Catastrophic Injuries

If another person’s negligent or intentional conduct causes you to suffer catastrophic injuries that adversely affect the quality of your life on a long-term or permanent basis, New Jersey personal injury laws enable you to pursue compensation from the at-fault party. At Injury Lawyers of NJ, LLC, catastrophic injury lawyers Sheri Breen and Natalie Zammitti Shaw apply more than 50 years of combined experience in helping injured victims recover the full compensation they deserve.

Our depth and breadth of experience sets us apart from other personal injury law firms. We achieve victory for clients through case-specific strategic legal theories and creative analysis that maximize our client’s financial recovery. Our catastrophic injury lawyer team is tenacious, tireless, and highly skilled in negotiation and litigation. We do not hesitate to take a case to court when a trial is necessary to achieve justice for our client.

What Are Catastrophic Injuries?

While there is not a standard definition of what qualifies as a catastrophic injury, there is general agreement that a catastrophic injury is one that causes long-lasting or permanent damage or impairment and has a difficult or impossible recovery. Catastrophic injuries significantly affect the injured person’s quality of life, and often result in a permanent inability to work. Relationships with loved ones and friends are frequently adversely affected, as is the ability to enjoy life. Pain and suffering and mental health issues often accompany a catastrophic injury.

Examples of catastrophic injuries include:

• Traumatic brain injury (TBI) and other brain injuries
• Neck and spinal cord injuries
• Loss of a limb
• Loss of vision or hearing
• Permanent disfigurement or deformity
• Neurological damage
• Severe burns

Most catastrophic injuries require extensive medical treatment for a long period of time, sometimes even for the rest of the injured person’s life.

Causes of Catastrophic Injuries & Legal Liability

Many different types of accidents can cause a catastrophic injury. When the accident that causes the victim’s injury results from conduct of another person, and that conduct meets the legal standard of negligence (or is intentional), the person who is at fault is legally liable for paying compensation to the injured individual under applicable state laws. While New Jersey no-fault insurance laws limit the ability to file a legal action in some situations, the nature of catastrophic injuries almost always allows the injured party to move forward with a claim against an at-fault driver.

Types of accidents that can cause catastrophic injuries include:

• Car accidents
• Truck accidents
• Construction accidents
• Slip-and-fall or trip-and-fall accidents
• Dog bites and attacks
• Drunk driving accidents
• Pedestrian accidents
• Rideshare (Uber and Lyft) accidents
• Motorcycle accidents
• Bicycle accidents

Under New Jersey law, an adult has only two years after an accident happens to bring a legal action for a catastrophic injury. When the two-year statute of limitations expires, the injured person permanently loses their ability to file a personal injury action. Contacting a catastrophic injury lawyer as soon as possible after the accident is extremely important.

If catastrophic injuries are fatal, family members may be able to pursue a wrongful death action against the person who caused the accident. There is also a two-year statute of limitations on wrongful death actions in New Jersey.

NJ Catastrophic Injury Lawyer Fighting for Your Compensation

At Injury Lawyers of NJ, our catastrophic injury lawyer team pursues maximum compensation for all our clients. Determining damages in a catastrophic injury case involves calculating damages based on a wide-range losses, including both economic (financial) and non-economic (non-financial intangible) losses, such as:

• Permanent disability or disfigurement
• Pain and suffering
• Emotional distress
• Loss of consortium (loss of marital companionship and services)
• Past, current, and future medical and treatment bills and expenses
• Current and future lost wages and diminished earning capacity
• Cost of long-term rehabilitation treatment

Other accident-related expenses and losses may also be recoverable as part of damages under New Jersey law. While there are no guarantees, proper determination of full compensation is one of the reasons that a victim with legal representation is likely to recover more damages than an injured person who does not seek legal counsel after an accident.

Injury Lawyers of NJ — Bridging the Gap From Victim to Victor

To build the best case for liability and compensation, our catastrophic injury lawyers conduct an exhaustive investigation into all the circumstances relating to the accident and the nature and impact of the victim’s injuries, including their present and future medical condition.

We will:

• Fully investigate your accident, gather surveillance video and photos, interview witnesses, and more.
• Consult with experts that are knowledgeable regarding accident reconstruction and medical injuries, and others if needed, to prove your case.
• Submit a claim with the responsible insurance company and, if necessary, file a lawsuit.
• Negotiate a full and fair settlement.
• Take your case to court if the insurer fails to negotiate a settlement in good faith.

In most catastrophic injury cases, victory comes through a negotiated settlement, rather than in a courtroom verdict. However, we never hesitate to try a case to verdict when court proceedings are necessary to secure the full compensation the client deserves.

Schedule a Free Consultation With Our NJ Catastrophic Injury Lawyers

If you suffered catastrophic injuries, our lawyers offer a free initial consultation to discuss your case. If you retain us to represent you, we take the case on a contingent fee basis. We welcome you to use the online contact form to schedule a no-cost consultation to discuss your case with an experienced catastrophic injury lawyer.

We help clients throughout the State of New Jersey. Our lawyers are also licensed in the State of New York. For families who lose a loved one because of a catastrophic injury, our lawyers help with wrongful death claims.