La Crosse Catastrophic Injury Lawyers

La Crosse Catastrophic Injury Attorneys

A catastrophic injury prevents a person from doing any gainful work. This type of injury usually happens suddenly and, in most cases, causes long-term or permanent disabilities. Thousands of Wisconsin residents, including in La Crosse, struggle daily with the consequences of catastrophic injuries.

Catastrophic injuries also put a person’s family under a lot of stress, because the injured person will most likely need constant assistance and supervision; and in many cases, for the rest of his or her life. The injured person will also most likely have medical expenses related to the accident injuries for the rest of his or her life.

Those who try to settle catastrophic injury cases on their own usually leave money on the table. If you or a loved one suffered catastrophic injuries in an accident, contact a La Crosse catastrophic injury lawyer at Nicolet Law Accident & Injury Lawyers for a free case evaluation.

Causes and Types of Catastrophic Injuries

Any type of accident could cause catastrophic injuries, including:

• Car accidents.
• Truck accidents.
• Medical malpractice.
• Slip and fall accidents.
• Pedestrian accidents.
• Motorcycle accidents.
• Bicycle accidents.
• Dog bite accidents.
• Work accidents.
• Defective product accidents.

Catastrophic injuries could include:

• Traumatic brain injuries.
• Accidental amputation.
• Eye injuries.
• Multiple bone fractures.
• Back injuries.
• Neck and shoulder injuries.
• Internal injuries.
• Spinal cord injuries.
• Foot injuries.
• Neurological disorders like paraplegia, paralysis, and quadriplegia.
• Severe burns.

Choosing an Attorney Experienced in Catastrophic Injury Law

While you might realize that you need an experienced La Crosse attorney to help protect your rights if you suffered catastrophic injuries, you might not realize that not all lawyers have experience in catastrophic injury law. Since these injuries cause long-term and permanent disabilities, select an attorney who knows how to estimate what you will need for future medical expenses and other damages.

Additionally, if you suffered catastrophic injuries because of another person’s gross negligence or because of the intentional acts of another person, you could recover punitive damages in some states. The financial implications in a catastrophic injury case are huge, which is why you need a lawyer—like ours at Nicolet Law Accident & Injury Lawyers—with plenty of experience pursuing compensation for this type of injury.

Recovering Damages for Catastrophic Injuries in La Crosse

Because catastrophic injuries usually cause long-term or permanent disabilities, they may involve more damages than other cases. Depending on the severity of the disabilities, this could cost hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of dollars.

No one can determine how much compensation you’ll recover in a jury trial, but your attorney does ensure that your injuries and the subsequent disabilities are known to the jury. The attorney will fight for you to recover the compensation you deserve.

You can recover two types of compensatory damages and, in certain cases, punitive damages. The court orders compensatory damages in an attempt to make you whole again. While the money doesn’t get rid of your injuries and subsequent disabilities, nor will it bring a loved one back, it does reduce the financial stress you suffer when you can no longer work and provide for your family.

On the other hand, the court orders punitive damages as a punishment for the defendant’s actions or inactions. This money is not to make you whole again, but to hopefully teach the defendant a lesson and keep him or her (and potential offenders in the future) from injuring someone else.

La Crosse Catastrophic Injury Lawyer: Frequently Asked Questions

What happens if a loved one dies because of catastrophic injuries in La Crosse?

You can pursue a wrongful death lawsuit if a loved one dies from his or her catastrophic injuries. Contact a catastrophic injury attorney to discuss your next steps for filing a wrongful death lawsuit.

What are some of the long-term effects of catastrophic injuries?

The injuries cause long-term or permanent disabilities.

You might suffer from:

• The permanent loss of a limb.
• The permanent loss of a body function, such as your eyesight.
• You can’t gain meaningful employment.
• You might need lifelong care, assistance, or even accommodations.
• You might need prosthetic devices or might have to use assistive devices, such as wheelchairs and walkers, for the rest of your life.
• You might have to take medication for the rest of your life.
• You might have permanent disfigurement and/or scarring.

What medical treatments might I have to go through?

The medical treatments you might need, including surgeries and therapies, depend on the injuries you suffered. Some of the treatments could include skin grafts for extensive burns, rehabilitation and/or physical therapy if you lost the use of a body part, pain or other medication to treat the disability, additional surgeries, and emergency medical care if the injury and/or disability gets worse.

Is it better to sue or settle for a La Crosse catastrophic injury?

It depends on the insurance company. Most insurance companies will try to deny your claim or offer you a low amount because they lose money every time someone files a claim. However, if you can get an insurance company to settle for a fair and reasonable amount, it may be better to settle.

However, if the insurance company refuses a fair and reasonable settlement for the compensation you deserve, litigation is almost always worth the extra time and effort.

What injuries are normally considered catastrophic?

Any injury that leaves you with permanent disabilities is catastrophic.

