In a catastrophic injury case your lawyer must have the experience and the experts to prove what the rest of your life is going to look like.
What do I mean by that? Well, part of our job in preparing a catastrophic injury case here at The Segal Law Firm is to determine what your needs are going to be over the course of your entire life. If you’ve been paralyzed, we’re going to need a doctor who understands paralysis. How often are you going to have to see specialty doctors because of your risk for blood clots, urinary tract infections, or bed sores?
What kind of care are you going to need? You’re definitely not going to use one wheelchair for the rest of your life. You’re going to need several different types wheelchairs; one for around the house, another for going out to eat and maybe another for getting outdoors to hunt or fish.
What type of equipment are you going to need for the rest of your life? Will you need a van with two air conditioners and adapted driving devices? Maybe you’ll need a home that has an exit ramp so you can easily get out of your bedroom if the house catches fire. In those cases, we would need to contact architects or someone who is an expert on altering automobiles for adaptive driving.
Last but not least, you’re going to need a life-care planner and an economist. A life-care planner basically puts all of the information that the experts have come up with to figure how much of this you are going to need for your future. Wheelchairs and vehicles don’t last forever; they have to be replaced several times. Your medical bills and nursing care will change over time and it’s our job as your attorney to anticipate those changes. Do you need around the care clock or someone to help you get ready in the mornings? Those are all things a life-care planner works on and then the economist tells us how much it will all cost.
We had a client a few years ago who was a triathlete. He didn’t need just need one prosthetic leg- he needed six! One to swim, one to jog, one for when he’s out hunting, and then a few other adaptive devices. I’m proud to say that he’s even working with a scientist now who’s developing a bionic leg for our troops coming back from Afghanistan and Iraq. We have video of that client jogging up and down steps and sideways down a hill withthout a limp. And there’s enough money in his life-care plan so that, despite his catastrophic injury, he will be able to afford a bionic leg.
You can’t go back twenty years later and ask the judge for more money because you didn’t get enough the first time around. You’ve got to find an attorney with the experience and the experts to get you a sufficient amount the first time around. We can answer any catastrophic injury questions you might have, toll free, at 855-344-9100.