Have you suffered a brain injury, spinal cord injury, severe burns, or another type of catastrophic injury in an accident in Westlake, Ohio? Call Wisehart Wright Trial Lawyers at (419) 502-5821 today for a free consultation. You may be entitled to compensation, and our experienced Westlake catastrophic injury lawyers can help you fight to maximize your recovery.
We’re award-winning trial lawyers with more than 181 years of combined experience handling high-value personal injury lawsuits for victims of avoidable and life-changing accidents. We stand up to powerful corporations when our clients have been wronged and don’t back down until they’re made whole. The results speak volumes: over $100 million in damages recovered.
Why Choose Wisehart Wright Trial Lawyers for Help if You’ve Been Catastrophically Injured in a Westlake, OH, Accident
Victims of catastrophic accidents in Westlake, OH, have turned to Wisehart Wright Trial Lawyers for help since our founding. Since then, we’ve earned a reputation for being fearless legal advocates committed to advancing and protecting the rights of individuals whose lives have been upended by avoidable accidents and acts of violence. Insurance companies don’t want to see our Westlake personal injury lawyers on the other side of the negotiating table.
Our client-first service and multi-million-dollar track record of success have earned us several honors and distinctions in the legal community, including:
- Super Lawyers
- Martindale-Hubbell Distinguished litigators
- The National Trial Lawyers Top 100
- Members of the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum
- Certified Workers’ Compensation Specialist by the Ohio State Bar Association
We bring unmatched knowledge, experience, and insight to our clients’ cases, providing much more than a level playing field against corporations that don’t have their best interests at heart. We win life-changing case results, and we’re ready to do everything we can to help you recover the money you need for life-saving medical care, long-term recovery, lost wages, and emotional trauma, too.
Contact our law office today to discuss the specifics of your catastrophic injury case with a Westlake personal injury attorney. We’re here to take your call 24 hours a day.
What Makes an Injury Catastrophic?
An injury is considered catastrophic when it substantially changes how you live your life. Often permanent, or with permanent effects, a catastrophic injury often involves impaired mobility, disfigurement, organ failure, changes in sensation, and chronic pain.
While any injury can be classified as catastrophic if it’s severe enough, the term is often reserved for a few select injuries, including:
- Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs): Damage to the brain caused by a violent blow or penetrating trauma that can lead to permanent cognitive, physical, or emotional impairments.
- Spinal cord injuries: Damage to the spinal cord that may result in partial or complete paralysis, loss of sensation, and lifelong mobility challenges.
- Severe burn injuries: Third- and fourth-degree burns often require extensive medical treatment, including skin grafts, reconstructive surgery, and long-term rehabilitation.
- Amputation injuries: The loss of a limb or extremity, which can permanently affect a person’s mobility, independence, and ability to perform daily activities.
- Severe fractures: Complex or multiple broken bones that may require surgery, lengthy rehabilitation, and can result in lasting pain or reduced function.
Victims of catastrophic injuries are often faced with long-term recovery, a lot of time away from work, and emotional hardships that fundamentally change their ability to live their lives. When a catastrophic injury happens because of an avoidable accident or because of another person’s intentionally harmful actions, the resulting damages can be compensable in an Ohio court of law.
Common Causes of Catastrophic Injuries
At Wisehart Wright Trial Lawyers, we fight to protect the rights, futures, and best interests of individuals who’ve been catastrophically injured as a result of:
- Car accidents
- Truck accidents
- Motorcycle accidents
- Uber and Lyft rideshare accidents
- Pedestrian accidents
- Bicycle accidents
- Bus accidents
- Train accidents
- Boating accidents
- Aviation accidents
- Construction accidents
- Workplace accidents
- Slip and fall accidents
- Dog bites
- Matters of premises liability
- Assault
- Negligent security
- Defective products
- Medical malpractice
- Nursing home abuse
When you’re faced with the costs of surgery, rehabilitation, medical devices, and specialist consultations, along with a sudden loss of income because you’re unable to work, it’s important to enlist the help of a personal injury law firm that can help you win a legal battle and maximize your financial recovery.
