Asheville Catastrophic Injury Lawyer

Broken bones, concussions, whiplash—many Asheville residents have experienced these types of injuries as a result of car accidents and other harmful events. While these serious injuries can require physical therapy and surgery, most victims experience a full recovery and do not require a catastrophic injury lawyer.

But if you or a loved one experienced an injury that resulted in permanent disability, you probably have questions about what you should do in both the short term and the long term. Often called catastrophic injuries, these types of injuries are the most serious non-fatal injuries that people can suffer.

After experiencing a catastrophic injury, the physical pain and mental anguish can be debilitating. Even though the road to recovery will be long and arduous, it’s important to take action as soon as you’re able in order to secure financial compensation for your life-changing injuries. Attorney Lakota R. Denton has helped Asheville injury victims recover the compensation that they’re owed.

If you’ve been catastrophically injured, you need a knowledgeable, caring Asheville catastrophic injury attorney to fight for your case. Call our offices at 828-333-5996 to learn more about how we can serve you.

What Are Catastrophic Injuries?

Understanding the Severity of Your Injuries Can Impact Your Case

The legal term “catastrophic injury” is based on the American Medical Association’s (AMA) definition of this type of injury. Catastrophic injuries have permanent effects on victims, leaving them unable to return to their normal activities or to enjoy their life to the same extent. The AMA definition of catastrophic injury pertains specifically to severe injury to the central nervous system—that is, the spine, spinal cord, brain, or skull. Personal injury attorneys tend to include any injury that leaves a victim permanently disabled, such as severe burns or loss of limbs.

Victims of catastrophic injuries face a lifetime of physical and emotional challenges. By seeking maximum compensation, victims can still secure their financial future.

Motorcyclists, pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorists involved in commercial truck accidents and other automobile accidents are among the most common victims of catastrophic injuries. These injuries often occur during high-speed or T-bone car accidents; accidents involving people and vehicles with little to no protection from harm; or accidents involving massive vehicles like trucks. Still, numerous other types of accidents and scenarios outside of automobile accidents can lead to catastrophic injuries. Our catastrophic injury lawyer has experience with a wide range of these types of cases and knows the best strategy to use in each so he can get clients the full compensation they deserve.

What Are Some of the Permanent Effects of Catastrophic Injuries?

Injuries are deemed catastrophic when they result in permanent disability or loss of use of a body part. Some of the possible consequences of catastrophic injuries include:

• Paralysis
• Loss of mental capacity
• Loss or impairment of sight, hearing, or other senses
• Amputation or loss of limbs
• Chronic pain, often requiring medication
• Permanent damage to organs, such as the kidneys, requiring transplant or frequent treatment.

People with a permanent disability resulting from an injury often cannot return to work, reducing their personal and household income. Permanent conditions such as brain injuries, chronic pain, spinal injuries, and sensory impairment leave victims unable to perform many basic tasks like performing self-care or maintaining their home. So, family members often have to step up to care for their loved one at home, leading to further loss of household income.

If you are concerned about how your medical and other expenses may be covered by a settlement, ask our catastrophic injury attorney about your case. Lakota Denton will give you an honest assessment of what you may be able to receive in a settlement so you can make an informed decision about your next steps. Call Lakota today at 828-333-5996.

What Medical Care Do Victims Need After a Catastrophic Injury?

Expenses in a Catastrophic Injury Case Add Up Quickly Accident victims who suffer disabling injuries need lifelong care, often from multiple specialists. You may need a variety of services, depending on your injuries. Treatment for catastrophically injured people often includes:

• In-home healthcare, either around the clock or during the day while loved ones are at work or in school
• Home medical equipment such as wheelchairs, ramps, chairlifts, hospital beds, or other devices to make the home more accessible
• A service animal, if they suffered sensory loss or impairment
• Physical or occupational therapy to help recover some of the ability to move or care for oneself.

All of these services impose enormous expense. Even with insurance, Medicaid, or Medicare, the copays may be too much for you and your family to afford. If you have no health insurance, you may struggle to get the care you need. Some things, like EMS, chiropractic treatment, and service animals, are not covered by health insurance, even though they are all necessary services. These costs make it even more difficult to adjust to your circumstances after a catastrophic injury.

There is a lot at stake when you face large medical bills and may have also lost income. Our catastrophic injury lawyer in Asheville has detailed knowledge of North Carolina laws. Lakota Denton has extensive experience with serious injury cases. Insurance companies know he is a formidable attorney, and chances are much higher you’ll get the settlement amount you need when you work with Lakota. Trying to settle a catastrophic injury case on your own will likely result in much less than if you have legal representation.

What Damages Can I Recover from a Catastrophic Injury Lawsuit?

