Houston Catastrophic Injury Lawyer

Serious accidents can change your life in an instant. Some accident victims face serious physical limitations even after they have fully recovered from their injuries. This means long-term changes to their health, happiness, and careers.

The Houston catastrophic injury lawyer law firm at the de la Garza Law Group are here to help. Our legal team can seek compensation to cover medical expenses, property damage, and lost wages as well as other challenges associated with a life-changing injury.

We want to hear your story. To request a free case evaluation with experienced catastrophic injury lawyer law firm, contact our Houston law firm today. You can also reach our attorneys by phone at (713) 784-1010.

What Is a Catastrophic Injury?

A catastrophic injury is a type of injury that results in permanent disabilities or disfigurement. These kinds of injuries will usually lead to major changes in the way a person goes about their daily life, whether due to physical impairment or cognitive difficulties.

Examples of catastrophic injuries include severe concussions, damage to the spinal cord, permanent nerve damage, loss of vision, and loss of a limb.

The Lasting Effects of a Catastrophic Injury

Catastrophic injuries impact your finances, life expectancy, and quality of life even after you’ve fully recovered. Our Houston catastrophic injury attorneys have seen the following long-term consequences when working with past clients.

Changes in Mobility and Physical Health

Many people who’ve been catastrophically injured will notice changes in their mobility, range of motion, and physical strength. Assistive devices may be needed to get around the home and perform certain daily tasks. There may also be issues with chronic pain for years after recovery.

Affects on Psychological and Mental Health

Severe injuries tend to affect people’s mental health just as much as their physical health. Many accident survivors experience depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). These conditions can lead to strained relationships with family members, friends, and colleagues.

Ongoing Medical Care and Therapy

After initial treatment, accident survivors may still need ongoing medical care for years. This includes additional surgeries, regular visits with specialists, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and mental health counseling.

Career and Financial Disruptions

After a catastrophic injury, accident survivors may not be able to return to work. If they can still work after they’ve recovered, they may need to pursue a new career due to their disability or limitations. Career derailment and training for a new vocation can lead to major financial setbacks.

Accommodations for a Disability

For some catastrophic injuries, accident survivors will need to renovate their home or change their living situation to accommodate their new reality. This includes ensuring homes are wheelchair accessible, modifying showers and bathrooms, and acquiring an adapted vehicle.

How Long Do I Have to File a Catastrophic Injury Lawsuit in Texas?

In the vast majority of cases, you have two years to file a catastrophic injury lawsuit in the state of Texas. Once the two-year statute of limitations has expired, you will not be able to take legal action even if you have a viable claim.

Two years sounds like a fair amount of time, but it’s best to speak with a Houston catastrophic injury lawyer as soon as possible. Our attorneys can start gathering evidence, investigating your accident, and communicating with the insurance company. 

How de la Garza Law Group Can Help Houston Catastrophic Injury Victims

The de la Garza Law Group has a strong reputation for legal excellence throughout Harris County. Accident victims and their families know that we treat everyone like a neighbor in need, not just a client or a case number. We want to make Houston safer and fairer for everyone.

Our attorneys want to hear your story and make sure it’s heard by others. You can trust our legal team for compassionate advocacy as we fight to secure maximum compensation.

More Than 40 Years Combined Legal Experience

Attorneys Mario E. de la Garza and Natasha Sadeghian de la Garza have more than four decades of experience practicing law. They will use their knowledge as trial lawyers, storytellers, and public speakers to show how your injuries have significantly diminished your quality of life.

Hablamos Español: Legal Services in Spanish

The de la Garza Law Group proudly serves the Spanish-speaking community throughout Houston. Our catastrophic injury lawyers can speak and correspond with you or members of your household in Spanish. We will make sure everyone understands the details of your case every step of the way.

Free Case Reviews

After a severe accident, the last thing your family needs to see is another bill. The de la Garza Law Group provides free consultations so you can discuss your situation with a qualified legal professional at no cost and without any sense of obligation. We will let you know if you have a viable catastrophic injury claim and what steps to take next.

Representation on a Contingency Fee Basis

In addition to free case reviews, our personal injury law firm provides legal representation on a contingency fee basis. That means our clients only pay us if we can secure a settlement or win damages in court. If we don’t win, you don’t have to pay.

If you or someone in your family has experienced a life-changing injury, you can trust de la Garza Law Group. To request a free consultation with our catastrophic injury lawyers, contact our Houston law firm today.

Types of Catastrophic Injuries

We briefly mentioned some examples of catastrophic injuries earlier. Below is a more detailed list of catastrophic injuries and their effects on people’s lives.

Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI)

Traumatic brain injuries cover all kinds of brain damage caused by head trauma. Examples of TBIs include concussions, brain contusions, coup-contrecoup injuries, and brain hemorrhages. Traumatic brain injuries can have a lasting effect on a person’s memory, cognition, speech, mental health, and motor skills. 

Spinal Cord Injuries (SCI)

Spinal cord injuries can lead to permanent disability and paralysis. Injuries to the thoracic and lumbar spine (middle and lower back) can cause paraplegia, which is the loss of sensation and use of the lower limbs. Injuries to the cervical spine (neck area) can cause quadriplegia (tetraplegia), which is the loss of sensation and use of all limbs. People with paraplegia and quadriplegia are reliant on wheelchairs for mobility for the rest of their lives.

