Catastrophic Injury & Wrongful Death

Life can change in an instant if you have been seriously injured or lost a loved one due to the negligence of others. Not only are you recovering from your injuries or coping with the death of a family member, but you must also deal with the legal and financial repercussions of the disaster that changed your life.

Insurance companies and corporations have teams of tough, experienced lawyers looking out for them. So should you.

Trial-Tested Legal Advisors

The attorneys at Simon Greenstone Panatier have a proven track record representing victims of corporate negligence.

Taking major corporations and their insurance companies to court and winning requires a significant investment of time and energy. That’s our passion. Simon Greenstone Panatier has the skills and the resources to find the evidence needed to prove our client’s case in court, and the determination to stand up to even the toughest courtroom opponents.

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What are the Common Causes of Major Injuries and Wrongful Death?

Serious injuries and death can result from a number of different kinds of accidents. At Simon Greenstone Panatier, we have significant experience working with victims of a wide array of accidents, including:

  • Truck accidents
  • Bus accidents
  • Aviation disasters
  • Refinery explosions
  • Industrial explosions
  • Exposures to toxic chemicals
  • Construction accidents
  • Agricultural accidents
  • Defective products
  • Boating and maritime accidents

Types of Catastrophic Injuries

Catastrophic injuries are those that severely inhibit the victim’s quality of life, either in the short or long term. They can result in costly medical bills that, without assistance, can easily deplete a family’s life savings. In many cases, victims require lifelong care that can ultimately cost millions of dollars.

A partial list of catastrophic injuries includes:

  • Paralysis
  • Amputation
  • Loss of hearing
  • Loss of sight/blindness
  • Nerve damage
  • Head injury or trauma, such as skull fracture or concussion
  • Brain injury
  • Internal bleeding
  • Emotional trauma
  • Diminished quality of life
  • Spinal cord injury
  • Post-Traumatic Stress
  • Severe burns
  • Scarring or disfigurement
  • Injuries to internal organs

Catastrophic injuries such as those listed can create lifelong medical issues that require consistent care. Unfortunately, insurance companies seek to minimize the amount they pay to victims, so it’s important to retain the services of an attorney who can take on those large corporations and their insurers and make sure injured victims receive the care they need and the justice they deserve.

Contact us to learn more about your rights and legal options for recovering compensation.

What Constitutes a Personal Injury Claim?

The experienced catastrophic injury lawyers at Simon Greenstone understand that individuals who come to us are unique, with medical, emotional and legal needs that may be overwhelming to them and their families.

Our attorneys devise a strategy aimed at ensuring that those responsible for our clients’ injuries are held responsible for their negligence. No amount of money can undo a disaster that leaves its victims permanently disabled, emotionally traumatized or, in the most tragic cases, cause the wrongful death of a loved one. By helping our clients receive financial compensation for their injuries, however, we hope to provide the resources to cope with their tragedies.

Through legal action, we can seek, on our clients’ behalf, compensation for a variety of claims, including:

  • Medical expenses, including lifetime care, if needed
  • Pain and suffering from the physical and emotional stress from the injuries
  • Mental anguish, or the anxiety, grief and depression caused by the injuries or the death of a loved one
  • Lost wages and reduced earning capacity, including the loss of potential income in the event of the wrongful death of a loved one
  • Disfigurement and permanent physical impairment
  • Loss of consortium, or the loss of a loving spouse or the inability of a spouse to provide the companionship they provided before the accident
  • Exemplary (or punitive) damages aimed at preventing future disasters

What Constitutes a Wrongful Death Claim?

A wrongful death claim is a civil lawsuit filed by one or more survivors of a victim who was killed because of the intentional, reckless or negligent conduct of another individual, group of individuals or company. Such a lawsuit can be filed by the spouse (legal or common law), child or parents of the deceased. Under current law, neither siblings nor same-sex spouses are able to file a claim for wrongful death.

Statute of Limitations

In Texas, the statute of limitations in most wrongful death cases is two years from the date of the event that caused the victim’s death, although there are exceptions to that rule. That means survivors must act quickly to allow time for their lawyers to adequately research the event that caused their loved one’s death, identify the responsible parties and file the claim before two years has elapsed.

Survivors of wrongful death victims can be eligible for compensation for a variety of claims, including:

  • Medical expenses
  • Hospital expenses
  • Funeral costs
  • The deceased’s pain and suffering before death
  • Loss of companionship
  • Loss of financial support
  • Loss of parental support
  • Mental distress
  • Emotional pain
  • Loss of wages

What Should You Do Following a Catastrophic Injury or Death?

  1. Call 911 and cooperate with emergency medical or law enforcement personnel.
  2. Seek immediate medical attention. If you aren’t sure whether you were injured, seek medical attention because many injuries can take up to several days to be noticeable.
  3. While you are still at the scene, and if you are able, write down the names and contact information of as many witnesses as possible. Write down or record their statements about what they witnessed.
  4. Take as many photos as you can safely take of the witnesses and the scene of the accident, from as many angles as you can. If you have a video camera, record the scene. Remember, though, that your safety is the most important consideration. If you are unable to take photos or video without putting yourself in harm’s way, don’t do it.
  5. Contact an experienced catastrophic injury attorney as soon as possible. Your attorney will want to begin an investigation as soon as possible to ensure that all evidence is preserved.
  6. Although you may have already given an account of the event to a police officer or other investigator, you will want to write down your own account of the event as soon as possible. Memory does not improve with time, and you will need to recall key facts that you may forget if you do not keep an accurate journal of the facts.
  7. Do not accept a settlement from an insurance company until you have met with a catastrophic injury lawyer with experience taking such cases to verdict. Often, large corporations and their insurers prey upon those without adequate legal representation and offer small compensation packages when a good lawyer and jury would have obtained a much larger amount.

What are my legal rights?

You may be entitled to compensation for your injuries or the death of a family member. Our experienced catastrophic injury lawyers are dedicated to protecting the rights of injury victims, and we work diligently to seek the justice our clients deserve following a catastrophic injury or wrongful death.

Contact us to learn more about your rights and legal options for recovering compensation.

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