Wausau Catastrophic Injury Attorneys
Catastrophic injuries are, by definition, life-changing. They upend a person’s world in an instant and give rise to a lot of questions. How to pay the medical bills? And, especially, now that I can’t work?
After a Wausau catastrophic injury, it’s important to lean on your family and community support system for the help you need to adjust to your new life. But you also need a way to pay for everything. That’s where an experienced Wausau catastrophic injury attorney can help.
After a catastrophic injury, the last thing you should have to worry about is fighting with an insurance company just to pay for medical bills that you have to deal with because of an accident that was no fault of your own. At Nicolet Law Accident & Injury Lawyers, it’s our mission to relieve this burden and to help you recover the compensation our catastrophic injury clients need to move on with their lives the best they can.
If you or someone you love has suffered a catastrophic injury in Wausau, a member of our team may be able to help. Contact Nicolet Law Accident & Injury Attorneys at (715) 226-6288 or contact us online for a free initial case evaluation.
Injured in Wausau? Get Nicolet.
Nicolet Law Accident and Injury Lawyers-the legal professionals for you in your Wausau catastrophic injury case
At Nicolet Law Accident & Injury Lawyers, catastrophic injury cases are some of the most difficult cases we deal with. Our catastrophic injury clients are often in the most desperate circumstances they’ve ever been in their lives. This also drives us to fight for every dollar of compensation they need and deserve.
Our team of compassionate lawyers works with our catastrophic injury victims and their families to navigate through the challenges of bringing a claim for compensation and getting justice. After a Wausau catastrophic injury accident, your health recovery should always be the number one priority. But your financial well-being is a reality that you have to face at some point. And that’s where Nicolet Law Accident & Injury Lawyers can help.
When you experience a catastrophic injury, you need to know you have someone in your corner who will aggressively for your best interests and get you the maximum compensation you can get through your claim. Since 2007, we have defended our clients’ rights and recovered over $40 million in damages for them. Take a look at some of our past results and contact us to find out how we can help in your case.
How much is my Wausau catastrophic injury case worth?
A lawyer can often give an estimate of how much your Wausau catastrophic injury case is worth—but you should never trust any lawyer who gives you a guarantee of how much you can recover. There is no way to predict how much you can recover. Even after an attorney evaluates your case and determines damages you may be eligible to recover, other factors can augment the value of your case.
That said, certain expenses and impacts will determine the value of your Wausau catastrophic injury claim, including:
- Medical costs, including doctor visits, medications, lab tests, imaging, and medical devices. These may include expenses up to the time of settlement or a court award and those expenses you anticipate incurring in the future.
- Lost wages, including any current or future loss, commensurate with your actual wage.
- Pain and suffering, including physical pain, anxiety, depression, PTSD, or other emotional distress.
- Wrongful death, in the event your loved one dies as a result of their injuries.
- Punitive damages, if the court deems the defendant’s actions especially negligent.
Other factors that might affect the value of your catastrophic injury case include such things as the defendant’s level of responsibility for the accident and your employment status at the time of the accident. Determining the value of a case is a complex endeavor, and may constantly change throughout your claim.
Defining catastrophic injury
Injuries categorized as catastrophic tend to be those that prevent someone from performing basic functions, like work. These injuries can be accompanied by loss of one or more bodily functions, extreme pain, or disfigurement. Catastrophic injuries present unique challenges and victims tend to face a long road to recovery. Some more common catastrophic injuries include:
Brain injuries
The brain is arguably the most vital organ. It is the command center of the body. Thus, when the brain sustains serious damage, it can destroy or impair your body’s ability to perform the most basic functions. According to the CDC, traumatic brain injuries (TBI) caused more than 60,000 deaths in just one year in the United States.
Many more TBI victims suffer from debilitating, life-long injuries. TBI may result from a motor vehicle accident, fall, or sports-related injury. Non-traumatic brain injuries—which are injuries to the brain that are not caused by an external force—may occur from a lack of oxygen to the brain, chemical exposure, poisoning, or a near-drowning experience. Non-traumatic brain injuries can also have life-changing effects.
Challenges a victim of a brain injury may face include:
- Loss of speech
- Personality changes
- Sleep disturbances
- Memory loss
- Lack of coordination
Spinal cord injuries
A study conducted by the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation found that about 1 in 50 people in the United States suffer from paralysis. Spinal cord injuries are the second leading cause of paralysis. Paralysis may happen when the spinal cord sustains a serious injury, such as a hard blow or a penetrating wound.
Common causes include falls and motor vehicle accidents. These injuries can also occur due to a lack of oxygen or nerve damage, such as with a chemical exposure or assault. The level of paralysis depends on the location and degree of the injury. Some paralysis victims retain movement on one side of the body, while others may have a loss of movement from the neck down.
Victims of spinal cord injuries face immense financial challenges as well. The Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation reports just more than 15 percent of people who suffer from paralysis are employed and about 42 percent of paralysis patients say they are unable to work at all.
Disfigurement
Disfigurement injuries are those that result in a substantial and permanent change to a victim’s personal appearance. These types of injuries may include severe scarring, loss of limb, or crushed bones. Victims of disfigurement injuries clearly deal with physical changes and limitations, but also often have especially difficult emotional challenges, as these injuries can severely change one’s sense of identity.
Common causes of disfigurement include:
- Crush injuries
- Fire
- Chemical exposure
- Electrocution
- Falls
- Motor vehicle accidents
Your mental health is just as important as your physical health. If you are dealing with anxiety or depression after a disfigurement injury, you can recover compensation for treatment to deal with these impacts.
