San Antonio Catastrophic Injury Attorneys
Billions Won by Catastrophic Accident Lawyers in San Antonio, TX
The word catastrophe is an ancient word that means “a tragic turn of events,” and its meaning has remained unchanged for thousands of years. In legal and medical circles, a catastrophic accident is an event that robs someone of their physical or mental capabilities on a long-term (often permanent) basis. Catastrophic accidents leave people unemployed, unable to move or live independently, and perhaps unable to speak or think like they used to. People who survive catastrophic accidents often face enormous medical costs for the rest of their lives. That’s why people involved in catastrophic accidents call Arnold & Itkin LLP.
Our San Antonio catastrophic accident lawyers have advocated for people who survived some of the worst accidents in recent history: plant explosions, at-sea disasters, apartment building fires, factory fires, and many others. We’ve secured billions of dollars for those clients, helping them get the medical care and financial support they needed. We’ve won hundreds of results worth $1 million or more, and dozens of results worth $10 million or more—each result providing a chance for our clients to move forward with hope. Our track record demonstrates that we have the resources, trial skill, and experience to get our clients what they need after a life-changing accident.
Speak with our firm at (888) 493-1629 to learn your options in a free case consultation.
Catastrophic Injury FAQ
What Is the Definition of a Catastrophic Injury?
Other kinds of injuries are categorized by where they occur, like with head injuries or back injuries. Other injuries are defined by the damage they leave behind, like burn injuries or amputation injuries. Catastrophic injuries, however, aren’t defined by either one of those—instead, they’re defined by how they change the survivor’s life. Any injury that is expected to last permanently or semi-permanently and severely alters a person’s physical or mental faculties could be considered catastrophic. By that definition, any injury can have catastrophic effects if it’s severe enough.
Catastrophic injuries often result from:
- Burn injuries. With the highest cost of hospitalization of any injury, burn injuries leave survivors both physically and financially damaged. Nerve damage, scarring, and limb loss can all result from full-thickness burns.
- Blunt force trauma. Force done to the body that is neither cutting nor slicing (i.e. blunt) can cause bruising, internal bleeding, and organ damage. Head injuries are among the most harmful types of blunt force trauma.
- Loss of vision or hearing. Loss of your senses, particularly hearing or sight, forces you to reorient the way you interact with the world. For many people, loss of either would require a change in career or at least a costly change in lifestyle.
- Spinal cord injuries. Spinal cord injuries are some of the most severe injuries you can suffer. Damage to the spinal cord is irreparable, leading to permanent paralysis.
- Orthopedic injuries. Severe damage to joints and the musculoskeletal system can hamper someone’s mobility forever or at least make them unable to move without pain. This is as much a loss in quality of life as it is a loss of physical ability.
Catastrophic injury is as much about quality of life as it is about a person’s capabilities. Constant pain can rob us of our careers, our hobbies, and all the things that once made our lives enjoyable. To our catastrophic accident lawyers in San Antonio, compensation for those losses is as important as compensation for medical costs.
Can You Claim Pain & Suffering for a Catastrophic Injury?
Something else that distinguishes catastrophic injuries from non-catastrophic injuries is the ability to claim non-economic damages—also sometimes called “pain and suffering” damages. Noneconomic damages are damages for your losses that have no dollar value, like the ability to play with your children, play a musical instrument, or run unassisted. No one can deny that accident survivors lose these things, but how do you calculate a dollar amount for these things?
Noneconomic damages include compensation for (but are not limited to):
- Physical pain and suffering
- Mental and emotional pain
- Loss of companionship
- Loss of consortium
When assigning awards for these losses, juries are instructed to use their own judgment, which is why noneconomic damages can vary from case to case. As always, your lawyer’s ability to make your losses clear to a jury will affect how much you’ll receive in the final award. Juries may also assign larger damages that act as a deterrent against the negligent behavior of the defendant, especially if your accident was caused by preventable safety issues.
Why Having Experienced Catastrophic Accident Lawyers in San Antonio Matters
The nature of catastrophic injuries means you’ll be dealing with the effects of your injury for the rest of your life. However, that doesn’t mean you’ll need to suffer hardship for that entire time. The right advocate—someone with vast resources and trial experience—can mean that you’ll have enough to provide for yourself and your family forever. No more worry about medical costs, debt, or basic needs.
However, the wrong attorney can rob you of your one chance to get what you need from your wrongdoer, leaving you financially insecure.
Our San Antonio catastrophic injury attorneys spend more time in court in a year than many attorneys spend in their entire lives. We’ve won record-setting verdicts and settlements all over the country, including some of the largest in state history. Large companies know our name and our track record, and they treat our clients accordingly. After winning billions of dollars in results in just the last few years, we have the resources and litigation experience to help clients fully recover from their losses. If you want to know what can be done for you and your family, we’d be happy to discuss it in a free consultation!
Call (888) 493-1629 today to speak with a catastrophic accident lawyer at Arnold & Itkin LLP.