Traumatic Injury Lawyers in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
We are experienced Philadelphia personal injury lawyers with extensive experience representing clients who have suffered traumatic injuries.
What Is a Traumatic Injury?
Sudden and severe injuries are traumatic. They can result from blunt force, penetration, or burns. They require immediate medical attention. They can be so severe that they result in shock trauma. The shock trauma victim often requires resuscitation in order to save his or her life. Traumatic injuries require transportation to an emergency room by ambulance or even by helicopter. Time is of the essence in the first 45 minutes after any severe traumatic injury.
Victims of traumatic injuries often face disabilities and challenges for the rest of their lives. Their injuries profoundly affect their families both financially and emotionally. Some common types of traumatic injuries include:
- Brain injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Spinal fractures
- Facial and dental trauma
- Crushes and amputations
Brain Injuries
A traumatic brain injury (TBI) is usually the result of blunt force trauma or the penetration of bone or a foreign object into the skull. Symptoms of a mild TBI, like a slight concussion, might clear up in a week. A severe traumatic brain injury is likely to be permanent and might result in slurred speech, profound confusion, coma, and a significantly shortened life expectancy. If you or a loved one has suffered a TBI due to someone else’s negligence, consulting a Springfield brain injury lawyer can help you understand your legal options.
Spinal Cord Injuries
A traumatic spinal cord injury will result in permanent neurological disability. The injuries can be incomplete or complete, depending on whether there is a partial or full tear of the cord. An incomplete spinal cord injury is a partial tear of the cord. The victim is a rendered paraplegic with some feeling but little or no movement below the level of the tear. If the cord is completely torn, the victim is a quadriplegic with no sensory or motor function below the level of the injury. A victim’s life expectancy is also significantly shortened as a result of spinal cord injuries.
Spinal Fractures
The two leading causes of spinal fractures are motor vehicle crashes and falls. Men are about four times more likely to suffer spinal fractures than women. Fractures and dislocations of vertebrae can result in bone fragments impinging on the spinal cord. They might even penetrate it. Severe spinal fractures require surgery for purposes of bone realignment. Spinal cord injury lawyers in Philadelphia can help.
Maxillofacial Trauma
A wide range of injuries can result from maxillofacial trauma. Tissue injuries, like severe cuts and burns, can disfigure a person for life. Maxillofacial trauma can also result in severe fractures of the jaw, nose, eye orbits, and forehead. Motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of maxillofacial trauma injuries. Victims are often treated for traumatic brain injuries and maxillofacial trauma at the same time.
Dental Trauma
These injuries might be treated at a dental clinic if there are no indications of a traumatic brain or spinal cord injury. They often involve chipped, fractured, loose, or knocked out teeth accompanied by bone and tissue damage. Common causes of dental injuries include motor vehicle crashes, trip-and-falls, and injuries from sports like hockey, football, or baseball.
Crush Injuries
Crush injuries can severely injure any limb. They might require amputation, rehabilitation, a prosthesis, more rehabilitation, and a new prosthesis every few years. Doctors must also be aware of kidney failure and a condition known as rhabdomyolysis. When muscle is crushed, it releases particles of myoglobin into the body, and the myoglobin gets trapped inside the kidneys. If the myoglobin isn’t flushed out, the crush injury victim is likely to die from kidney failure. If you or a loved one has experienced an amputation injury, or need more information from an amputation attorney, contact us today.
These are only a few examples of traumatic injuries. Some other types include but aren’t limited to:
- Acoustic (hearing) trauma
- A collapsed lung
- A myocardial contusion
- Electrocution
- Brain hemorrhage and subdural blood clots
Anything beyond a minor blunt force, penetrating, or burn injury should be treated and cared for in an emergency room immediately, especially if it’s a head injury, bone break, or bone fracture. The initial emergency room assessment is pivotal. It will be systematic, first consisting of checking on any threats to the patient’s life. It then addresses more specific physical injuries. Diagnostic imaging like X-rays, CT scans, or magnetic resonance imaging is often required. The traumatic injury will then be classified as being minor, moderate, serious, severe, critical, or currently untreatable.
Frequently Asked Questions about Severe Injuries
Q. How do I know if I have a good case?
A: Talking to an experienced personal injury and auto accident attorney is the best way to evaluate the merits of your claim. The Pearce Law Firm of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania offers a free, no-obligation evaluation of your personal injury claim and will tell you whether your case has merit. There is no obligation to you whatsoever for this free consultation.
Q. What if I have a good case but can’t afford legal fees?
A: We take most auto accident and other injury cases on a contingency fee basis, which means you don’t owe us any fees upfront and only pay if and when we obtain compensation for you. Our fee is then a percentage of what we collect on your behalf.
Q. How much do you think my claim is worth?
A: It is, of course, impossible to answer this question before investigating your claim; however, we may be able to give you a likely range based on the facts and merits of the circumstances surrounding your accident.
