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A catastrophic injury is a major trauma that causes serious temporary or permanently disabling bodily injury, typically to the spine, brain, spinal cord, or central nervous system, and very likely could prove fatal. Serious burns are also often considered catastrophic injuries. Federal law offers a broad definition of catastrophic injury to include all disabling injuries that prevent gainful employment.
If you or a loved one have suffered a traumatic injury as the result of someone else’s negligent, reckless, or intentionally harmful conduct, a Bardstown personal injury lawyer can help you seek the recovery you may need to pay your bills and move forward with your life as best you can.
Catastrophic Injury Facts
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention identifies the top causes of traumatic injuries for all age groups as including:
- Unintentional falls
- Being struck by or against an object
- Motor vehicle accidents
- Being cut or pierced by an object
- Assaults
- Sports-related accidents
Falls were by far the most common traumatic injury across all age groups, with more than 9 million unintentional falls in 2014. More than 4 million people were struck by or against an object that year, and 2.4 million people were seriously injured in motor vehicle accidents. Of the top causes of major injuries, assault was the least common, with 1.2 million assaults causing serious injury requiring hospital treatment. A catastrophic injury lawyer in Bardstown can provide assistance with all injuries aforementioned to help you resolve your situation.
Damages To Be Awarded
Anyone suffering such an injury is likely to be facing staggering medical bills and other costs. A personal injury claim against the party responsible for causing the injuries typically seeks reimbursement for any past, present, and future medical bills, along with rehabilitation costs, home nursing care, lost wages due to missed work, future lost wages due to the inability to work, necessary medical equipment, devices and medication, and the costs of adapting one’s home and vehicles for disability accommodations. A Bardstown catastrophic injury attorney can assist you in recovering any of these lost expenses.
Damage awards for these injuries may also include compensation for emotional trauma, pain and suffering, post-traumatic stress, the loss of the ability to pursue your career or important hobbies, the loss of an intimate relationship with your spouse, and the loss of enjoyment of life.
Punitive Damages for Major Injuries
If the party responsible for an individual’s catastrophic injuries engaged in especially egregious conduct, such as drunk driving, violent assault, very dangerous business practices, concealing known dangers from the public, or other grossly negligent or misleading behavior, the court may even find that the responsible party owes punitive damages, which are meant to punish the wrongdoer and deter future bad conduct.
Unlike some other states, Kentucky does not cap punitive damages and juries in Kentucky have been known to hand down multi-million dollar damage awards in select cases.
Specifically, Kentucky law states that punitive damages are appropriate when fraud, malice, or oppression took place. This includes cases where the responsible party acted with flagrant indifference to the likelihood of causing serious bodily injury or death, subjected the victim to cruel and unjust hardship, or engaged in deceit, misrepresentation, or concealment with intent to injure the victim. Let an experienced Bardstown lawyer assist you in recouping any punitive damages.
Consult an Experienced Attorney
Suffering a catastrophic injury is by definition, devastating. Our compassionate Bardstown catastrophic injury attorneys understand just what a hardship your family is going through and we can be by your side as you seek justice. To learn more, get in touch with the attorneys at McCoy & Hiestand, PLC today.
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