Any injury that occurs at the hands of a negligent person is a tragedy. Catastrophic injuries are especially severe because they result in almost incalculable physical, financial, and emotional losses. Due to the severity of their injuries, catastrophic injury victims often face very painful injuries, prolonged recovery, and need for lifelong medical care and assistance. Trauma and diminished quality of life can also inflict mental and emotional damage.

It is essential that catastrophic injury victims secure the compensation that they’re owed. If your injury resulted from someone’s negligence, you are entitled to compensation. A catastrophic injury lawsuit can be key to recovering damages and future expenses for ongoing medical care, lost wages, and other forms of financial recovery that no injury victim should overlook.

Our Asheville catastrophic injury lawyer can help you to recover damages for:

• Medical bills and expenses for surgeries, physical therapy, doctor visits, hospital stays, and more
• Future medical expenses such as rehabilitative procedures and therapy, future surgeries, medical devices, and assistive care
• Lost wages and future lost wages and diminished earning capacity due to disability
• Pain and suffering, including trauma and mental anguish
• Non-economic damages, meaning non-quantifiable damages, like loss of companionship.

How Much Is My Catastrophic Injury Case Worth?

Recovering damages for serious injuries is a fair and just means of compensating all accident victims. However, compensation for catastrophic injury victims is doubly important. Securing compensation is necessary so you can afford future costs for ongoing care, medical procedures and therapies, among other expenses. Catastrophic injury victims also face the financial burden of lost income because their injuries may prevent them from working. Insurance may not cover all, or much, of these expenses.

It’s not possible to instantly know how much your catastrophic injury case is worth, however. Our catastrophic injury lawyer in Asheville will need to review your case and take a close look at your existing and future medical and health-related expenses, your disrupted income potential, and other factors, in order to know your case’s worth. Successful catastrophic injury lawsuits tend to have higher settlements due to the severity and permanence of injuries. Call our team at 828-333-5996 to ask Lakota Denton about your case.

How Can Our Asheville Catastrophic Injury Lawyer Help You?

After Your Accident, Turn to Lakota Denton

Facing emergency surgical operations and procedures after a catastrophic accident is daunting. On top of prolonged physical recovery and emotional scarring, suffering financially adds insult to injury. As you begin recovery, contact our catastrophic injury attorney in Asheville. By joining your side, our catastrophic injury attorney can make sure that you’re not pushed into accepting a low-value settlement from an insurance company. While hardly fair, your future now depends on having the means to pay for numerous unexpected costs resulting from your injury.

Trust Our Asheville Catastrophic Injury Lawyer to Build a Strong Case

A catastrophic injury lawsuit can get complicated. Calculating damages requires taking a close look at medical expenses and other costs and making accurate predictions about future costs and compromised earning abilities. Treatment for individuals with disabilities can involve doctors, therapists, care aides, and other specialists whose services incur significant costs.

Further, it’s important to factor in non-economic damages, like how your injuries leave you unable to provide care and support for others. Reviewing medical reports, accident details, witness testimony, and other case materials are all crucial to building a solid case. Severely injured victims should not attempt such a task alone. Instead, let our catastrophic injury lawyer help build a strong case for you. You can rely on not only the legal skills and strategy Lakota Denton can bring to your case, but also upon his experience with many other cases like yours.

Who Is Liable for a Catastrophic Injury?

Catastrophic injury cases result in severe bodily damage. But a successful case hinges on demonstrating negligence, as with almost any personal injury case. A negligent person or entity either acted recklessly or disregarded the caution and care required by a situation, resulting in an accident where a victim was hurt. So, who is liable for a catastrophic injury? A negligent person or entity can be held liable for an accident, and a successful catastrophic injury lawsuit can recover compensation for an injured victim.

If you’ve been catastrophically injured as a result of negligence, a catastrophic injury lawsuit can recover the compensation that you’re owed and hold negligent people accountable.

Drivers who speed or drive while intoxicated demonstrate negligence. But negligence is hardly limited to automobile accidents. Negligent actions could also include ordering workers onto an unsafe construction site, failing to prevent an animal from biting and severely injuring someone, or neglecting to inspect a piece of equipment or machinery that later malfunctions and causes injury. A negligent person’s employer may also be liable in a catastrophic injury case. For example, a trucking company could be held accountable if one of its drivers is negligent.

Client Testimonial

”Lakota made sure I was physically taken care of and in good health before we settled. That spoke volumes to me and I really enjoyed the fact that he listened to my preferences of physical therapy over a chiropractor. He had a solid recommendation for physical therapy and gave me awesome tips to expand my insurance coverage by a few dollars. Overall fantastic experience.” – Allison Miller (Google Review)

Lakota R. Denton, P.A. – Asheville Office

36 Orchard St, Asheville, NC 28801

P: (828) 333-5996