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One of the worst outcomes that a non-fatal accident could have is an injury that leaves a person permanently and profoundly disabled with no hope for future physical recovery. In a situation like this, financial compensation might understandably seem like only a small way of making up for the immense personal losses that a severe injury can cause.
It is important to understand that pursuing fair recovery with a knowledgeable personal injury attorney’s assistance can be crucial to ensuring you can live the best life possible despite the unimaginable damage that someone else’s negligence has produced. With support from a Kennewick catastrophic injury lawyer, you could more effectively pursue restitution that would minimize your and your family’s financial burden, and provide some measure of justice for your non-economic losses as well.
How Valuable is a Catastrophic Injury Claim?
The value of any personal injury claim depends entirely on the severity of the plaintiff’s injuries and the degree to which those injuries will negatively impact their life in the long term. Since a catastrophic injury is considered both permanent and debilitating, these types of claims are typically extremely high in value.
Those who suffered disabling injuries and conditions like traumatic brain damage, spinal cord trauma, high-degree burns, and loss of limbs can seek restitution for short-term losses. These losses typically include emergency medical bills and lost work income, and long-term forms of harm like lost earning capacity, lost quality of life, and physical and emotional pain. Fortunately, since Washington State does not impose damage caps on any form of personal injury litigation, there are no limits on the amount of compensation a person can demand based on a fair valuation of their economic and non-economic damages.
However, it is worth noting that claimants in Washington cannot pursue punitive damages in the event that their named defendant(s) displayed egregious negligence or intentional malice. A Kennewick catastrophic accident attorney could offer more specific information about recoverable damages for a particular plaintiff during a private consultation.
Overcoming Procedural Obstacles and Filing Deadlines
Although catastrophic injuries are uniquely severe compared to typical personal injuries, most of the same rules still apply. For instance, if a person who suffered a catastrophic injury is found partly to blame for causing or worsening that injury, Revised Code of Washington § 4.22.005 allows the court hearing their claim to reduce their final damage award’s value. The value is reduced in proportion to the percentage of total fault that the court assigns to that injured individual.
Furthermore, the three-year filing deadline set by R.C.W. § 4.16.080 still applies to catastrophic injuries even though there is no way for them to objectively valuate future damages before that deadline passes. In light of these and other legal hurdles, a lawyer’s representation can be especially crucial to a case’s success after a catastrophic injury in Kennewick.
Call Now to See How a Kennewick Catastrophic Injury Attorney Could Help
The effects of a catastrophic accident will invariably last for the rest of your life, impacting you in unavoidable physical, financial, and personal ways. Since comprehensive financial recovery for an injury like this must account for both past and future losses, achieving a positive case result can be nearly impossible without support from a legal professional who knows to handle these cases.
A Kennewick catastrophic injury lawyer could work diligently on your behalf to enforce your legal rights and seek the best possible resolution to your legal claim. Schedule your initial consultation today.
