetary award could give you the ability to pay for your catastrophic injury and look to the future with greater peace of mind. It could also provide justice by holding the at-fault party accountable. A catastrophic injury can make a victim eligible for greater compensation for his or her losses than a minor injury. The damages available for your catastrophic injuries will depend on the circumstances of the case and your losses.

• Past and future medical expenses: The total costs of a catastrophic injury could exceed $1 million over a victim’s lifetime. As a plaintiff, you could recover 100% of the medical and treatment costs related to your catastrophic injury.

• Lost wages and lost capacity to earn: You could recoup the costs of wages you have already lost from missing time at work, as well as foreseeable future lost earnings if a disability prevents you from returning to your job.

• Pain and suffering: Catastrophic injuries cause immense pain and suffering. This type of award could cover physical suffering, emotional distress, mental anguish, psychological trauma, inconvenience, humiliation, lost quality of life, diminished enjoyment of life, and loss of consortium.

• Property repairs: If the accident that caused you a catastrophic injury also damaged your property, such as damage to your vehicle in a car accident case, the defendant may owe you compensation for property repairs or replacement.

• Out-of-pocket costs: If your accident or the legal process led to out-of-pocket costs, such as travel expenses, legal fees, court filing costs, health care deductibles, or property repairs, you can list these expenses as part of your personal injury lawsuit.

• Punitive damages: A judge may grant a punitive damage award to punish a defendant for gross negligence, maliciousness, intent to harm, recklessness or wanton disregard for others’ safety. Punitive damages are more common in catastrophic injury cases than ordinary injury claims.

Damages in catastrophic injury cases in California are often substantial. It is important not to accept an insurance settlement offer before bringing it to a lawyer for review. Insurance companies often offer amounts that do not provide fair value for the victims, especially for serious or catastrophic injuries. Your lawyer can negotiate with an insurance company for a fair settlement for your past and future losses. At Novian & Novian, we always fight for maximum compensation on behalf of our clients.

How Do Catastrophic Injuries Differ From Other Types of Injuries?

The main difference between a catastrophic injury and another type of injury is the severity of the injury. Catastrophic injuries cause major disruptions to a victim’s life. In contrast, an ordinary injury will only impact the victim temporarily. A victim will make a full recovery from a noncatastrophic injury over the course of several weeks or months, while a catastrophic injury will impact a victim for the foreseeable future and possibly for the rest of his or her life.

While an ordinary injury could still result in significant medical costs and pain and suffering, these losses have an end date in sight. Catastrophic injuries, on the other hand, will affect a victim without any foreseeable end. The permanency of a catastrophic injury results in greater damages for the victim, such as lifelong medical care rather than a temporary treatment regimen. Thus, the settlement and verdict values for catastrophic injury cases typically exceed those of ordinary injury claims in California.

A catastrophic injury case may have to deal with California’s cap on noneconomic damages. California legislature has a noneconomic damage cap of $250,000 on medical malpractice cases. This damage cap means no victim can recover more than $250,000 in noneconomic damages for a medical malpractice claim. For other types of claims, however, no cap on noneconomic damages. Although any type of injury claim for medical malpractice may encounter this cap, it is more often an issue during catastrophic injury cases.