Whether a slip and fall, truck accident, or car crash — accidents frequently cause minor or moderate injuries. You might have a sprained wrist or even break an arm, but after rest and treatment, you make a full recovery and are free to move on with your life.
But unfortunately, accidents also cause catastrophic injuries. These are life-changing, often permanent, injuries that require significant and lengthy treatment, perhaps for the rest of your life. In some cases, you might never make a full recovery.
If you’ve sustained a severe injury in an accident in McAllen, San Antonio, Uvalde, Hondo, or anywhere else in Texas, you may be entitled to a settlement to cover your medical bills and lost wages and compensate you for the life-changing impact of your injuries.
Contact our catastrophic injury lawyers in Texas for a free case review and find out if you have a claim.
You can call us at 855-LAW-NINJA, send a message via our confidential contact form, or visit us at our offices in McAllen and San Antonio:
We’re available 24/7.
Choosing a personal injury lawyer in McAllen or San Antonio is not a decision you should make lightly. Working with a lawyer you trust is vital to fight for justice and negotiate a fair settlement or present the best case in court.
Our catastrophic injury law firm understands how difficult it can be to find the right attorney for you.
That’s why, at Patino Law Firm, we do things a little differently.
For a free, no-obligation consultation to see if we’re the right catastrophic accident lawyer for you, call us today at 855-LAW-NINJA, send us a message on our contact page, pop into our office, or let us know where you are and we’ll come to you.
There is no singular legal definition of a catastrophic injury, but generally speaking, a catastrophic — or severe — injury is any injury that causes long-term disability or disfigurement. These include physical disabilities, such as paraplegia, and mental disabilities, such as developing a neurological condition after a traumatic brain injury.
These injuries are often permanent or require multiple surgeries and treatments and a lengthy rehabilitation process — if rehabilitation is possible. What all severe injuries have in common is that they impact an individual’s quality of life for a significant length of time, if not for the rest of their life. As a result, accident victims often cannot work in their chosen profession and cannot do many of the activities they previously enjoyed.
Since these injuries are so profound, they can significantly impact a victim’s family too. Family members or loved ones may become full-time carers and need to adapt their homes. It can also be difficult for them to watch their loved one struggle to communicate or complete daily tasks — things many of us take for granted.
Some common examples of catastrophic injuries include:
A medical professional can determine if you have a severe injury. They can also form an opinion on the long-term impact of your injuries based on their expertise and judgment — even if it’s unclear whether (or how soon) you will recover. By gathering medical records and testimony from professionals, a catastrophic injury lawyer can help you recover compensation.
Any type of accident is capable of causing catastrophic injuries. If a person slips on a wet floor at work, they’re just as likely to twist their ankle as they are to land on their back and suffer a life-changing spinal cord injury. That said, there are some types of accidents where catastrophic injuries are more likely.
Slips and falls commonly occur in restaurants, shopping malls, and supermarkets, but they can happen anywhere.
Anything from a wet, uneven, or cracked floor to a torn carpet can cause a slip and fall accident, and you might be able to claim compensation if you suffer a severe injury as a result.
In Texas, property owners owe a duty of care to visitors, clients, and customers. If they are negligent or reckless and you are hurt, they may be liable, and a catastrophic injury attorney can help you recover compensation.
Negligence can take many forms, from failing to cordon off or adequately warn visitors of a hazardous area to not fixing a broken handrail on a flight of stairs after being told about it.
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Learn more about slip and fall accidents in McAllen and San Antonio
Auto accidents are a leading cause of catastrophic injuries, especially at high speeds or involving large vehicles like trucks. Motorcyclists are especially vulnerable to severe injuries because of the lack of protection a motorcycle provides.
In an auto accident, an additional element to consider is the KABCO scale.
This scale, created by the Federal Highway Administration (FWHA), measures the severity of an auto crash. These categories vary by state, but in Texas, they are as follows:
K: Killed in a crash within 30 days of the accident
A: Incapacitating injury
B: Non-incapacitating injury
C: Possible injury
O: Not injured
The category we are most interested in is an incapacitating injury (A). This is defined as a serious injury that prevents an individual from continuing normal activities, such as broken bones, internal injuries, or a crushed chest.
However, it’s important to know that “incapacitating” does not always equal “catastrophic”. If a person sustains a broken leg in an accident, they may be unable to work for a few months but otherwise fully recover. This is still a serious injury — and one you may be able to claim compensation for — but it is not a catastrophic injury.
An example of a catastrophic injury would be if the broken bone cuts through the skin and causes an open wound that becomes infected, requiring amputation.
