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Catastrophic Injuries
Premier Catastrophic Injury Attorneys in Maine
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Maine Catastrophic Injury attorneys helping victims recover fair compensation.
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Suffering any type of injury in an accident can be stressful and frustrating, but catastrophic injuries can be truly life-altering. They could leave you with all manner of medical expenses, as well as the inability to work for months, or possibly for the rest of your life.
If you’ve sustained catastrophic injuries in an accident that arose due to another party’s misconduct, you may have legal options available. One of these is to file a personal injury claim to pursue financial compensation.
The skilled catastrophic injury attorneys in Maine at Gideon Asen can offer the dedicated assistance you need. With our team by your side, you can focus on healing and moving forward after a severe accident while we take care of your claim.
Learn more about what defines catastrophic injuries and how our lawyers can make a difference in your case.
What Is a Catastrophic Injury?
A catastrophic injury is any type of harm that alters your life by causing long-term or permanent damage. It affects not just your physical well-being but also your ability to work and perform daily tasks.
Such an injury could also impact you cognitively, resulting in concentration, memory, or communication problems. In some instances, it may even affect your personality, causing severe disturbances to your moods and lowering your overall quality of life.
These types of injuries don’t just impact those who have suffered them. They also affect their loved ones, as victims may need help with daily tasks, transportation, and financial maintenance.
Most Common Types of Catastrophic Injuries
At Gideon Asen, our tenacious personal injury lawyers have represented clients who have sustained a variety of catastrophic injuries, including the following:
Spinal Cord Injuries
The spinal cord is made up of nerve fibers that communicate with the brain, sending and receiving signals that govern sensation and motor function. If any part of the spine is damaged, you could lose feeling and control of limbs and other body parts below the site of the injury.
The most serious of these injuries are those that affect the cervical area of the spine, or the neck. They may prevent the victim from moving any of their limbs and can even make it difficult to breathe without support from a medical device.
Traumatic Brain Injuries
Traumatic brain injuries occur when something hits or shakes the victim’s head forcefully enough to cause the brain to jostle inside the skull. It can also result from an object piercing the skull and damaging the brain tissue.
Forms of trauma like diffuse axonal injuries or brain bleeds can cause cognitive issues that range in severity. Some can lead accident victims to fall into a coma. Sadly, it’s possible for them to lose their lives, as well.
Severe Burns
Our Maine catastrophic injury lawyers have assisted countless clients who have received serious burns in accidents. Burns can have varying levels of severity, with third-degree burns being the most dangerous. These impact the top layers of skin and fatty tissue. They may also reach the bones.
Along with intense pain, burns frequently cause scarring and disfigurement, while also putting the victim at risk of infection. As such, they require extensive medical care. If you’ve received third-degree burns, you likely won’t be able to live your life as you used to.
Organ Damage
Any injury that compromises how an organ functions is catastrophic in nature. Such an injury can result in total organ failure, which puts the victim’s life at risk and requires them to obtain a transplant. These injuries are common in severe car accidents, as well as medical malpractice incidents involving infections or medication errors.
Amputations
Losing a limb or any part of the body can be devastating. Aside from causing extreme pain and discomfort, amputation requires patients to relearn how to perform certain tasks. Some may experience phantom pains or need counseling to come to terms with the loss of a limb.
How Our Catastrophic Injury Attorneys in Maine Can Help
After suffering a catastrophic injury because of another party’s negligent or wrongful conduct, you may be entitled to file a legal claim against them. When dealing with such a significant injury, you shouldn’t attempt to take legal action on your own. Instead, hiring a reputable lawyer for catastrophic injuries is the best option.
The capable team at Gideon Asen will begin your case by investigating how your injury occurred. We’ll gather evidence demonstrating that the other party caused your losses, such as medical records, witness statements, video footage, and expert witness testimonies.
Once we have sufficient evidence, we’ll calculate the losses you’ve suffered, accounting for everything from your medical expenses to the emotional impact your injuries have had on your life and your family’s. Our experienced attorneys will take care to ensure that all of your losses are properly addressed.
Once we know how much compensation you deserve, we can begin discussing a settlement with the at-fault party’s insurance company. We’ll negotiate aggressively for both economic and non-economic damages to address your losses.
If the insurance company refuses to cooperate or makes an inadequate settlement offer, we have the option of pursuing your case in court. Doing so will give you a chance to receive comprehensive damages via a jury verdict.
FAQ
How Long Do I Have to File a Legal Claim After a Catastrophic Injury in Maine?
In Maine, the statute of limitations for any type of personal injury is six years. However, it’s never a good idea to wait that long. The longer you hold off on filing a claim, the more difficult it will be to obtain pertinent evidence.
There may also be certain exceptions that could shorten this timeline. If you miss the legal deadline, you’ll be permanently barred from recovering damages.
Can I Be Partly Responsible for the Accident and Still Recover Damages?
Yes. Maine operates under modified comparative negligence laws. These laws allow you to recover various losses as long as you were less than 50% responsible for the original accident. The insurance companies will do everything they can to play up your degree of fault, so hiring an attorney to protect your interests is essential.
What Damages Can I Claim After Suffering a Catastrophic Injury in Maine?
You can seek compensation for your current medical expenses, as well as any future care needs you may have. If you’ve had to miss work because of your condition, your wages can be covered, too. In the most severe cases, when you can’t return to work at all, you may receive compensation for your loss of earning potential.
Because not all outcomes of an injury are easily quantifiable, you can also claim non-economic damages to address effects like physical and mental distress and loss of enjoyment of life.
How Much Does Hiring an Attorney for Catastrophic Injuries Cost in Maine?
Working with a personal injury attorney to seek compensation for your catastrophic injuries won’t cost you anything up front. Instead, your lawyer will claim a percentage of your final settlement or award.
Make sure you have an idea of the exact fee your lawyer will charge and whether there will be any other expenses your payment may need to address.
Stand Up for Your Rights With Help From Gideon Asen
Sustaining a catastrophic injury can mean facing burdensome medical expenses, as well as changes to how you live your life. You may not be able to do the things you once loved, and you could struggle to maintain yourself. If another party’s conduct caused your accident, you may be eligible to receive compensation.
A personal injury case is never a simple procedure, but it can be especially challenging when you’re dealing with life-altering injuries. That’s why hiring a qualified attorney is one of the best decisions you can make.
The premier catastrophic injury attorneys at Gideon Asen can help you understand your rights and see to all the legal complexities for you so you can heal without the added stress of doing paperwork or communicating with insurers.
Don’t go through this difficult time on your own when there’s experienced and dedicated legal aid available. Contact us today to schedule a free consultation.
Ben Gideon on Spinal Cord Injuries
“One of the things we are able to do with spinal cord injuries is talk to our clients from the perspective of our experience with many clients who have had these kind of cases.”
