The Philadelphia catastrophic injury lawyers at The Cochran Firm have helped thousands of clients get relief from their suffering. If you have suffered a catastrophic injury in or around Philadelphia, you may be entitled to compensation for your losses. The proceeds you receive cannot turn back the clock, but they can help you adjust and rebuild for the future.
Contact our team at (800) 969-4400 to discuss your options.
Why Hire Our Philadelphia Catastrophic Injury Lawyers?
We Fight So You Don’t Have to
The Cochran Firm has a well-established reputation as a firm that fights to the end. Our clients confidently rely on us to press insurance companies to pay for the acts of the wrongdoers whom they cover. We understand the game insurance adjusters try to play on claimants. For the sake of profit, they employ tactics to find or create reasons to deny valid compensation claims. If they can’t deny the claim, they will most likely try to reduce it.
Our history of recovering substantial verdicts for our clients shows how much we care. It also demonstrates that when The Cochran Firm takes your case, you have a high chance of getting a proper compensation payout.
You also get a firm with:
- An extensive history of multimillion-dollar settlements and verdicts
- Award-winning attorneys with a reputation for excellence
- The experience and compassion needed to take on insurance companies
- Free initial consultations and case reviews
- Direct lines to The Cochran Firm attorneys.
The Cochran name is synonymous with legal excellence. Attorney Robert S. Miller and his team have faithfully maintained the firm’s reputation and are ready to fight for you. Contact our office to schedule a free consultation with a catastrophic injury lawyer and take the first step toward relief.
Understanding the Impact of Catastrophic Injuries
Catastrophic injuries are among the most severe types of injuries you can experience. They routinely require significant medical treatment and extended periods of time for recovery – when it’s possible. Unfortunately, in most cases, victims of catastrophic injuries face long roads of recovery, significant pain, and major disruption to their lives.
A catastrophic injury will typically cause one or more of the following outcomes:
- Loss of a limb or other vital body part
- Loss of the ability to walk
- Loss of cognitive ability
- Loss of enjoyment of a quality life
- Loss of the ability to properly communicate.
Victims’ lives are turned upside down by their catastrophic injuries. When those injuries are someone else’s fault, the victims deserve justice. In a fairer world, this justice would be automatic. However, in this world, injury victims must vigorously pursue the compensation they deserve.
How Catastrophic Injuries Occur
The world can be a dangerous place. Modern machinery and consumer products can be double-edged swords in the hands of negligent individuals.
Car Accidents
Drivers must operate their vehicles safely. The immense force under their control can maim and kill in a split second. Yet, some drivers in and around Philadelphia engage in negligent behavior that leads to horrific injury accidents.
Common negligent actions committed by motorists include:
- Driving while drunk or on drugs
- Driving while distracted
- Excessive speeding and reckless driving
- Road rage
- Failing to obey the rules of the road.
Speeding is more likely to cause a catastrophic injury and is commonly a concurrent accident cause. For example, drunk drivers often speed, thus compounding the seriousness of the accidents they cause. In such cases, it is essential to consult a car accident attorney who can help you navigate the legal process and protect your rights.
Motorcycle Accidents
Motorcyclists face an elevated risk of experiencing a catastrophic injury due to how exposed they are. However, safe drivers do not hit motorcycles. It is the negligent drivers who cause motorcyclists’ risks to be realized. Call our motorcycle accident lawyer today if you were hit by a negligent driver while on your bike.
Pedestrian and Bicycle Accidents
Pedestrians and bicyclists are also exposed to traffic. Even a low-speed crash with a car can cause serious bodily injury. Intersections are particularly dangerous for pedestrians and bicyclists. However, pedestrian accidents outside intersections tend to be more serious due to increased driver speeds.
Workplace Accidents
Catastrophic injuries in the workplace are more common than they should be. Safety standards are in place for most jobs, thanks to agencies like OSHA. However, catastrophic injuries occur regularly due to negligence, recklessness, and sometimes even intentional acts.
Of particular note are construction and farming jobs. Laborers in these industries face catastrophic injury and death from:
- Transportation accidents
- Falls
- Being hit by equipment or vehicles
- Toxic exposure
- Defective equipment
- Dangerous premises.
Other dangerous jobs in the state include fishing and hunting, utility work, and waste collection.
Falls
Falls that lead to catastrophic injuries often occur from high places, but not always. A slip-and-fall victim can easily experience a catastrophic injury. The risk of these types of accidents is effectively mitigated when property owners or tenants maintain their premises in a safe fashion, which does not always happen.
Consider a faulty handrail or a broken stair step inside of a stairwell. Reliance on either could send an individual tumbling. The resulting catastrophic injury would be the responsibility of the property owner or tenant who failed to ensure that their stair or railing was safe, and a premises liability lawyer may be able to help you navigate a legal claim.
Medical Malpractice
Tragically, some healthcare providers’ actions fall below the standards of care they must maintain when treating patients. Given the nature of medical treatment and the vulnerability of patients, individuals who are victims of medical mistakes can indeed suffer catastrophic injuries.
Defective Products
Defective products are unreasonably dangerous due to a design or manufacturing flaw. Every year, thousands are harmed by these faulty products. They can be found throughout society and include:
- Vehicle parts, such as tires and seatbelts
- Construction equipment and tools
- Ladders and elevation equipment
- Medical equipment
- Tools and equipment around the home.
