If you suffer any type of personal injury due to someone else’s negligence, it can have serious consequences like medical bills and missed work. However, catastrophic injuries tend to have devastating, long-lasting repercussions.
A catastrophic injury, like a spinal cord or traumatic brain injury, can require long-term medical care, prevent you from engaging in meaningful life activities and lead to permanent disability. When such serious injuries result from someone else’s carelessness, you have the right to hold that person accountable for the financial and emotional cost of your damages.
If you’ve suffered a catastrophic injury in Illinois, the personal injury attorneys at Nessler & Associates can help you file a claim against the responsible party so you receive a fair settlement.
What is a Catastrophic Injury?
A catastrophic injury describes a severe injury that leaves a victim with long-term or permanent disabilities. This may include brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, permanent disfigurement, or loss of a limb. These injuries can require long-term medical care, prevent the victim from living independently, and keep them from engaging in activities they love.
If you suffer a catastrophic injury, it can be expensive to treat and reduce your quality of life. Even after receiving treatment, you may require months or years of rehabilitation and therapy, which prevents you from working at your normal capacity. The cost of treatment can quickly add up, leaving you struggling to pay off medical debt and live a normal life.
Personal injury law attorneys from Nessler & Associates can assist you with filing a personal injury lawsuit to recover compensation after a catastrophic injury. We use our knowledge of medical issues, treatments, and the cost of treatments for catastrophic injuries to seek the financial compensation that helps our clients begin their recovery journey.
What Damages Can I Recover for a Catastrophic Injury?
If you or a loved one have sustained a catastrophic injury, you may be entitled to compensation for your physical and mental injuries. Schedule a consultation with Nessler & Associates to discover what compensation you may be eligible to receive. Many victims can recover compensation for the following damages.
Medical Expenses
Victims of catastrophic injuries often need months or years of medical treatment for their injuries. Some survivors may require lifelong rehabilitation services, need a caretaker’s assistance for daily life tasks, or must adapt their home to their disability.
This can lead to costly medical bills: a 2019 study on severe traumatic brain injuries found that hospital treatment alone could cost over $400,000.
Nessler & Associates has assisted many injury victims in recovering the costs of their medical expenses. We will determine the total cost of treating your injuries and collect evidence that the other party is responsible for these expenses.
Lost Wages
A serious injury prevents someone from returning to work or engaging in meaningful employment, severely limiting their income. Victims of catastrophic injuries may struggle to pay everyday costs like grocery bills and rent due to their lack of income.
Nessler & Associates can help injury victims calculate their lost wages and recover compensation from the at-fault party. We will use past pay stubs and your W-2 form to estimate the income you lost while unable to work. If you are self-employed, we can use 1099s and business bank statements to provide evidence of your business revenue.
Pain and Suffering
Someone who has suffered a catastrophic injury may choose to pursue compensation for the physical and mental pain they have experienced due to the injury. For example, your injuries may have prevented you from maintaining social connections or engaging in your hobbies, leading you to develop depression or anxiety.
You may be able to file a claim for pain and suffering due to the mental pain that your injury has caused you. Pain and suffering is a non-economic damage, meaning it does not have an explicit monetary value. This can make it harder to make a successful claim on your own.
A Chicago personal injury lawyer at Nessler & Associates will assist you in constructing a solid argument for these damages by helping you describe the severity of the pain you experienced. They can prove pain and suffering through journaling, expert witness testimony, testimonies from friends and family, and professional evaluations by therapists and doctors.
Loss of Consortium
A long-term partner or spouse who suffers a catastrophic injury may be unable to provide the same level of companionship that they did before the accident. For example, they may be unable to help with household duties or provide sexual and romantic intimacy.
Nessler & Associates can help you collect damages for loss of consortium or the loss of the companionship that your spouse or partner was once able to provide. We can help you testify how the injury has damaged your relationship and the pain it has caused you and your partner.
Wrongful Death
If a loved one passes away, you may be able to file a wrongful death claim against the responsible party. This claim allows you to recover compensation for burial and memorial services, your loved one’s unearned wages, and non-economic damages like loss of consortium or pain and suffering.
The personal injury attorneys at Nessler & Associates can determine what damages you can recover in a wrongful death claim. We will calculate your financial losses and help you testify about the emotional pain the death has caused.
Filing a Claim for a Catastrophic Injury
To file a catastrophic or personal injury claim in Illinois, you must prove that your injury resulted from the other party’s negligence. However, how you prove negligence varies depending on the cause of your injury.
For instance, if you sustained catastrophic injuries in a car accident, your attorney must prove that the other driver was driving carelessly. If dangerous conditions on someone’s property injured you, your attorney must prove that the property owner failed to fix or warn you of the hazardous conditions.
Seeking an attorney who has handled cases similar to yours will give you a better chance of recovering compensation. The attorneys at Nessler & Associates have successfully provided legal representation for victims of catastrophic injuries. We have recovered significant financial compensation in personal injury cases, including a $15 million settlement for a lifelong traumatic brain injury victim.
How Long Do I Have to File a Catastrophic Injury Claim in Illinois?
Illinois has a two-year statute of limitations for all personal injury claims, including catastrophic injuries. The two-year time limit begins on the date of your injury, so you must file within two years to receive a settlement.
Victims of catastrophic injuries deserve to be able to focus on recovering from their injuries without the stress of legal deadlines. Nessler & Associates will help you file your claim within the two-year statute of limitations so that you can concentrate on your medical care and rehabilitation.
Consult with Nessler & Associates About Your Catastrophic Injury Case
Our attorneys at Nessler & Associates understand the challenges of catastrophic injury victims and are committed to providing you with high-quality, experienced legal representation.
Our law firm has been helping victims of catastrophic injuries and their families for more than four decades. We will assist you in filing your claim, building a strong case against the negligent party, and recovering the compensation you deserve.
We work on a contingency fee arrangement so you can get the skilled legal representation you deserve without worrying about legal bills. Our no fee unless your case is settled or won promise means you don’t pay us any fees until we settle or win your claim.
Call us at (800) 727-8010 or fill out our online form to schedule a confidential, free consultation.