Salt Lake City Catastrophic Injury Lawyer
A catastrophic injury creates a “before and after” scenario. The life a person lived before the accident looks very different from the one experienced after it. Reaching maximum recovery is a relentless process and comes at a great cost.
But “maximum” recovery does not mean “full” recovery and catastrophic injury victims continue to experience physical, financial, and emotional costs permanently.
A Salt Lake City personal injury lawyer from Siegfried & Jensen can help mitigate those losses and help victims restore their financial stability and gain access to opportunities to improve their quality of life.
Our team has handled over 35,000 cases since 1990 and boasts a 97% success rate. Put your case in the experienced, knowledgeable hands of a Salt Lake City catastrophic injury lawyer from our firm to give yourself the best chance of securing substantial compensation and justice.
Types of Catastrophic Injuries
Motor-vehicle and pedestrian accidents, slips or falls, and just about any other type of accident can produce catastrophic injuries. There are many kinds of catastrophic injuries, but all types share a common factor. They change the lives of victims and their families.
Burns
Burns can result from fiery crashes, contact with faulty electrical equipment, or exposure to chemicals. Some motor-vehicle crashes cause an eruption of flames, and some work environments–construction sites for example–put workers in proximity to exposed and ungrounded wiring or require use of electrically-powered tools. Burns can reach beyond the first layers of skin, cause scarring, nerve damage, and limit mobility in affected areas permanently.
Victims can sustain chemical burns when their skin comes into contact with a hazardous material, or they inhale noxious chemical fumes damaging their respiratory systems and other body functioning.
Accidents with trucks carrying chemical products are a double danger. Chemical cargo can spark into flames and then release poisonous air.
Brain Injuries
Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) can diminish cognition, mobility, and physiological functioning as communication from the brain to the body’s parts and systems is compromised.
Victims may also experience personality changes and emotional dysregulation. TBIs can leave victims unable to work and earn, move through their daily lives without assistance, or be dependent on medical apparatus to perform life-sustaining functions such as breathing or eating.
Spinal Cord Injuries
Spinal cord injuries can rob victims of mobility, sensation, and independence. Consequences include full or partial paralysis, weakness, muscle spasms, chronic pain, loss of sexual function, and other devastating losses that then lead to depression and anxiety. Like TBI victims, those with spinal cord damage often cannot work or care for themselves independently.
Severe Bone Breaks and Amputations
When bone injuries are catastrophic, perhaps a bone is crushed or shattered, victims face potentially dangerous infections and permanent problems, including limited mobility and strength and severe pain.
In some cases, bone breaks or other traumatic damage to a body part necessitates amputation. Amputations obviously change a victim’s appearance and abilities and also lead to depression and feelings of social isolation, as explained in research from the National Library of Medicine.
The Comprehensive Effects of Catastrophic Injuries Demand Compensation
Catastrophic injuries wreak havoc in all areas of victims’ lives. Physically, they may be looking toward a future filled with pain and limitations. Emotionally, they grieve the future they had planned.
Family relationships and roles may undergo unwanted change as victims require extensive care and cannot contribute to the household as they once did. If the victim cannot work, the family loses essential income. And family members may find themselves exhausted from taking over responsibilities their injured loved one can no longer fulfill.
When another party’s negligence causes these tremendous losses, that party must be held accountable for paying the victims’ damages. A Salt Lake City catastrophic injury attorney from Siegfried & Jensen will fight to make that happen. If you or a loved one has sustained a catastrophic injury, you deserve all damages that can be recovered in a Utah personal injury claim.
Pursuing Compensation for Catastrophic Injuries
The sooner you partner with a catastrophic injury lawyer in Salt Lake City, the better. Once we take your case, our team will start an accident investigation to discover the cause of your accident and gather evidence to prove the at-fault party’s negligence. With immediate access to your case, we can find and speak to witnesses before their memories fade and collect other evidence before it is lost.
Unlike many insurance companies, your attorney will value your losses accurately and realistically. Some victims accept too-low offers from insurance companies, not realizing just how expensive a future without income and with significant medical care costs is. They also do not know how to value losses to their quality of life.
Your lawyer will calculate a fair settlement, send that settlement demand to the at-fault party’s representatives, and negotiate with those representatives until reaching a fair agreement. Our team comprises effective negotiators who will advocate fiercely on your behalf. However, if the other side is uncooperative and refuses to make a just offer, we will be prepared to take your case to court if a trial fight serves your interests best.
How Utah Laws Affect Your Case
Filing personal injury lawsuits has time limits–statutes of limitations. Filing your claim within that deadline preserves your right to fight for compensation at trial should negotiations fail.
It also shows the at-fault party you are willing to go to court to get the justice you deserve, sometimes prompting a reasonable settlement offer more quickly.
Your compensation can also be affected by Utah’s comparative negligence law. Under this system, only victims who are less than 50% responsible for causing the accident leading to their injuries can file for compensation. If you are within this range but still carry a percentage of fault, your compensation is reduced by your percentage of liability.
An experienced catastrophic injury attorney in Salt Lake City will work to present evidence showing the at-fault party’s culpability and dispute accusations of blame the at-fault party makes against you. Getting you maximum compensation is our goal, and our case results demonstrate our history of success:
- $10 million, car accident
- $5 million construction accident
- $4.4 million motorcycle accident
Get the Financial Justice You Deserve
Life-changing injuries demand life-changing financial justice. Siegfried & Jensen will work tirelessly–at no cost–to get you that justice. When you join forces with us, you do not pay us anything until we get you paid. A percentage of your award covers your legal fees.
Connect with us today. Our compassionate, capable team is ready to help change your life for the better.