San Antonio Catastrophic Injury Lawyers

Any injury has the potential to disrupt your life, but if the accident involves a catastrophic injury, you could face a lifetime of expenses and medical care. But if you’re unable to work temporarily or permanently, how will you manage?

The San Antonio-based catastrophic injury lawyers at Nix Patterson understand the pain and uncertainty you face, and we want to help. Our attorneys have years of experience assisting severely injured San Antonians who were hurt through no fault of their own.

What Is Considered a Catastrophic Injury in San Antonio?

The Texas Public Health and Welfare Code reads that a catastrophic injury has severe consequences that prevent the injured party from engaging in gainful employment. Catastrophic injuries are so dire that they usually lead to long-term debilitation and disability for most injured parties. The severe injury could lead to loss of capacity and deformities that are mental or physical in nature.

Many catastrophic injuries require the victim to undergo many hospital stays and surgeries. There also may be months, years, or even a lifetime of medical care and rehabilitation required.

Types of Catastrophic Injury Claims We Handle

If you have been severely injured because of someone’s negligence, you should receive fair compensation for your economic and non-economic damages. Our San Antonio-based catastrophic injury lawyers have extensive experience with many devastating injury claims, including:

• Injuries to the spine and spinal cord
• Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs)
• Severe burns
• Amputation
• Loss of sight or hearing
• Multiple compound fractures
• Occupational diseases, such as asbestosis and mesothelioma
• Organ damage
• Scarring and disfigurement

The majority of catastrophic injuries are visible after the incident. However, some injuries could initially be undetectable for days or even weeks. You could, for instance, have internal bleeding that is not discovered until days later, leaving you with organ damage and other consequences. There could be six figures in medical expenses. If you cannot work for the foreseeable future, just paying your regular bills could be impossible.

Nix Patterson’s San Antonio personal injury lawyers know the many challenges you face after such a devastating injury. Our lawyers will carefully review your San Antonio accident case and determine if you could be entitled to compensation. If we agree to represent you, there are no upfront legal expenses. You only pay from your settlement or jury award if the case is successful.

Common Causes of Catastrophic Injuries

Catastrophic accidents in San Antonio can happen in a number ways, including:

• Motor vehicle crashes
• Pedestrian accidents
• Workplace injuries
• Product defects
• Medical malpractice

Catastrophic injuries are less common than routine personal injuries, but the effects are more severe. For instance, approximately 17,000 people suffer spinal cord injuries every year. After a catastrophic injury, Texas law gives you the right to pursue compensation for your losses from the party who harmed you.

The most common catastrophic injury cases in San Antonio are motor vehicle accidents. There are thousands of accidents in the metropolitan Houston area every year. Recent data shows approximately 39,000 auto accidents annually in the San Antonio area. About 20 people suffer auto accident injuries daily in San Antonio, and a person dies about every two days.

Intersections and highways where many San Antonio auto accidents occur are:

• I-10 and Loop 1604
• I-410 and US 87
• Loop 1604 and US 281
• I-410 and Marbach Road
• I-10 and Huebner Road
• I-410 and Rittiman Road

Catastrophic Injury Damages

The idea behind filing a personal injury lawsuit after a catastrophic injury in Houston is to make you whole when the case is resolved. Your devastating injury claim can be resolved in two ways: settlement or a jury verdict after a court trial.

Most people with a catastrophic injury have high medical bills, cannot work, and suffer excruciating pain. You also could have severe mental and emotional trauma from the accident and subsequent treatments, which are compensable in a lawsuit. If you are permanently disabled, you should receive ample compensation for lost future income.

Severe injuries can also affect how you relate to your family, spouse, or partner. You may have debilitating problems with PTSD, depression, and anxiety. There are potentially significant damages in a catastrophic injury case, so hiring a skilled Houston personal injury lawyer is a critically important decision for your future.

Your attorney will attempt to negotiate a fair settlement for your injuries and other losses. However, if the insurance company does not offer enough money for your injuries, going to trial will be necessary. Nix Patterson attorneys are comfortable aggressively negotiating for the best catastrophic injury settlement, but we also have extensive experience winning these cases at trial.

Texas Comparative Negligence For Catastrophic Injuries

Many San Antonio accidents with catastrophic injuries have one party who was clearly at fault. For example, if a drunk driver runs a red light on the 1604 service road and hits your car, and severely injures you, fault is likely clear. That driver is probably going to be liable for your catastrophic injuries.

There are cases, however, where fault for the catastrophic accident is muddled. For example, suppose you were speeding when the drunk driver hit you on the 1604 service road. The insurance company could argue that you were partially at fault for your injuries.

Texas has a comparative negligence law that applies to all personal injury claims. The court will assign a degree of fault to each party in the accident. If you were partially at fault, you would get less money for your damages. For instance, if you were 30% at fault for the drunk driving accident and have $500,000 in damages, you would receive $350,000 for your losses.

