Covington Catastrophic Injury Lawyer

Strategic Advocacy & Compassionate Counsel from 5-Star Catastrophic Injury Attorneys

Catastrophic injuries are devastating, changing lives forever. Physically, psychologically, and financially, these injuries can be shattering, leaving behind lifelong damage and pain.

When reckless or negligent acts cause these injuries, you can turn to Morris & Dewett Injury Lawyers for help recovering. For decades, our trusted Covington catastrophic injury lawyers have been dedicated to representing people just like you in an array of accident and injury cases.

Strategic and fiercely determined to win, we know how to provide persuasive representation when it matters most — and we are highly effective at securing the maximum available compensation in even the toughest catastrophic injury cases. Whether you need answers about your legal options or you are ready to file a catastrophic injury claim, we are here for you, ready to help 24/7.

Call 888-492-5532 or Email Us for a Free, Confidential Consultation.

We have recovered millions for catastrophic injury survivors and their families. We are ready to make your claim and recovery our next victory.

Click on a link below to jump directly to a section and learn more about catastrophic injury causes, lawyers, cases, and compensation.

• What Is a Catastrophic Injury?
• What Are the Leading Causes of Catastrophic Injury?
• Do I Have a Catastrophic Injury Claim?
• When Should I Contact a Covington Catastrophic Injury Lawyer?
• How Do Catastrophic Injury Cases Work?
• How Much Are Catastrophic Injury Settlements & Compensation?

What Is a Catastrophic Injury?

Catastrophic injury refers to an irreversible physical injury or illness that prevents you from earning a living. While many injuries can be debilitating and keep people out of work, catastrophic injuries are permanently disabling and deeply life-altering.

As such, catastrophic injuries often impact the abilities to live independently, take care of yourself, and/or enjoy the same quality of life (as prior to the injury-causing event). Here is a closer look at the most common types of catastrophic injuries.

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

Traumatic brain injury is a form of brain damage caused by an external force or object shaking, hitting, or penetrating the head. Every day in the U.S., about 620 people are hospitalized due to TBIs, and about 166 Americans die from TBI complications (source: CDC).

In mild forms, TBIs are known as concussions. Even these mild TBIs can cause lasting damage that gets worse with subsequent concussions. When TBIs are severe, they can be disabling on several levels, causing:

• Speaking difficulties, memory problems, and other cognitive disabilities
• Balancing and coordination problems, vision and hearing impairments, and other physical disabilities
• Anxiety, mood swings, aggression, and other psychological impacts

While TBIs can be difficult to diagnose in their early stages due to latent and generic symptoms, the most serious traumatic brain injuries can be deadly.

Spinal Cord Injury

Spinal cord injury (SCI) can occur when any type of trauma damages or severs the spinal cord. While incomplete SCIs will allow for some function and sensation below the point of injury, complete spinal cord injury will not.

About 17,900 new spinal cord injuries are diagnosed each year in the U.S., and 1 in 3 people with SCIs can expect multiple hospitalizations within any given year (source: NSCSC). In the most serious cases of severe SCI, the injured can end up with:

• Tetraplegia or quadriplegia, impacting the arms and legs and potentially the neck, shoulders, and head
• Triplegia, impacting one arm and the lower body
• Paraplegia, affecting the legs and lower body

Other Physical Injuries

Along with TBI and SCI, other types of catastrophic injuries can include (and are not limited to):

• Vision and hearing loss
• Loss of limbs
• Burn injuries
• Severe bone fractures

No matter what region of the body a catastrophic injury affects, it will leave victims with lifelong disabilities that can be crippling, disfiguring, and deeply painful, both physically and emotionally. Often, those with catastrophic injuries require expensive medical care, equipment, and therapies to help them adjust to their new limitations. Sometimes, they may even lose the ability to live independently.

What Are the Leading Causes of Catastrophic Injury?

Various accidents, events, and exposures can cause catastrophic injuries. Unfortunately, many of these injuries result from negligence. When that’s the case, here are some of the most common incidents that victimize people with catastrophic injuries.

Motor Vehicle Accidents

Traffic wrecks are a leading cause of TBIs, spinal cord injury, and many other catastrophic injuries. This can include car accidents and 18-wheeler crashes, as well as pedestrian, motorcycle, and bus wrecks. About 94% of the time, motor vehicle accidents are the result of avoidable human errors, like driver performance problems or impairment (source: NHTSA).

