What Is a Catastrophic Injury?
A catastrophic injury is a severe and often life-altering injury that results in long-term or permanent disability, extensive medical treatment, and significant impact on the injured person's quality of life.
These injuries are typically of such magnitude that they cause a profound and lasting effect on the victim and their ability to perform everyday activities or return to their normal life.
Examples of catastrophic injuries include:
- Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI): Severe brain injuries that result in cognitive, motor, or sensory impairments, affecting the victim's ability to function independently.
- Spinal Cord Injuries: Damage to the spinal cord that can lead to partial or complete paralysis and loss of sensation below the injury site.
- Amputations: The loss of a limb or body part, significantly impacting mobility and overall function.
- Severe Burns: Extensive burns that can cause physical disfigurement, scarring, and long-term complications.
- Organ Damage: Injuries resulting in damage to vital organs, leading to lifelong medical conditions and impairments.
- Multiple Fractures: Suffering several fractures in multiple bones, resulting in long-term disability and chronic pain.
Catastrophic injuries often require ongoing medical treatment, rehabilitation, and long-term care, leading to substantial medical expenses and loss of income. Due to the severe nature of these injuries, victims and their families may face considerable emotional and financial challenges. In such cases, seeking legal representation from an experienced catastrophic injury attorney can be crucial to ensure fair compensation and support for the injured person's future needs.
Punitive Damages and Per Quod Claims
While all injury cases can involve heavy financial, physical, and emotional burdens, catastrophic injuries often result in more extreme costs and damages. As such, victims of such injuries may be able to obtain more than just compensation for medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering. In some cases, an individual may be able to obtain punitive damages or file a per quod claim.
A per quod claim can be filed on behalf of a spouse, child, or other dependent of the injured party. For example, if a husband suffered paralysis in an accident, his wife may be able to file a per quod claim for the loss of services and support. These damages would cover the hypothetical loss of income and support that the husband would have provided had he not been paralyzed.
Similarly, punitive damages are awarded in extreme cases in which:
Meet Our Local Catastrophic Injuries Attorneys
We Take Pride in Serving the People of Our Community
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Richard J. Levinson Senior Shareholder -
Mark V. Kuminski Managing Shareholder
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Adam L. Rothenberg Shareholder
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Brett R. Greiner Shareholder
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Kimberly L. Gozsa Shareholder
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Michael B. Fusco Shareholder
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Robert Y. Cook Partner
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Patrick J. Flinn Partner
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Kathleen M. DiGiovanni Partner
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Joseph M. Marabondo Partner
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Ronald B. Grayzel Of Counsel
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James J. Dunn Of Counsel
Reviews & Testimonials
*Results may vary depending on your particular facts and legal circumstances.
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Celine took what I thought would be a stressful situation and turned it into a wonderfully positive experience for me and for my family. Her passion for her job, and her compassion towards her clients, is without limit. She is a fighter.
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I recently had the pleasure of working with the remarkable attorneys, Celine and Richard, at Levinson Axelrod, and I cannot recommend them highly enough! Thank you for your exceptional work and for going above and beyond to secure justice for your clien
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"Thank you and your team for fighting so hard for me."
Thank you for your quick response and for the information. Most importantly, thank you and your team for fighting so hard for me. I am grateful to have had such a caring and diligent team representing me throughout this ordeal.
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"It was a pleasure to have you as my attorney."
Adam I would like to thank you for everything it was a pleasure to have you as my attorney and I would recommend your services to anyone that I know that would need legal services.- D.L.
Our Settlements & Verdicts
Our top priority is to devise customized legal strategies that are tailored to the unique legal needs of our clients, no matter how simple or complicated their situations, might be.
*Results may vary depending on your particular facts and legal circumstances.
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$12,500,000 Medical Malpractice Settlement
The Levinson Axelrod, P.A. team obtained a $12.5 million dollar settlement on behalf of a client who was injured due to medical malpractice.
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$8,000,000 Tractor-Trailer Jury Verdict
A 35-year-old laborer who resides in Kearny was seriously injured while working on the median of a highway when a passing tractor-trailer lost a wheel that struck him.
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$7,000,000 Personal Injury Settlement
A Middlesex County man was severely injured and burned as a result of a collision with a truck. The truck driver had lost control of his vehicle and had come through a median barrier which had failed to redirect the truck away from oncoming traffic.
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$7,000,000 Premises Liability Jury Verdict
A woman was putting her 3-year-old son on a carnival amusement ride while holding onto a portable fence when she received an electrical shock. Our client was hospitalized and later developed Traumatic Dystonia, a condition that caused tremors in the hand and makes the fingers curl.
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$6,000,000 Personal Injury Jury Verdict
A female drunk driver crashed into plaintiff’s vehicle causing multiple fractures to the right ankle and foot. Plaintiff’s doctor testified that plaintiff would be under pain management protocol for the rest of his life due to this condition.
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