Loss of hearing or sight
Being able to see and hear is something many of us don’t think about and tend to take for granted. Losing one’s sense of hearing or vision in an accident is a shocking experience. A person who suffers a hearing or vision loss due to an accident has to relearn common tasks. They may require adaptive devices, training, and therapy.
Causes of vision or hearing loss may include:
- Assault
- Worksite accidents
- Chemical exposure
- Motor vehicle accidents
Frequently Asked Questions About Wausau Catastrophic Injuries
Most people don’t plan for how to deal with any kind of accident, let alone one resulting in catastrophic injuries. When they come along, victims are left with many questions. At Nicolet Law Accident & Injury Lawyers, our job is to help provide our Wausau catastrophic injury clients with the answers they are looking for. Read below for answers to some of the most common questions about catastrophic injury cases.
How do I pay my bills after a Wausau catastrophic injury?
After a catastrophic injury, the last thing you should have to worry about is whether you can afford to pay for the healthcare you need. But medical bills are a reality. Because of this, Wausau catastrophic injury victims may avoid getting the care they need because they are worried they cannot afford it. This should never happen. If you suffer a catastrophic injury because of someone else’s negligence, you may be entitled to compensation to pay for your medical bills. But what do you do while waiting for your compensation recovery?
You should always look to your own insurance to cover any immediate medical bills. If your medical bills go beyond what your own insurance will pay for, as they often do, you should contact an attorney for assistance. A lawyer can contact your care providers and work out a payment arrangement, such as a promise to pay. A promise to pay means the healthcare provider agrees to wait to demand payment until the resolution of your personal injury case. This gives you time to bring your compensation claim to cover your medical and other bills, by working out a settlement with the responsible parties or taking them to court to recover an award of damages.
Will my health insurance pay for all my bills?
In general, there aren’t really many restrictions on what medical services the insurance company will cover. As long as your costs are necessary and appropriate, the insurance company will typically agree to the care. In many cases, they will even cover alternative treatments such as massage and chiropractic care.
But the insurance company will pay out a limited amount. An insurance company will not pay out more than what the policy dictates. That said, secondary insurance or other sources of compensation may come into play.
This includes:
- Your auto insurance
- The defendant’s wealth and assets
- Worker’s compensation (if you were on the job)
- The defendant’s employer’s insurance (if they were on the job)
What if I can’t return to work after my Wausau catastrophic injury?
Catastrophic injuries tend to result in permanent limitations, including preventing a victim from returning to work. This only makes it more difficult to deal with the flood of medical bills and other expenses after a catastrophic injury. But you can seek the loss of income you experience as a part of your claim. If you are unable to work, your attorney will calculate lost wages into your compensation demand.
These wages start to accrue from the time of the accident, and extend for as long as you can't work. Your attorney will look at many aspects of your employment to calculate a fair amount to compensate for your loss of ability to work, including your most recent wage rate, your age, and your expected age of retirement to calculate a fair settlement.
If you can't return to your previous job, but can work in a job earning less, you can recover lost wages to account for the difference in income.
Will I have to go to court?
Not all cases end up in court. In fact, the vast majority do not. Whether you will need to go to court primarily depends on whether your attorney and the insurance company can come to a fair and reasonable settlement.
The good news is that most insurance companies do not want to go to court because it is more expensive for them. The longer your claim lasts, the more they rack up in attorneys’ fees. It can also be hard to predict how a jury will view the case, and they may end up paying significantly more for a jury verdict than if they had settled. That said, there are no guarantees. Ultimately, you have to decide whether you want to take a settlement or proceed to court.
How can an attorney help in my Wausau catastrophic injury case?
At Nicolet Law Accident & Injury Lawyers, we work on a contingency basis. That means we don’t collect any fees unless you win. Cost should never be a barrier to justice. Our job is to vindicate your rights and help you recover as much compensation as possible to address your catastrophic injuries.
When we take you on as a client, we can:
- Investigate the accident
- Collect and organize evidence
- Interview any witnesses
- Retain and prepare any expert witnesses
- Prepare and take depositions
- Negotiate for a settlement with the insurance company
- Represent you in court to obtain an award of damages
These are just a sample of the services we can provide in your catastrophic injuries, while you focus on your health recovery and getting your life back on track.
How long will my Wausau catastrophic injury case take?
Any catastrophic injury wants their claim to come to a quick resolution so that they can get the compensation they need to pay their bills as soon as possible. And quicker resolutions are better for defendants and their insurers too At Nicolet Law Accident & Injury Lawyers, our goal is to help resolve your case as quickly as possible, so you can begin to move on with your life.
At the same time, balance the speed of resolution with your needs and the actual costs of your injuries. The last thing we want is for you to accept a settlement that is woefully less than you need to pay for all your expenses and impacts, leaving you to find out how to pick up the rest of the costs on your own.
Generally, negotiations will begin early in a catastrophic injury case. At first, the insurance company may propose an offer. In almost all cases, the number is much too low. Typically, we will want to wait until your doctor can give a prognosis of the severity of your condition, to determine to what extent you may heal or incur further debilitation. Only with this information can we make a fair estimate of your future costs.
Nicolet Accident & Injury Lawyers-the law firm you can trust in your catastrophic injury case
At Nicolet Law Accident & Injury Lawyers, we know the devastating effects catastrophic injuries have on victims and their families. If your injuries are because of someone else’s negligence, you may be entitled to compensation. While money can’t undo the damage, it can help you take care of your expenses and allow you to focus on the future.
Contact Nicolet Law Accident & Injury Lawyers at (715) 226-6288 to speak to one of our experienced Wausau catastrophic injury lawyers, or visit us online to request a free case evaluation.
Wausau Office
408 3rd Street
Suite 303
Wausau, WI 54403
Phone: 715-226-6288