Generally, catastrophic injuries from auto accidents are most likely to occur in:

• High-speed collisions
• Head-on collisions
• Rollovers
• 18-wheeler accidents
• Pedestrian accidents
• Motorcycle accidents

Dangerous & Defective Products

Toxic, faulty, and unsafe products can cause catastrophic injuries in any number of ways. Some examples include:

• Dangerous products or equipment exploding or catching fire: Over the past decade, pressure cookers, electric blankets, and hoverboards are just a few items that have made headlines for exploding or catching fire.
• Dangerous exposures through consumer products: Manufacturers may fail to properly contain, test for, or warn about the toxic substances in their products. Asbestos in baby powder is one example of this type of claim that has seen federal courts and multi-million-dollar verdicts in recent years.
• Dangerous industrial equipment: Heavy machinery and vehicles can be riddled with design flaws and other problems caused by manufacturing or maintenance failures. When this equipment fails, anyone in the vicinity can be at risk of suffering catastrophic injuries.

Unsafe Premises

You don’t expect to be in a serious accident when you work, shop, and visit other places in your daily life. Still, the premises you visit at any given point may hold hidden dangers that could hurt you. Some examples include (and are not limited to):

• Poor lighting
• Missing or broken stairway railings or rungs
• Slippery or uneven floors and sidewalks
• Floors cluttered with debris
• Security failures, like broken locks and windows

Work Accidents

Some jobs are inherently riskier than others. Hazardous environments, heavy machinery, and long hours can raise the risk of catastrophic injuries in the workplace. Those with the highest risks of getting hurt on the job include but are not limited to (source: BLS):

• Fishermen
• Loggers
• Roofers
• Construction workers
• Oil field workers
• Truck drivers

Do I Have a Catastrophic Injury Claim?

You need answers to a few other questions before it’s possible to get a “Yes” or “No” here. Some of those questions include:

• What type of incident caused your catastrophic injury?
• Who is at fault for that incident?
• How long ago did the incident occur?
• When were your catastrophic injuries first diagnosed?

These questions get at key issues like liability, the type of claim you may have, and the statute of limitations (filing deadlines). Talking to a Covington catastrophic injury attorney is the quickest and best option for an answer here.

Remember, even if you don’t think you have a case — because you may have been partly at fault or your accident happened a while back — you could still have a claim. A lawyer can let you know for sure and take action to help you while there’s still time to get justice.

When Should I Contact a Covington Catastrophic Injury Lawyer?

Immediately. The longer you wait, the greater the risks are that:

• Evidence could go missing, be destroyed, or become permanently unavailable.
• Insurance companies may try to muscle you into believing you were primarily at fault or that you deserve less for a claim.
• You may miss a deadline or make a mistake that could put you at a greater disadvantage and potentially hurt your chances of recovering what you may deserve.

A Covington catastrophic injury lawyer at Morris & Dewett Injury Lawyers can stop all that, putting your case on the path to success and the maximum available compensation. That can give you the room to focus on healing. It can also give you confidence that your claim is in the experienced hands of a trusted legal team fighting for you — at every phase of your case.

How Do Catastrophic Injury Cases Work?

The accident that caused the injury dictates how a catastrophic injury claim proceeds. A Covington catastrophic injury lawyer at Morris & Dewett Injury Lawyers can answer this question in a no-obligation, confidential consultation.

That said, here are some important facts to understand about catastrophic injury cases:

• Depending on the injuries and their causes, you could have more than one claim, and each distinct case could have a unique process for working towards a resolution.
• Medical records, medical bills, and expert medical witnesses are usually key evidence in catastrophic injury cases.
• Insurance companies are typically key players in catastrophic injury cases, and they won’t be looking out for you if they’re involved in your claim.
• Most catastrophic injury claims are settled out of court, not with a trial.
• Fights over liability or your injuries can be a dead end out of court, at which point going before a judge may be necessary.

How Much Are Catastrophic Injury Settlements & Compensation?

Like the process of resolving these claims, the compensation available for them is determined by case-specific factors.

The damage and injuries caused by a wreck play a key role in determining catastrophic injury compensation amounts. So do liability determinations. The reason is that, in Covington and throughout Louisiana, traffic crash victims can still file claims for compensation even if they shared some portion of liability for the accident.

Nevertheless, successful claims can lead to financial recoveries that include damages for (but not limited to):

• Medical bills (past and future)
• Lost wages and earning capacity (past and future)
• Property damage
• Pain and suffering
• Funeral expenses (if catastrophic injury ends in death)
• Loss of consortium