In Pennsylvania, victims of catastrophic injuries caused by a defective product do not need to show negligence. They simply need to demonstrate that the product in question caused their catastrophic injury.
Justice Through Compensation for Catastrophic Injuries
Compensation is how victims of catastrophic injuries get justice. In some cases, the criminal justice system may also get involved. However, the primary way to make victims whole is through a monetary payment that covers their losses.
Pennsylvania law allows victims of catastrophic injuries to pursue monetary and compensatory damages for their losses. Compensatory damages can either be special damages or general damages.
Special damages encompass those losses that are directly financial in nature, including:
- Medical expenses
- Inability to earn an income
- Property damage
- Hiring domestic homecare help.
General damages do not directly involve money; however, these damages directly affect the quality of victims’ lives and can interfere with gainful employment opportunities. General damages include:
- Physical pain
- Emotional anguish from depression or anxiety
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Loss of companionship
- Permanent disfigurement.
For those catastrophic injury cases involving willful, malicious, or wanton conduct, punitive damages may be on the table. The purpose of punitive damages is to punish bad behavior and deter similar actions in the future. When awarded, they are given in addition to compensatory damages.
It is at the compensation calculation stage of the claims process that victims need a seasoned catastrophic injury attorney who understands how to calculate damages in a way that does their client justice.
The negotiations with insurance companies can be contentious in these cases because they usually involve substantial payouts. Under no circumstances does The Cochran Firm let an insurance company pay a client less than they deserve.
Making Liable Parties Pay
We Fight for Accountability
When a catastrophic injury lawyer from The Cochran Firm reviews your case, one of the first things they will do is identify the potentially liable parties. Liability for catastrophic injuries depends on the unique circumstances of each case.
In the lion’s share of cases, a Philadelphia catastrophic injury attorney must prove that their client’s injury came about by the negligence of another and that this negligence directly caused the catastrophic injury.
What negligence is in any given catastrophic injury case depends on the facts of the case. It is determined by judging an allegedly negligent person’s actions against accepted standards of care.
For example, in medical malpractice cases, the actions of the healthcare professionals involved in an accident will be compared to what a reasonable healthcare worker in the same position would have done.
At The Cochran Firm, every Philadelphia catastrophic injury attorney works diligently to identify all negligent parties in catastrophic injury cases and fights to make them pay for the loss they have caused.
Frequently Asked Questions
Our Philadelphia Catastrophic Injury Lawyers Are Ready to Help
Please contact our office to get answers to questions not covered here. A catastrophic injury lawyer from our team is ready to help.
What is the statute of limitations for catastrophic injury claims?
Catastrophic injury claimants have a time limit of two years to take legal action for compensation. Victims of these injuries are advised to act as soon as possible after their accident in order to preserve their claim and help ensure they have a strong case. In general, the sooner you act on an injury claim, the stronger your case will be.
Can I afford to hire a Philadelphia catastrophic injury lawyer?
Yes. Philadelphia catastrophic injury lawyers do not charge any out-of-pocket expenses. Instead, our clients pay lawyers fees from the compensation payout their lawyers win for them. So if you don’t receive compensation, neither do we. Call our office today to discuss your payment considerations with a Philadelphia catastrophic injury attorney.
An insurance company reached out to me. Should I speak with them?
Before making any statements to an insurance company, it is wise to speak with a catastrophic injury lawyer to protect your right to compensation. Insurance company adjusters will use your statements against you to potentially deny or reduce your compensation payout. With a catastrophic injury attorney on your side, your rights and interests are safeguarded.
How long does a catastrophic injury claim take?
The circumstances of catastrophic injury claims vary from case to case. Therefore, the time it takes to settle each case will also vary. The Pennsylvania catastrophic injury lawyers at The Cochran Firm work diligently to resolve all cases promptly.
They have the skill and experience to negotiate timely high-dollar settlements. However, sometimes, cases must go to trial, so the time it takes to resolve your case will be extended.
Call (800) 969-4400 today for more answers from a catastrophic injury attorney.
How a Philadelphia Catastrophic Injury Lawyer Can Help
We Handle Every Stage of Your Claim
The Cochran Firm manages every step of your claim, so you don’t have to worry about getting a fair settlement. Our first priority is to recover as much compensation as your losses require, and the insurance companies we deal with know this. Our reputation as staunch injury victim advocates precedes us everywhere we go.
With The Cochran Firm representing you, you get the time and space you need to tend to your injury and adjust for the future; meanwhile, your Philadelphia catastrophic injury attorney will take care of all the legal requirements, including:
- Claim paperwork and documents
- Claim investigations
- Hiring appropriate medical and accident experts
- Negotiating with insurance companies
- Fiercely litigating every aspect of your case when necessary
- Representing you at trial.
You don’t want to go through the compensation process without representation, especially when you have substantial injuries. The difference between compensation payouts between represented and unrepresented clients demonstrates that you are likely to get a larger payout with a catastrophic injury attorney representing you.
Contact The Cochran Firm in Philadelphia to speak with a catastrophic injury lawyer and learn what your options are for justice.
Call to Speak with a Philadelphia Catastrophic Injury Lawyer Today
Learn What We Can Do for You
The Cochran Firm can potentially help you access financial resources to help you deal with a catastrophic injury. We have fought for and won millions of dollars for injury victims.
If you need representation and justice, call (800) 969-4400 today for a free consultation with a Philadelphia catastrophic injury lawyer.