Not all injuries are the same, and you may wonder when your injuries are serious enough to warrant hiring a Boston injury lawyer. Learn what a serious injury is in this article.
While numerous Americans get injured daily, not all of them are serious injuries. However, the law does not clearly define what a serious injury is. Consequently, you may wonder what constitutes a severe wound. A Boston injury lawyer will cover this topic, including what you can do after a severe injury.
What Is a Serious Injury?
Just as the name implies, a serious injury is one that could lead to disability or disfigurement. They are also called catastrophic injuries. In some cases, the disability or disfigurement could be temporary or permanent.
However, these injuries do not always lead to disability but could take longer to heal or require surgery. For example, if you have had a wound that makes you unable to work, that could be a severe injury.
As we pointed out, the lack of a definition means that you may have to confirm the seriousness of an injury with the help of medical personnel. Some well-known serious wounds include:
- Spinal cord injuries
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Neck injuries
- Wounds that lead to losing a body part or function
- Severe burns
In some cases, serious injuries could even lead to death, leading to a wrongful death claim.
Common Causes of Serious Injuries
Almost any activity can cause a severe injury. Here are some common causes of serious injuries:
Car Accidents
Car accidents are a leading cause of death in the United States, causing the death of over 40,000 people yearly. However, it also sends more than 4 million people to the hospital. Common injuries caused by car accidents include spinal cord injuries and brain trauma.
Workplace Accidents
You could get injured while at work. Some industries, such as construction and mining, are more prone to workplace injuries, but anyone could get injured at work. For example, an object could fall on a person, severely injuring them, or machinery could malfunction, leading to the loss of a limb.
Acts of Violence
Not all injuries will be accidents; intentional acts of violence can cause serious injuries.
Medical Malpractice
When a doctor’s negligence harms a patient, that is medical malpractice. Likewise, providing substandard treatment is also medical malpractice. The effects of medical malpractice can be severe and could alter the victim’s life.
Defective Products
A defective product can cause a severe injury. An example is a defective car part causing an accident.
In addition to these factors, other types of accidents that could cause catastrophic injuries include trucking accidents, bicycle accidents, motorcycle accidents, construction accidents, and pedestrian accidents.
What Can You Do After a Serious Injury?
After a severe injury, take the following actions:
Get Treatment for Your Injuries
The first thing you should do after a severe injury is to get medical help. For example, if you have been in a car accident, call 911 and wait for paramedics. Staying put may be the best thing to do if you are badly injured.
After the police or paramedics arrive, see a medical doctor. Ensure that you do that and follow any instructions they give. In some cases, serious injuries are not immediately apparent, and you may decide not to get checked by a doctor. This is dangerous as the injury could manifest later, and may be more serious that you realized.
Document the Accident
Record the event that caused the wound. Add details of your injuries, including how they changed your life, the financial costs, and treatment. Do this as soon as possible, or your memory may not remember the accurate details.
Inform Your Insurer
Depending on your insurance provider, you may need to inform them and learn what the process of getting compensation entails.
Hire a Boston Injury Lawyer
As important as getting a lawyer is, you should get one who has extensive experience dealing with your injury. Therefore, hire a car accident attorney after an auto crash.
Fortunately, personal injury law firms often have attorneys covering a wide range of injuries, so you will find an experienced lawyer to advise you on the necessary steps. When choosing a Boston injury lawyer, choose one that has a track record of success with similar cases.
What Compensation Can a Boston Injury Lawyer Help You Get for Serious Injuries?
There’s no need to pursue a personal injury claim if the compensation is not substantial. Consequently, we’ve listed some forms of settlement you can expect for a catastrophic injury. Compensation benefits for personal injuries broadly fall under economic damages and non-economic damages.
The two covers:
- Medical Care: Any compensation for a severe injury will consider your medical expenses. This includes what you have spent in the past or what you could spend in the future.
- Lost Wages: You would most likely be unable to work after a severe injury. Therefore, you will lose wages. Additionally, the wound may make you unable to work in the future, and your compensation will provide for the loss of future earnings.
- Pain and Suffering: It’s difficult to put a dollar amount on the pain a catastrophic injury causes. However, accident victims may be eligible for compensation for pain and suffering.
Punitive Damages
Punitive damages are rarely given. However, where the defendant did not exercise reasonable care and was grossly negligent, punitive damages may be awarded to serve as a deterrent.
How Can a Boston Injury Lawyer Help You?
You need all the help you can get after a severe accident. Usually, your injuries mean that you cannot do the things you would usually do, either temporarily or permanently. Therefore, getting a Boston injury lawyer to handle the legal process of getting compensation is crucial.
How a lawyer will help you can be broadly classified into evidence gathering, representation, and negotiation. While these are not the only things a lawyer will do for you, they cover most of it, and we’ll go into more detail below.
Evidence Gathering
The difference between whether you get fair compensation or not is often in the quality of the evidence you present. Unfortunately, not all accidents are so clear-cut that you can determine the responsible party. Therefore, you need someone to look at the available evidence to prove who is at fault. This is where Boston injury lawyers come in.
A competent lawyer will contact your doctors to gather your medical records. They will also help you get traffic footage. You may also need an expert witness to strengthen your case, and your lawyer will get one. You also need to prove your damages, and a great lawyer is an invaluable asset when doing this.
Negotiation
Many personal injury cases never make it to trial. Instead, the affected parties often choose to settle out of court. When this happens, you must negotiate a fair settlement. Unfortunately, many personal injury victims don’t know how to do this, but a Boston injury lawyer can help them arrive at a fair settlement.
Also, the insurance company may be unwilling to pay the value of your injuries. Therefore, they will make low offers which they hope you accept and waive your rights to sue in the future. Your lawyer will review any offer they make to determine its worth. Even when your injuries are not so severe, you should still have a lawyer look at any settlement proposal you receive.
Representation
Most people are familiar with a lawyer’s role as a client’s representative. In this capacity, an attorney represents the client’s interests in settlement conversations with the insurance company. If the case gets to trial, your lawyer will be responsible for presenting your interest to get th maximum financial compensation.
If you are worried about legal fees, Boston injury lawyers work on a contingency fee basis. This means that they only get paid if they help you win a settlement.
Contact an Experienced Boston Injury Lawyer From Michael Kelly
Healing is often the first thing on the minds of many personal injury victims. Yet, even when they know that they could get compensation for their injuries, they may hesitate or be unable to do anything. This is why hiring a lawyer can be a great decision.
When you hire a personal injury attorney from our law firm, our goal is to get you maximum compensation for your injuries. We have decades of experience representing and advising personal injury clients, and we’ll use it to your advantage.
We offer a free initial consultation for prospective clients, so you can learn your options without committing. We also work on a contingency fee basis and will demand no upfront fee. Contact us today to learn more about our services.