It’s in these moments that victims of catastrophic injuries in Ohio turn to Wisehart Wright Trial Lawyers. Call us for a free consultation today.
How Much Is My Catastrophic Injury Claim Worth?
Several factors are going to impact how much money you can potentially recover with a catastrophic injury claim in Ohio. Relevant questions include:
- How were you injured?
- What type of catastrophic injury have you suffered?
- Will you experience any permanent or long-term disability?
- Has your ability to work been affected?
- What insurance benefits are available?
- What are the policy limits?
- How old are you?
- Are you being blamed for the accident in which you were catastrophically injured?
- How long after your accident did you wait before seeking medical care?
The more an injury disrupts your life, the more you can expect to recover through an insurance claim or personal injury lawsuit. However, it’s important to take into account things like shared fault, a failure to mitigate damages, and insurance policy maximums when assessing your claim’s potential value.
Working with an experienced catastrophic injury attorney in Westlake can help to ensure that you know what your claim is worth, that damages are structured properly, and that you don’t leave well-deserved compensation on the negotiating table.
What Damages Can Victims of Catastrophic Injuries Recover?
In Ohio, victims of serious and avoidable injuries can pursue compensatory damages through an insurance claim and/or personal injury lawsuit.
This can include economic damages and non-economic damages for:
- Current and future medical bills
- Lost wages and disability
- Diminished earning capacity
- Out-of-pocket expenses
- Long-term care and assistance
- Rehabilitation
- Pain and suffering
- Disfigurement and scarring
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Embarrassment
- Chronic pain
- Emotional distress
- Loss of consortium
Punitive damages are rarely awarded but can be ordered by a jury when there’s clear and convincing evidence that the defendant acted maliciously or was grossly negligent.
How Does Shared Fault Impact an Ohio Catastrophic Injury Settlement?
You can recover compensation for a catastrophic injury if you’re partly to blame, but damages are reduced proportionately to your fault up to 50 percent under Ohio’s modified comparative fault rule. If you’re assigned most of the blame for the accident in which you’re catastrophically injured, you lose the right to demand compensation from others.
Insurance companies in Ohio love to blame victims for their injuries. If you don’t anticipate these tactics and have a plan in place to fight back, you can watch your well-deserved compensation slip away.
What Does It Cost To Hire a Catastrophic Injury Attorney?
Our personal injury law firm in Westlake, OH, represents victims of catastrophic trauma on a contingency fee basis. There’s no up-front cost to hire us. We front the costs of pursuing your claim and only recover a fee once we’ve recovered compensation for you.
We’re paid a predetermined percentage of your financial recovery. If we don’t win compensation for your catastrophic injury case, you’ll owe us nothing at all.
How Long Is the Statute of Limitations for Catastrophic Injury Lawsuits in Ohio?
Ohio imposes a two-year statute of limitations on most catastrophic injury lawsuits. This gives you until the second anniversary of the date you were injured to formally seek damages from an at-fault party or insurance carrier.
If you miss the filing deadline, there’s no turning back. You’ll have lost the right to bring a claim and demand financial justice for your life-changing injury.
Schedule a Free Case Review With an Experienced Westlake Catastrophic Injury Lawyer
Someone else was negligent, and your life has changed forever due to a catastrophic injury in Westlake, OH. Wisehart Wright Trial Lawyers is here to help you hold them accountable. Call our Westlake catastrophic injury attorneys for immediate assistance with your fight for compensation.
Since our opening, our personal injury law firm has been a source of strength and support for accident victims and families in Ohio. Backed by 181 years of combined experience, we’ve helped our clients win over $100 million in monetary awards.
We offer a free consultation, so contact our Ohio law office to arrange a time to discuss your catastrophic injury claim today.