The comparative negligence rule can substantially reduce your compensation in a catastrophic injury claim. Your attorney understands this and will make any appropriate argument to make sure that the other party or parties are held liable for your losses as much as possible.

Why You Should Hire a San Antonio Catastrophic Injury Lawyer

When you have a severe, life-changing injury caused by another party, you don’t simply need medical care. You need a fierce legal ally who will fight for your rights and financial justice. If you have a damaged spinal cord, severe head injury, amputation, or other type of catastrophic injury, your ability to work, enjoy life, and overall health are severely compromised.

An experienced San Antonio catastrophic injury lawyer grasps the complicated medical and legal issues involved in these severe injury cases. Your attorney will work day and night to collect important evidence, speak with medical experts, and negotiate with insurance providers, fighting for you to receive the most compensation.

Your attorney also understands your case’s high value and will employ various medical, employment, economics, and other experts to determine fair compensation.

How much could you receive in compensation with your attorney’s assistance? Every case and injury is different, so it is difficult to say. However, if you or a loved one has a traumatic brain injury, a recent study by the Journal of the Public Library of Science found that hospital care alone for this injury could be over $400,000. For an amputation injury, typical lifetime healthcare costs are $640,000.

If you or a loved one has a spinal cord injury, here are the potential lifetime medical costs:

• High quadriplegia (total paralysis): $5 million
• Low quadriplegia: $3.7 million
• Paraplegia: $2.5 million
• Other spinal cord injuries: $1.7 million

Obtaining a settlement or jury verdict for such large amounts is always challenging but almost impossible without a dedicated, experienced catastrophic injury attorney. Contact an experienced attorney as soon as possible after a severe accident with catastrophic injuries for the best chance at fair compensation.

How You Can Help Your Case

If you hire a catastrophic injury attorney, they will take over the claim immediately so you can focus on recovering. However, you or your family members can do several things to help your case.

Seek Medical Care

First, ensure you or your loved one receive immediate medical attention. Anyone who is severely injured should dial 911 and go to the hospital. Many severe injuries are apparent, but not in every case.

For instance, if a car T-bones you on Broadway Street near the Alamo, you might feel ok afterward. However, after a few days, your family notices you don’t wake up quickly in the morning, and your personality has changed. You could have a severe brain injury, including brain bleeding and swelling. If you don’t get immediate medical care, the injury could worsen or even be fatal.

Delaying medical care can also complicate legal efforts to pursue the most compensation. The more time that has elapsed from the accident, the more difficult it is to connect your injuries to what happened.

Never Talk to the Other Party’s Insurance Provider

Generally, you should not speak to the other person’s insurance company. This is especially true in a severe injury case. The insurance company’s goal is to minimize what they pay you. They will use any statement you make about your or your loved one’s accident against you. This can be disastrous if you have hundreds of thousands in medical expenses and other losses.

Hire a Lawyer

Always hire an attorney to represent you after a catastrophic accident. Some accident victims may delay hiring a lawyer for days or weeks, which could severely compromise their case. You could, for example, say something to the other party’s insurance company or attorney about who was at fault. If they can blame you partially for the accident, it will reduce your compensation.

Don’t Talk About the Case

You should never speak about the San Antonio accident case to anyone but your close family and attorney. If the catastrophic injury claim is pending, don’t write anything about it on social media. The insurance company will check social media feeds, even private ones, to gather information that could affect your ultimate compensation.

What Affects the Value of a Catastrophic Injury Case?

If you’ve been catastrophically injured in San Antonio, several factors will influence the cost of your claim.

First, as stated earlier, most catastrophic injury cases involve high medical expenses. A traumatic brain injury may cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to treat. On the other hand, an amputation injury, while catastrophic as well, will probably have less expensive medical treatments.

Second, how much lost income you have will also affect your case value. If you are out of work for years, the catastrophic injury settlement may be higher than if you can return to part-time work after two years.

Third, your degree of pain and suffering from the accident and resulting treatments will affect the case value. Most catastrophic injuries cause considerable pain and suffering, mental trauma, loss of enjoyment of life, anxiety, and depression. Someone with a severe injury that leaves them changed for life could receive more pain and suffering damages than someone who eventually fully recovers.

Contact Our San Antonio Catastrophic Injury Lawyers

A catastrophic injury devastates your life and health, and you may never be the same again. You could need extensive medical care and physical therapy. There also may be severe pain or paralysis, and going back to work could be impossible.

If you or a loved one suffered such an injury through no fault of your own, speak to an experienced attorney about your case. An attorney will help you deal with insurance companies and help you get the most compensation for your future. Contact a Nix Patterson catastrophic injury attorney in San Antonio today.