Catastrophic Injury Lawyers

Suffering a catastrophic injury is a life-changing event. Many people will go through their entire lives breaking a few bones, becoming ill at times and taking a few trips to the emergency room. However, most of these people will recover from their experiences and go back to living the life they had before, relatively unaffected. A catastrophic injury is the kind of injury that prevents you from returning to the life you had before. It is one where you have lost a limb, become paralyzed or lost the use of one of your major senses. These injuries affect you for the rest of your life and in debilitating and adverse way. Such injuries often require continuous care and perpetual medical treatment.

If you have suffered one of these injuries you will need an attorney equipped to get you the maximum compensation possible. Although money cannot begin to replace the void that is left in your life, it may be able to ease your suffering and help you get the care that you need. The attorneys at Kraemer, Manes and Associates have the experience, knowledge and dedication to get you the highest level of compensation available for your catastrophic injury. Please call or email us for a free consultation.

What is a catastrophic injury?

Catastrophic Injury Lawyers

Any injury that significantly or permanently alters your way of life is catastrophic. This may mean that it leaves you with a permanent disability or in need of continuous medical treatment for the rest of your life. Below are some examples of catastrophic injuries:

• Organ damage. Organ damage such as a collapsed lung, ruptured spleen, or aortic rupture. Each of these injuries can cause death or require continuous medical treatment.
• Traumatic brain injuries. This occurs when there is a severe impact to the head of a person resulting in a fractured skull and sometimes brain damage. These injuries can affect cognitive reasoning, speech processing and a person’s ability to think and function.
• Severe burns. Burns that cause permanent disfigurement and scarring are considered catastrophic. These burns can be caused in a variety of ways, but often they are the result of chemical exposure or electrical fires.
• Paralysis. This is characterized by a loss of muscle movement often accompanied by a loss of feeling in the affected body parts. Paralysis is generally caused by severe damage to the nervous system and can take the form of paraplegia, quadriplegia or tetraplegia.
• Dismemberment. As a result of a catastrophic injury sometimes a person will be required to have a leg, arm or other limb amputated and removed.
• Multiple bone fractures. If several bones are fractured at once due to a high impact this is categorized as catastrophic.
• Loss of vision. If an accident results in permanent blindness in one or both eyes it is considered catastrophic.

What causes catastrophic injuries?

Catastrophic injuries can be caused in many different ways. Oftentimes they involve large equipment and machinery accidents, but they can also be caused by violent run-ins with other people or an auto accident. Here are some common causes of catastrophic injuries:

• Car crashes. Some car crashes are minor, like little fenders bender or bumps in the parking lot. But when a car rolls over, is T-boned or collides with another vehicle head-on, the likelihood of catastrophic injury rises significantly.
• Slip and fall. A slip and fall on some ice or a broken sidewalk can result in devastating damage. Especially when a person hits his or her head or fractures bones upon impact.
• Ladders. This may not happen often, but when a ladder mishap occurs the height of the ladder makes for a powerful impact and can easily lead to a catastrophic injury.
• Car fires. As the result of an auto accident a car may catch on fire. Such fires may be the source of several different types of catastrophic injuries including severe burns and smoke inhalation.
• Assault. The news is filled with stories of bar fights turning deadly or leaving those involved permanently disabled. One punch can be enough to create a head impact that severely injures a person.
• Sporting Activity. Many sports that we revel in as spectators are also very violent and include frequent impacts to the head or body. Impacts in football, hockey or any sport can lead to devastating injuries.
• Medical Malpractice. A doctor’s mistake during minor or major surgery can lead to the loss of limbs or the contraction of debilitating diseases.
• Electrical or chemical fires. If a person works in a manufacturing plant or around dangerous chemicals, accidents can occur that lead to chemical and electrical burning of the skin.

The list above does not cover all the ways that a catastrophic injury can occur. There are endless ways in which a person can be injured, so if you have suffered an injury that is severe or permanent you should contact Kraemer, Manes and Associates for a free consultation.

Analyzing your catastrophic injury case

Catastrophic Injury Lawyers

Just as there are a wide variety of causes and types of catastrophic injuries there are many ways for an attorney to approach a catastrophic injury case. An attorney may decide to bring your case under one, or several, of the following legal theories:

• Negligence
• Products Liability
• Assault and Battery
• Medical Malpractice

The specific facts of your case will determine which theory is best. Your case may include some of the theories presented above or even ones that are not mentioned in the list. You will want a knowledgeable and experienced attorney to make the decision about which theory or theories to use. Your attorney will also need to know how to choose the correct expert witnesses and how to properly prepare them for trial. Proving liability and damages in a catastrophic injury case can be time-consuming and complex, and Kraemer, Manes and Associates has the legal professionals ready to meet that challenge.

The great cost of catastrophic injuries

A catastrophic injury is not your typical broken bone or torn ligament. Catastrophic injuries completely and permanently change your life. Whether you suffer permanent blindness, partial paralysis, or loss of brain functions, your life may never be the same. Because of the staggering effect these injuries have on a person the costs of health and care and accommodations can be enormous. After the initial injury a person will often require emergency room care, surgery and extended hospitalization. Then, the injured person may require months, years, or even decades of physical therapy and rehabilitative care. Not to mention nursing care, prescription drugs and any of the equipment that may accompany a disability, such as a wheelchair, stair lift or ramp that may need to be installed in the home. Catastrophic injuries are extremely expensive. You will need a team of attorneys ready to fight to get you the maximum compensation you deserve.

Maximum compensation

Catastrophic Injury Lawyers

Many attorneys will do a limited amount of work and then accept a settlement because they do not want to go to trial or spend months, or even years, working on a single case. They are looking for the fast and easy money. They will take your case, take your money and leave you without enough to last you the rest of your life. If you have suffered a catastrophic injury you cannot afford to get an attorney who is looking for the fast and easy money. Due to the great costs of these injuries, you will need an attorney who will do everything necessary to get you the maximum compensation available. When you have suffered a life changing injury, you can settle for nothing less. At Kraemer, Manes and Associates we will fight for as long as it takes to get you the best possible settlement we can achieve. We want to get you a fair settlement that will provide you with the means to make your life as comfortable as possible going forward.

Why Kraemer, Manes and Associates is the right choice

Catastrophic injury cases have much greater and lasting consequences than many other types of lawsuits. These injuries change an individual’s life, therefore he or she will need to seek compensation that is equal to the damage done. Anyone who has been hurt by such an injury deserves better, but we cannot change the past. What we can do is seek justice and fair money to care for the injury. At Kraemer, Manes and Associates we understand what is at risk in these cases. We have the knowledge, experience and, most of all, the dedication, to get you the best result possible. You or a loved one who has been injured may have just been involved in the fight of your life. Now, allow us to fight for justice and fair compensation. Please call us anytime to evaluate your case and grant you a free consultation.

Kraemer, Manes & Associates LLC “KM&A” is a law firm serving all of Pennsylvania with our principal offices in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. Call KM&A in western Pennsylvania at 412-626-5626 or in eastern Pennsylvania at 215-618-9185. KM&A can be reached by email at lawyer@lawkm.com.