Why You Need a Catastrophic Injury Attorney in Lubbock, TX

Brown Trial Firm

Texas personal injury & wrongful death lawyers

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Specialty: Personal injury

Get the compensation you need and deserve after a life-changing injury

A catastrophic injury can alter a life in an instant, leaving a victim and their family grappling with immense physical, emotional, and financial challenges. Fortunately, Lubbock has resources available to help with your physical, emotional, and financial or legal needs.

While these are just a few examples of Lubbock catastrophic injuries, they have a common thread: People’s lives—if they survived—were irreparably changed. By definition, a catastrophic accident is one that causes severe injuries, often to the head, spine, or brain, which can be fatal if not treated properly or if the injuries are too extensive.

How a Lubbock personal injury lawyer can help you through a catastrophic injury claim

Navigating the aftermath of a catastrophic injury is daunting, but a personal injury lawyer offers crucial support. Your lawyer’s role involves:

• Evaluating your claim. The crux of personal injury law is that the plaintiff (victim or injured person) must prove that their injury was caused by the defendant’s negligence. Negligence is failing to take reasonable care to avoid harm. The lawyer will review the evidence to determine if there is sufficient proof to establish negligence and the likelihood of receiving damages.
• Navigating complex legal processes. The legal process involves filing claims, negotiating settlements, and other in-depth analyses. Most people are not equipped to handle these procedures on their own. 
• Securing compensation. When you suffer a catastrophic injury, the amount of financial need is not straightforward. By nature, a catastrophic injury involves extensive medical costs and long-term treatment. You might know what medical bills you accrue immediately, but most people can’t accurately estimate their future costs. If a catastrophic accident leaves you disabled, at reduced capacity to work, or with other rehabilitation needs, your costs could be very high. Your Lubbock personal injury lawyer will work with accountants, actuaries, medical experts, and other professionals to determine exactly what your future and/or lifetime costs will be.
• Advocacy. You might care about just getting compensation for your injuries, but some people also want to hold the defendants responsible in other ways, particularly if it’s corporate negligence or reckless behavior.
• Emotional support. You might not think it’s your lawyer’s role to provide emotional support, but they do. It might not mean having a chat with you as though they were your therapist, but they will provide resources and assistance to get you through the emotional toll of a catastrophic injury, including providing compassionate guidance through the process.

Support services in Lubbock for a catastrophic injury

There are several resources available for a Lubbock catastrophic injury.

• Moody Neurorehabilitation Institute, 1808 N. Quaker Ave., Lubbock, TX 79415
• Trustpoint Rehabilitation Hospital of Lubbock, 4302 Princeton St., Lubbock, TX 79415
• UMC Health System, 602 Indiana Ave., Lubbock, TX 79415 (multiple locations)

In addition to these large healthcare and rehabilitation facilities, there are numerous private medical practitioners, therapists, and others who can assist with recovery after a catastrophic accident.

What to do if you’re involved in a catastrophic injury accident

If you witness a catastrophic accident, acting swiftly can save lives and preserve critical evidence for a legal claim.

1. Call 911. Provide detailed information about the location and nature of the incident.
2. Offer assistance. Texas law requires that a driver involved in an accident must stop their vehicle immediately and render reasonable assistance to anyone injured in the accident. That might include calling 911 on another involved person’s behalf or transporting an injured person to the hospital if it is necessary and safe to do so. You may administer basic first aid if you’re trained, but you should avoid moving the victim unless it’s absolutely necessary to prevent further injury.
3. Document the scene. If it’s safe to capture photo or video at the scene, this can be very valuable evidence. Contributing factors like weather, hazardous conditions, defective equipment, and others can be presented as proof of liability.
4. Gather witness information. You don’t need to take statements from witnesses, but you should gather their contact information before they leave the scene. Often, there will be a well-meaning passerby who stops to help at an accident scene, but when first responders arrive, the Good Samaritan will leave. That person might be a valuable witness, so it’s important to take the name and phone number of anyone in the vicinity who might have observed anything before or during the accident that could be relevant.
5. Obtain a police report. Texas law requires that an accident that results in death, injury, or property damage of more than $1,000 must be reported immediately. Call the Lubbock Police Department to have officers make a report on the scene.

What makes a Lubbock injury “catastrophic”?

“Catastrophic injury” doesn’t have a specific definition, but it’s different from other types of injuries because recovery is lengthy, difficult, and sometimes a full recovery never happens. In essence, a catastrophic injury involves long-term, debilitating symptoms and a lengthy recovery process. Some catastrophic injury victims require live-in care or 24/7 assistance and a permanent loss in quality of life. 

Common catastrophic injuries include:

What does a Lubbock catastrophic injury lawsuit entail?

Because of the severity of catastrophic injuries, medical expenses will be high, and there could be damages related to pain and suffering. You can receive damages for medical costs, loss of earnings and earning capacity, pain and suffering, emotional trauma, and other costs related to the accident if the defendant is proven negligent and liable for the injuries. 

To do this, the plaintiff (victim or legal representative) would need to prove the following:

• The defendant had a duty to the victim, which means they were expected to take reasonable care to avoid harm; 
• The defendant breached that duty, or failed to take reasonable care to avoid injury to the victim; 
• The breach was the direct cause of the victim’s injuries; 
• There were, in fact, actual injuries; and 
• The injuries cost the plaintiff money (damages).

Because of these claims' complexity and the high damage amounts, insurers will strenuously defend against having to pay significant damages. For that reason, it’s crucial to have a Lubbock personal injury attorney involved from the outset to preserve the victim’s legal rights and ensure a fair settlement or successful verdict.