In Pennsylvania and New Jersey, some factors that determine the value of a personal injury or auto accident claim include how serious the accident was, how severe the injuries, whether the injuries are permanent or temporary, whether the injured party was an income earner or supporting others, the cost of medical treatments, whether there was or is pain and suffering, whether negligence was involved, whether lifelong care will be involved, etc. Please feel free to call or e-mail us and we would be happy to give you the benefit of our experience and offer you a free, no-obligation consultation and provide a realistic estimate of what your case might be worth.
Q. The insurance company representative says I don’t need a lawyer. Is this true?
A: Insurance company representatives are paid to represent the insurance company’s best interest and to minimize their payouts. We highly recommend that you have a personal injury lawyer looking out for your best interests. In fact, we usually suggest that our clients not even talk to insurance companies until they have an experienced lawyer representing them.
Q. What if the person who caused the accident doesn’t have insurance?
A: Because Edith Pearce has a wealth of experience working as an attorney for insurance companies, she has knowledge of potential policies that may cover your claim, including your insurance.
Q. What if I don’t have any health insurance? How will my medical bills get paid?
A: If you are involved in an auto accident in Pennsylvania, one of the auto policies will pay for your medical expenses. If this is not an auto accident, many times medical bills can still be paid, which may become part of your claim.
Q. My medical bills and loss of income are way more than the insurance coverage of the party who was at fault. Also, the person has no other money. What’s the point of hiring an auto accident attorney? Why wouldn’t I just settle for whatever I can get?
A: It is almost always a mistake to accept a settlement without consulting an injury attorney. If the at-fault driver’s insurance coverage is less than the value of your claim, you may be able to recover additional monies from your own insurance company or other sources. However, once you settle, you may lose your right to pursue. Talk to an experienced injury and auto accident attorney first.
Q. Will I have to go to trial to collect what is due to me or can we settle out of court?
A: The Pearce Law Firm believes very strongly in our motto “Working Toward Settlement While Aggressively Preparing For Trial.” While the majority of accident claims we handle do settle without having to go to court, the more prepared we are for trial, the better your settlement, and the more likely are the chances the other side will want to settle.
Q. How soon can we begin settlement negotiations? I need money NOW.
A: Usually it is not a good idea to begin any negotiations until you have completely recovered from the accident and have a clear idea of the extent of any permanent injuries and/or disability and/or ongoing needs. Unanticipated medical bills, additional income loss, and ongoing pain and suffering can make an early settlement into a big mistake. In order to maximize your recovery, the full extent of your injury, losses and suffering must be known. However, we will do everything possible to expedite matters and prepare your case for settlement as soon as practical.
Q: How soon after the accident do I have to file a claim?
A: In Pennsylvania and New Jersey, the time limit to report or file your injury claim may be as short as six months, as long as two years, or possibly longer for someone who was injured before they turned 18 years old or someone who did not know that they had been injured until a later date. Also, the denial by your insurance company of coverage for your accident or injury may change the length of time you have to file a claim. It is important to consult us as soon as possible to ensure that you do not lose your rights to bring a claim.
Q: Why should I choose Edith Pearce and The Pearce Law Firm to represent me?
Edith Pearce is a successful, sought-after New Jersey and Pennsylvania accident lawyer with a great track record and many years of trial experience. Edith Pearce is intelligent (a member of MENSA) and has been recognized as the best of the best by her peers, being named a 2005 “Super Lawyer,” reserved for the top 5% of Pennsylvania lawyers and receiving the highest rating, “AV”, from Martindale-Hubble. In addition, before representing the rights of injured people, Ms. Pearce worked for both a large insurance company and also a law firm that defended (rather than filed) claims. As a result, she has a decided advantage in working with insurance companies and defense lawyers in getting her client’s maximum compensation and delivering superior results. Unlike the huge firms with dozens of attorneys where many different attorneys may be handling different aspects of your case, Edith Pearce is involved in your entire case from start to finish. She genuinely cares about her clients and you will not be treated like just another case or file. Put her inside knowledge, intelligence, compassion, and experience to work for you.
Contact an Experienced Philadelphia Traumatic Injury Lawyer Near You
If you or a family member suffered a debilitating traumatic injury through the negligence of somebody else anywhere in Pennsylvania, don’t give an opposing insurer a statement of any kind. It will only try to use it against you in the future. Talk to us first by phoning or emailing us to arrange for a free consultation and case evaluation. We’ll be pleased to listen to you carefully, and then we’ll answer your questions and provide you with your legal options. We’re established, esteemed, and effective Pennsylvania traumatic injury lawyers so that you’ll feel confident throughout your case from its beginning through its conclusion. Be sure to contact us sooner rather than later. The sooner that we’re retained in your case, the more quickly we’ll be able to provide the professional level of involvement, compassion, and advocacy that you deserve. If you or a loved one has burn injuries after an accident, contact our experienced burn injury lawyers.
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