How Parker Law Firm Injury Lawyers Helps After a Catastrophic Injury in Bedford
A Bedford catastrophic injury lawyer builds the case for the care and income you will need for the rest of your life, so you can focus on recovery. Because these claims can be worth a great deal, insurance companies and defense lawyers spend heavily to limit them.
When you hire us, we:
- Investigate how you were hurt and gather evidence of causation and fault
- Identify every party with liability and every available insurance policy
- Work with your doctors and other professionals to project your future medical and personal care needs
- Calculate lost income and reduced earning capacity
- Handle all communication with the insurance companies
- Prepare your case for trial if a fair settlement isn’t offered
Our Bedford personal injury attorneys are led by founding attorney Brad Parker, who is Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. We represent injured people from our Plaza Parkway office throughout Bedford, Hurst, Euless, and Northeast Tarrant County.
What Is a Catastrophic Injury?
A catastrophic injury is a severe injury that requires lengthy treatment, causes intense pain, or results in permanent disability or impairment. Recovery may take months or years. When a person reaches maximum medical improvement (MMI), some degree of impairment usually remains.
Examples of catastrophic injuries include:
- Spinal cord injuries and paralysis
- Severe traumatic brain injuries
- Amputations and loss of limbs
- Severe burns
- Vision or hearing loss
- Severe organ damage
- Significant scarring and disfigurement
These injuries require emergency treatment, and many people need ongoing medical and personal care afterward.
What Causes Catastrophic Injuries in Bedford, TX?
Most catastrophic injuries in the Bedford area come from traffic crashes, falls, and workplace accidents, but they can happen anywhere. Common causes include:
- Crashes involving cars, trucks, motorcycles, pedestrians, and bicyclists
- Slip, trip, and fall accidents at stores, venues, workplaces, and government buildings
- Workplace and construction accidents
- Defective products, including vehicles, medical devices, medications, and electronics
- Dog attacks
- Medical malpractice and nursing home neglect
- Sports and recreational accidents, including boating accidents
- Assault and violent crime
Whatever the cause, you carry the burden of proving that the other party’s negligence or wrongful act caused your injury.
How Does a Catastrophic Injury Affect Your Life?
A catastrophic injury can change your health, work, finances, and relationships for the rest of your life. Long-term consequences can include:
- A need for skilled nursing care at home or in a facility
- Help with daily activities such as bathing, dressing, and eating
- Inability to return to work, or to the same kind of work
- Loss of the activities you enjoyed before the injury
- Depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress
- Strain on family relationships, including a reduced ability to care for children
Your claim should account for all of these losses, not only the bills you have today.
What Damages Can You Recover for a Catastrophic Injury in Texas?
You can seek compensation for your financial losses and for the ways the injury has changed your life. Economic damages may include:
- Past and future medical expenses
- Rehabilitation, therapy, and medical equipment
- Home modifications and in-home or long-term care
- Lost wages and reduced earning capacity
- Property damage
Non-economic damages may include pain and suffering, mental anguish, physical impairment, disfigurement, and loss of enjoyment of life.
Punitive damages are available in some cases, but only if you prove the at-fault party acted with gross negligence, malice, or fraud.
Can You Recover Compensation If You Were Partly at Fault?
Yes, if you were not more than 50% responsible. Texas follows modified comparative negligence with a 51% bar. Your compensation is reduced by your percentage of fault, so if you were 20% at fault, you recover 80% of your damages. If you are found more than 50% at fault, you recover nothing.
Insurers often argue that the injured person shares the blame. We gather the evidence to answer that argument.
How Long Do You Have to File a Catastrophic Injury Lawsuit in Texas?
Most Texas personal injury lawsuits must be filed within two years of the date of injury. If you miss the deadline, you lose the right to pursue the claim in court.
Some exceptions change the deadline, depending on the type of case and the parties involved. Claims against a government agency can require written notice within six months or less. Learn more about the statute of limitations, and contact us early so we can preserve evidence.
About Brad Parker
Bedford Catastrophic Injury FAQs
How much does a catastrophic injury lawyer cost in Bedford?
Parker Law Firm Injury Lawyers handles catastrophic injury cases on a contingency fee. You pay nothing upfront, and you don't owe attorney's fees unless we recover compensation for you. The fee is a percentage of the recovery agreed in writing before we start, and our fee will never exceed your recovery.
What counts as a catastrophic injury?
A catastrophic injury is one that requires lengthy, extensive medical treatment, causes intense pain, or leaves permanent disability or impairment. Common examples are spinal cord injuries, paralysis, severe brain injuries, amputations, severe burns, vision or hearing loss, serious organ damage, and significant scarring or disfigurement. Recovery can take months or years, and some impairment often remains.
Should I settle my catastrophic injury claim quickly?
Usually not. Until your doctors know your long-term prognosis, it is hard to measure future medical care, home care, and lost earning capacity. Once you settle, you cannot reopen the claim. We work with your medical providers and other professionals to understand your future needs before negotiating a settlement.
Can I get punitive damages for a catastrophic injury in Texas?
Sometimes. Texas allows exemplary, or punitive, damages only when you prove by clear and convincing evidence that the injury resulted from gross negligence, malice, or fraud. They are meant to punish, not to compensate, and Texas law caps them in most cases. Most catastrophic injury recoveries come from economic and non-economic damages.
How long do I have to file a catastrophic injury lawsuit in Texas?
In Texas, most personal injury lawsuits must be filed within two years of the date of injury. Some exceptions can shorten or extend that period, and claims against government agencies can require notice within six months or less. Catastrophic cases take time to build, so contact a lawyer early.
Visit Our Bedford Office
Parker Law Firm Injury Lawyers – Bedford Office
2317 Plaza Pkwy #100, Bedford, TX 76021
- Monday – Friday 8:00 am – 5:00 pm
- Saturday – Sunday Closed