Catastrophic Injury

Helping People Find Financial Recovery after a Catastrophic Injury

Washington State Personal Injury Law Firm

At the Law Office of Joanne R. Werner, our Seattle attorneys represent people who have suffered serious, catastrophic injuries from:

• Medical negligence in surgery, childbirth, emergency room settings, or hospital care
• Nursing home negligence
• Car collisions, trucking wrecks, and motorcycle crashes
• Falls on dangerous properties
• Unsafe equipment in homes and workplaces, and
• Other unique situations

What is a Catastrophic Injury?

Many kinds of injuries can be termed catastrophic if they have a substantial, and/or lasting impact on many daily life tasks. For example:

Spinal cord injuries are often permanent. Back and spinal cord injuries can lead to a lifetime of weakness in limbs, ongoing pain, loss of movement, and, in the most serious cases, paralysis, paraplegia, or quadriplegia. Spinal cord and back injuries affect every area of daily life.

Traumatic brain injuries may or may not heal with time. Brain injury can result in loss of memory, loss of emotional control, changed personality, loss of cognitive functioning, and an inability to work, manage money and home affairs, and display appropriate social skills. In cases of brain injury, it is often the family members who are most able to understand the change and loss.

Cerebral palsy resulting from anoxia or hypoxia at birth will require that a child receive special education services throughout his or her school career, as well as therapy, adaptive equipment, modifications to the home, and ongoing assistance to achieve the greatest degree of independence in adult life.

How Does the Seriousness of an Injury Affect a Personal Injury Lawsuit?

A person who has suffered a catastrophic injury is entitled to financial compensation for past medical expenses, future expenses for ongoing care and adaptive equipment.  In addition, an injured person is entitled to financial compensation for pain and suffering, loss of the ability to enjoy life, and loss or reduced ability to earn a living. The ongoing costs of care, therapy, and adaptive equipment, and the injured person's decreased ability to earn an income must be taken into consideration. Reaching a proper dollar value for these factors often requires the help of medical, economic, and vocational specialists. We regularly work with experts to make the strongest case for the highest level of compensation for our clients.

Learn more about how we have helped injured people achieve the financial recovery they need by reviewing our significant cases.

Contact the Law Office of Joanne R. Werner to speak to a lawyer regarding your personal injury, medical malpractice, or nursing home negligence claim.

All catastrophic injury cases are accepted on a contingency fee basis.
If we accept your case, you will pay no fees or costs 
until you receive a financial recovery for your case.
If there is no recovery, you owe no fees or costs.