Paralysis

Paralysis doesn’t just stem from spine injuries. Nerve and soft tissue damage can lead to loss of sensation and use of different parts of the body. Our Houston catastrophic injury attorneys have worked with numerous clients who’ve experienced partial paralysis that affects limb movement, grip strength, and other aspects of daily life that we often take for granted.

Severe Burn Injuries

Serious second-degree and third-degree burns can damage nerves, impair the extremities, and cause siginfiant disgurement. Even with abridement, grafting surgery, and physical rehabilitation, the long-term effects of a major burn injury can affect a person’s daily life. The burn injury’s affect on physical appearance can also have a major effect on mental health.

Loss of Limbs

In some accidents, a victim may lose a limb as a reuslt of their physical trauma. In other instances, a limb may be so damaged in an accident that it cannot be saved and must be amputated. Adapting to life after losing a limb can be difficult, even with the use of a prothetic.

Loss of Vision or Hearing

Head trauma and other kinds of serious injuries could harm a person’s senses. Someone’s eyesight may be severely impaired after an accident, necessitating the use of screen readers or other kinds of visual assistive devices for low vision or blindness. A brain injury or blow to the side of the head could also damage someone’s hearing, necessitating the use of a hearing aid.

Internal Organ Injuries

Severe injuries to internal organs could lead to long-term medical problems. Damage to the liver, kidneys, spleen, GI system, heart, or lungs can be life-threatening and may require major surgery. After recovery, these internal organ injuries may require major changes to a person’s lifestyle.

Complex Bone or Joint Fractures

Compound fractures and damage to a person’s joints can lead to major problems with mobility and limb strength. Multiple surgeries may be required, which may even involve joint replacement. After healing, accident victims may notice issues with chronic pain as well a limited mobility or range of motion in the affected part of the body.

Potential Causes of Catastrophic Injuries

Below are some of the most common causes of catastrophic injuries in the Houston area. Our law firm has assisted numerous clients in seeking compensation after these kinds of accidents.

• Car Accidents: A serious collision with a car, pickup, or SUV can cause life-changing injuries to drivers as well as passengers.
• Semi-Truck Accidents: The sheer size of a tractor-trailer makes catastrophic injuries more likely in a crash.
• Motorcycle Accidents: Motorcyclists are far more vulnerable to catastrophic injuries, even if they are wearing a helmet and protective gear.
• Pedestrian Accidents: Pedestrians who are hit by reckless drivers often experience catastrophic injuries.
• Bicycle Accidents: Bicyclists are also extremely vulnerable to catastrophic injuries caused by reckless or distracted drivers.
• Slips, Trips, and Falls: A major slip, trip, or fall can lead to major physical trauma that could have lasting effects.
• Workplace Accidents: An on-the-job injury can be devastating and life-changing, particularly for people who work in construction or an industrial field.
• Defective Products: When tires fail or a household appliance severely malfunctions, these defects could potentially cause a catastrophic injury.

Damages in a Catastrophic Injury Case

Legal damages are intended to compensate accident victims for the losses they experienced as a result of their injuries. Our Houston catastrophic injury attorneys can pursue both economic damages and non-economic damages to assist victims of life-changing accidents.

Economic Damages for a Catastrophic Injury

Economic damages compensate catastrophic injury victims for the quantifiable losses. This includes:

• Past medical expenses
• Ongoing medical care
• Assistive devices
• Damage to personal property
• Lost wages
• Lost future earning capacity
• Home renovations
• Disability accommodations

Non-Economic Damages for a Catastrophic Injury

Non-economic damages compensate catastrophic injury victims for intangible losses that are difficult to quantify but still affect someone’s overall quality of life. This includes:

• Emotional distress
• Changes in mood or mental health
• Pain and suffering
• Loss of enjoyment of life

Possible Punitive Damages for Catastrophic Injuries

Punitive damages are intended to punish the negligent party in a crash rather than compensate an accident victim for their losses. In Texas, a lawyer has to demonstrate that the defendant acted with malice or gross negligence.

As our team works on your catastrophic injury case, we will evaluate the evidence and let you know if we pursue punitive damages in addition to compensatory damages.

You Can Still Seek Compensation If You Were Partly at Fault

In Texas, you can still seek compensation for major injuries even if you were partly to blame for an accident. This is because Texas follows a modified comparative fault rule.

In simple terms, you can still seek damages in an accident as long as you are less than 51% to blame. Your compensation will be reduced by your proportion of liability.

For example, say that you were in a major car crash and the jury awards you $100,000 in damages. However, the jury also found that you were 25% at fault for the collision. You would still receive $75,000 in damages because of modified comparative fault. 

Never Admit Fault After an Accident

Even if you were partly at fault in an accident, never admit fault or apologize to the other party or people associated with insurance companies. This can jeopardize the value of your claim.

Instead, reach out to our catastrophic injury lawyers in Houston. We can consider how partial responsibility for an accident could affect your case and advocate for you to receive maximum compensation.

Contact Our Houston Catastrophic Injury Lawyer for a Free Consultation

Don’t delay. The de la Garza Law Group is ready to lend a sympathetic ear and a helping hand to accident victims throughout Harris County. To request a free case review from our experienced Houston catastrophic injury lawyer, contact our Houston, TX law office today. You can also reach our law office by phone at (713) 784-1010.