Securing Compensation: Personal Injury and Lifelong Disability
Personal injuries resulting in lifelong disabilities are much more complicated than those resulting in less serious, short-term injuries. A lifelong disability may require lifelong care and prevent the victim from returning to work. The permanency of the disability necessitates a greater settlement to adequately compensate the victim and his or her family. If you suffered a personal injury and lifelong disability in the White Plains, NY, area, you need an attorney with extensive knowledge and experience in personal injury law. At Worby Vecchio Edelman, LLP, our attorneys are experts in securing appropriate compensation for clients suffering from lifelong disabilities after an accident.
Calculating the Costs of a Lifelong Disability
It is far more difficult to calculate the true costs of a lifelong disability compared with a short-term injury. This is because short-term injuries are finite. Even if it takes a couple years or more, you will eventually heal and return to work. Experts can more easily calculate your lost or reduced wages during that limited timeframe and produce an accurate estimate for your medical expenses.
Medical Expenses and Loss of Income
Permanent disabilities, however, are less straightforward. You may require long-term care, additional surgeries and therapies, and more. Additionally, experts must account for how your disability might affect other areas of your health in the future. While a permanent disability may not prevent you from ever returning to work, it is highly likely that you will be unable to return to your previous position. Most victims of lifelong disabilities find they cannot find a job with similar pay and potential for advancement as they had before suffering an injury.
Experts must not only estimate your potential lifetime medical expenses, but they must also estimate your projected earnings had you not been injured. To do so, they typically factor in your level of education, your previous position and pay, as well as the potential for advancement within your industry. These figures are used to show your loss of income and reduced earning capacity due to your disability.
Quality of Life
A permanent disability is likely to reduce not only your quality of life, but also the quality of life for your family as well. This is much more difficult to estimate. Experts may look at whether you are married, have children, how active you were previously, among other factors.
Settling Your Personal Injury Claim
Personal injury claims involving lifelong disabilities are far more likely to result in damages in the millions, especially if the case goes to trial. Insurance companies will do everything they can to settle for the lowest amount possible. This makes it critical that you work with a skilled personal injury attorney. Our attorneys will negotiate with the insurance company on your behalf to maximize the amount of compensation you receive. With our experts estimating your future costs of care, you can feel confident that we will secure appropriate compensation for your injury.
Contact Our Law Firm Today
If you or a loved one has suffered a permanent disability caused by another party’s negligence, contact our law firm to set up your initial case evaluation.