Such injuries could include:

• Traumatic brain injuries, including concussions. In some cases, concussions could cause chronic traumatic encephalopathy or even Alzheimer’s disease. Other types of traumatic brain injuries include intracranial hematomas, skull fractures, contusions, diffuse axonal injuries, and penetrating injuries.
• Internal injuries, including damage to the kidneys, liver, spleen, heart, and lungs.
• Back and spinal cord injuries that lead to partial or full paralysis.
• Neck and shoulder injuries that lead to partial or full paralysis.
• Multiple fractures, whether simple or compound, especially if those fractures are not expected to heal properly.
• Excessive scarring, such as that from burns or road rash.
• Disfigurement, such as that from broken bones or back and spinal cord injuries.

What types of compensation can I recover?

You can recover two types of compensatory damages: Economic damages and non-economic damages. Economic damages have a monetary value while non-economic damages do not. In some cases, you might also recover punitive damages if the defendant’s actions or inactions were grossly negligent or intentional.

What are economic damages?

Sometimes referred to as special damages, economic damages include:

• Past medical expenses for those incurred because of the accident and before a settlement or a trial award.
• Future medical expenses for those incurred because of the accident and after a settlement or trial award.
• Past lost wages for the time you could not work from immediately after the accident through the time of settlement or a trial award.
• Future lost wages for the time you cannot gain meaningful employment because of injuries and disabilities caused by the accident. Future lost wages come into play after a settlement or a trial award.
• Replacement or repair of any personal property destroyed or damaged in the accident. This includes your vehicle and anything in it, such as a computer, school books, clothing, and other personal property. This also includes personal property on your person that suffered damage or destruction in a pedestrian accident, bicycle accident, or motorcycle accident.
• Funeral, burial, and/or cremation expenses if you lost a loved one from catastrophic injuries.

What are non-economic damages?

Sometimes referred to as general damages, non-economic damages include:

• Pain and suffering, including emotional distress, if you suffered catastrophic injuries in an accident.
• Emotional distress for those who lost a loved one because of catastrophic injuries.
• Loss of quality of life.
• Loss of companionship if you can no longer enjoy and/or take part in family activities and events, such as playing ball with your children or going on a camping trip.
• Loss of consortium if you can no longer have a physical relationship with your spouse.
• Loss of use of a body part, such as a foot or a hand.
• Loss of use of a bodily function, such as your eyesight or bladder control.
• Inconvenience if you have to hire someone to do your usual chores, such as grocery shopping, lawn maintenance, home repairs, and home maintenance.
• Amputation of a limb, whether the doctors couldn’t save a severed limb or because doctors had to amputate because of gangrene or another problem that is a direct cause of the accident injuries.
• Excessive scarring and/or disfigurements, such as burns, road rash, or even when doctors cannot properly set a broken bone because the fracture is so bad.
• Wrongful death from catastrophic injuries.

Are La Crosse catastrophic injury claims different from other injury claims?

Yes. In most other injury claims, you don’t have to figure for long-term or permanent disabilities. When you suffer a catastrophic injury, it usually leads to permanent disabilities that could require additional surgeries, follow-up appointments, therapies, life-long care, and special accommodations.

Your attorney also has to figure for future lost wages and other damages for the long-term instead of for the few weeks or months it might take you to recover from non-catastrophic injuries.

Who pays for therapies I need after suffering La Crosse catastrophic injuries?

The defendant covers any therapies that you might need after suffering injuries in a catastrophic accident as medical expenses. Depending on your injuries, you might require physical therapy or occupational therapy. Some might require cognitive therapy or other psychological therapies.

It is not uncommon for those suffering catastrophic injuries to also suffer from anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder. If your doctor recommends any of these therapies, don’t miss any appointments except in an emergency. The defense will quickly point out that you don’t really need those therapies if you miss appointments—and aren't that badly injured.

Who is liable for damages?

Depending on the type of accident, several people could share in the liability for the compensation you deserve. If you suffered injuries because of a defective product, the manufacturer, seller, and others could share in the responsibility.

If you suffered injuries because of a slip or trip and fall at a friend’s home or a retail establishment, landlords, owners, managers, homeowner’s insurance, and others could share in the liability.

Vehicular accidents are often as complicated. If one person hits you, the person driving and the owner of the vehicle might share responsibility. If a big rig causes an accident, the driver, trucking company, dispatcher, truck maintenance tech, and others could share in the responsibility for your injuries.

How much does a La Crosse catastrophic injury lawyer cost?

Your initial case evaluation is always free. We take cases on a contingency basis, which means that you don’t pay us unless we secure compensation for you. When you come in for your free case evaluation, you’ll receive a contingency contract that outlines our fees, which come only out of your settlement or trial award. You will not pay out of pocket for us to represent you.

Contact Nicolet Law Accident & Injury Lawyers in La Crosse

If you or a loved one suffered catastrophic injuries in a La Crosse, an attorney experienced in catastrophic injury law could help you recover the compensation you deserve. Medical expenses can mount up quickly, especially just after the accident. Some injuries and subsequent disabilities could require extensive medical care for the rest of your life, including having a professional caregiver visit your home several times per week.

Contact an experienced catastrophic injury lawyer at Nicolet Law Accident & Injury Lawyers in La Crosse by calling 608-527-0876 or by visiting our website for your free case evaluation.

La Crosse Office
205 5th Avenue S, Suite 209, 
La Crosse, WI 54601
Phone: 608-527-0876