How Permanent Disability
Affects Personal Injury Claims

A personal injury claim can help those who have been hurt or harmed by another person’s negligence, get financial compensation for their injuries. This financial restitution can help you pay for medical bills, get the therapy you need and make up for lost wages.

Financial compensation is even more important when your injuries are permanent. Your personal injury claim may be the one chance you have to get the money you need to deal with your long-term or permanent injury.

Insurance companies will try to pay as little as possible regardless of the severity of your injuries. You may have to live with these injuries for years to come or even for the rest of your life.  This is why you should consult an experienced personal injury attorney to give you the best shot at a fair and just settlement.

When is a Personal Injury Considered a Permanent?

An injury is a permanent injury when any of its effects will continue throughout the injured person’s life.  These effects may include medical expenses, loss of earnings, pain and suffering, scarring or disfigurement and partial or total loss of use of part of the body.

What Exactly is Considered a Personal Injury?

Personal injury is a broad term that encompasses a wide range of accidents and injuries. Essentially, a personal injury is any injury to the body, mind, or emotions.

A personal injury does not encompass damage to property.

 

While there are many different things that can cause a personal injury, below are some of the most common causes:

• Car Accidents
• Trucking Accidents
• Motorcycle Accidents
• Slip-and-fall accidents
• Boating accidents
• Bicycle & Pedestrian accidents

Common Types of Residual and Permanent Injuries

Personal injuries caused by automotive wrecks can cause a wide range of injuries, but many accidents result in the following residual and permanent injuries:

Scars, Burns, and Disfigurement

Scarring is one of the most common permanent residual injuries.

Scarring can result from the original injury or subsequent medical treatment. These types of injuries not only cause cosmetic issues; they can cause inflexibility, loss of mobility and chronic pain.

Social biases exist when it comes to determining compensation for scarring, burns and disfigurement. Even though insurance adjusters are supposed to be unbiased, certain prejudices can affect the outcome of your settlement.

The most common prejudices are related to age and gender. For instance, insurance companies may offer less money to a male than a woman who has an identical scar.

In another scenario, a young single woman may receive more compensation than an older married woman with the same disfigurement. A personal injury attorney can help you confront these biases to get you the compensation you deserve.

Musculoskeletal System Injuries

Musculoskeletal injuries involve muscles, bones, tendons and ligaments.

Following a car crash, it is typical to experience musculoskeletal injuries. Such injuries involve various components that contribute to human body movement, including muscles, tendons, ligaments, nerves, discs, and blood vessels. These injuries can cause discomfort and impede your daily mobility.

These types of injuries can also permanently affect your motor skills and your ability to perform standard tasks on your job or at home.

 

Non-Visible Impairments.

Not all permanent disabilities are visible. Many accidents cause impairments that can affect day-to-day life. Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) are quite common in car crashes and other accidents that inflict brain trauma.

TBIs can be devastating and truly life-altering, with symptoms like:

• Chronic headaches
• Unconsciousness
• Extreme fatigue
• Disrupted sleep
• Confusion
• Incoordination
• Numbness
• Nausea and vomiting
• Mood swings
• Impaired speech
• Worsened motor skills

Non-visible permanent injuries can also include various neurological disorders, hearing impairment, vision impairment, speech impairment, mental impairment and emotional and psychological suffering.

Insurance Settlements for Permanent Injuries

Permanent injuries can result in a myriad of damages from short-term medical treatment to long-term therapies, and from a change in physical abilities to the inability to work for the rest of your life.

Damages can include, but are not limited to:

• Hospital stays
• Prescription medication
• Physical therapy
• Loss of income due to the inability to work as much or at all
• Loss of income due to the inability to perform your previous job
• Training for a new position due to the inability to perform your previous job
• Inability to enjoy past hobbies
• Physical and emotional pain

Regardless of the permanency of the injuries, insurance companies will try to pay as little as possible. An experienced attorney, however, can help you fight for the compensation you need to deal with your injuries for the rest of your life.  Most attorneys offer a free consultation to discuss your or a loved one’s potential case.

Compensation for Long-Term or Permanent Injury in North Carolina

In North Carolina, you can receive compensation for many factors if you were injured due to another’s negligence. You may be able to receive compensation for:

• Medical bills (past, present, and future)
• Lost wages for time away from work
• Lost income due to change in work position due to your injuries
• Scarring and disfigurement
• Pain and suffering

….

Asheville Personal Injury Lawyers Who Fight for the Injured

There is a statute of limitations for filing a personal injury claim in North Carolina. To protect yourself, you should contact an injury attorney immediately. A personal injury attorney can explain the process of filing a personal injury lawsuit and discuss your options. But you must file a claim before the statute of limitations runs out or it will be forever barred.

Do not settle for the bare minimum if you or a loved one have a permanent injury because someone else was negligent. It is very easy to lose sight of the future when you are trying to get through the initial trauma of an accident. We at Fisher Stark, P.A. do not want your suffering to continue because of unfair compensation.

If you live in or around Asheville, NC, the experienced personal injury attorneys at Fisher Stark, P.A. can help you. We invite you to contact us today to discuss your legal options. Your initial consultation is completely free.