In short, all catastrophic injuries are incapacitating injuries, but not all incapacitating injuries are catastrophic. The category your injuries are assigned after an auto accident can play a role in helping you recover compensation, but it’s not the defining factor in a catastrophic injury claim.
If you’ve been injured in a car accident, truck accident, or motorcycle accident in McAllen or San Antonio and you’re not sure if it qualifies as a “severe injury”, our catastrophic injury lawyers can help you know where you stand.
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Catastrophic injuries are prevalent in inherently dangerous environments, such as construction sites and factories. However, a work injury can happen anywhere — even in workplaces considered “safe”, such as an office.
Faulty wiring, exposure to toxic chemicals, lack of personal protective equipment (PPE), and poor safety practices can all result in severe injury at work.
For example, if you trip over a power cable because of an impractical office setup, causing you to hit your head on a desk and sustain a life-changing traumatic brain injury, a catastrophic accident lawyer in Texas could help you secure significant compensation.
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Defective products can cause life-changing — if not life-ending — accidents.
Product liability laws protect individuals from being seriously injured by unsafe products. Product defects are split into three categories: design defects, manufacturing defects, and failure to warn defects.
Some examples of catastrophic injuries caused by product defects include:
Proving a product defect can be difficult, but our catastrophic injury attorneys can help you gather evidence to support your claim and secure a fair settlement.
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Catastrophic injuries result in long-term or permanent disabilities, extensive medical treatment and rehabilitation, and a diminished ability to earn a living.
If you or a loved one has suffered a catastrophic injury due to someone else’s negligence, you may be entitled to compensation.
Our severe injury lawyers in McAllen and San Antonio can help you secure compensation for the following:
Economic Damages
These losses have a monetary value, such as lost wages and medical expenses. Medical bills and payslips can show the cost of your treatment and how much money you earn (and, therefore, how much you’ve lost by not being able to work). You’re also entitled to recover future losses in a personal injury claim. If you can never work again or only perform limited duties and need to take a huge salary cut, the sum of your future lost wages can be massive. The same applies if you need rehabilitation for years or follow-up appointments and medication for the rest of your life.
If you sustain a catastrophic injury in an auto accident, you’re entitled to recover compensation for property damage, such as if your car is totaled.
Non-Economic Damages
Non-economic damages are slightly more difficult to calculate because they do not have a tangible value. Examples of non-economic damages include pain and suffering (for the physical and emotional pain you experience because of your injury), loss of enjoyment (to compensate you for no longer being able to do activities or hobbies you love), and emotional anguish (such as if severe burns affect your self-esteem and cause you to become withdrawn and depressed).
The amount of compensation you can recover after a catastrophic injury depends on several factors, including whether your injuries are permanent and prevent you from working again, the strength of your evidence, and the insurance company representing the person or party responsible for your accident. Insurance companies use different formulas to calculate damages and may refuse to budge from an unfair settlement offer.
However, when you choose our personal injury law firm, you can rest assured that we are skilled negotiators who will fight to secure the maximum possible compensation — we’ll never encourage you to settle early when we know you have a strong case and are entitled to much more. As skilled trial advocates, we’re also not afraid to take your case to trial when we’re confident we can secure a positive outcome.
You can use our personal injury calculator to gauge how much you might receive in compensation. However, no two cases are the same, so for a more accurate estimate based on the unique facts of your case, book a free, no-obligation consultation with our catastrophic injury attorneys.
If you or a loved one has suffered a catastrophic injury, don’t hesitate to contact Patino Law Firm for a free consultation. We understand the challenges of a severe injury and are committed to helping you get the compensation you deserve.
We offer a completely free, no-obligation case review so you can see whether you have a claim, understand your next steps, and determine if we’re the right firm for you.
To book your consultation, call the Patino Law Firm at 855-LAW-NINJA, contact us online, or visit one of our offices. You can find us at:
Dr. Louis Patino’s background as a U.S. Army Combat Medic and chiropractor provides him with a unique perspective and experience not many other attorneys can boast. This helps him explain the realities of living with a catastrophic injury to his clients and secure the compensation that will support them financially.
While he knows that no amount of money will ever fully compensate them for the pain and suffering they’ve endured and the symptoms they might continue to experience for the rest of their lives, it can give them — and their loved ones — the support they need as they adapt to life with their injury.
If you’ve suffered a severe injury in McAllen, San Antonio, or elsewhere in Texas, you may be entitled to significant compensation that can help you rebuild your life.
To book a free appointment with our team, call 855-LAW-NINJA or contact us online.
It takes less than a minute to get in touch, and you can reach us 24/7.
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