Serious Injuries

What Are Serious Injuries in Delaware?

Serious injuries are those injuries that cause a victim and their family to need many years of medical attention, therapy, adaptive equipment, and more. While it is possible to obtain compensation for a wide range of personal injuries in Delaware, serious injuries are unique because they typically leave the victim with lifelong, debilitating physical and emotional issues. 

Serious injuries may be visible or hidden, but many persist for years and can affect all areas of a person’s life. Obvious injuries, such as limb amputations, severe burns, broken bones, and spinal cord injuries, can leave victims in physical pain and sometimes require home and vehicle modifications, transportation limitations, ongoing therapy, and more.

Other injuries can cause lasting physical and emotional pain for a serious injury victim. Brain injuries, concussions, scarring, and more may leave victims fighting private battles as they face the cognitive and emotional fallout of these injuries. Additionally, serious injuries can lead to the wrongful death of a victim, leaving a family without their loved one and sometimes without their main source of income or childcare.

What are Common Causes of Serious Injuries?

Serious injuries can be caused by any number of unfortunate situations, including someone else’s negligence. Negligence in Delaware is generally defined as one person’s failure to behave with reasonable care to prevent harm to those around him. We all have a duty to act in a manner that supports the safety of others. When a person fails in that duty and an accident or injury results, they can be held accountable for their negligence.

Negligence can manifest in a variety of ways: 

• Car accidents caused by impaired drivers, reckless drivers, and distracted drivers
• Truck drivers who drive while fatigued or who fail to properly maintain their vehicles
• Traffic accidents involving motorcycles, bicycles, and pedestrians
• Slip and fall injuries
• Injuries caused by defective products

What Types of Compensation Are Available to Delaware Serious Injury Victims?

Unlike many other states, Delaware does not limit, or cap, the amount of compensation that can be awarded to a victim. Victims can recover both economic and non-economic damages. While the courts do require victims to show how and why they may need compensation, a monetary settlement can cover many aspects of a victim’s care and daily needs.

A skilled injury attorney can help victims with serious injuries and their families recover the maximum amount of compensation to cover a variety of needs and losses, including:

• Lost wages

• Future lost wages

• Lost benefits

• Medical bills

• Future medical bills

• Rehabilitation

• Home and vehicle modifications

• Pain and suffering

• Loss of companionship or consortium

• Wrongful death

Securing this compensation is vital for victims of serious injuries. Their long-lasting injuries often affect the rest of their lives. If compensation is not secured in a timely fashion, it can inhibit the secure and successful future of the victim and their family. 

What Should I Do If I Have Suffered a Serious Injury in Delaware?

If you or someone you love has suffered a serious injury, time is of the essence. Typically, injury victims have three years from the date of the accident to file a claim. Lawsuits against a city, county, or state government must be filed within one year. In addition to the clock imposed by the law, bills will begin to arrive shortly after an accident and injury. Victims should not have to carry any undue financial burden after an accident. Getting started on your claim today will give you and your family the best chance at a complete and successful outcome.

Additionally, it is important to retain the services of a skilled and experienced injury lawyer. They can help you learn more about your rights under the law and begin to gather the evidence and witness testimony necessary to obtain the maximum amount of compensation. Discussing your cause with a Delaware injury lawyer will ensure that you fully understand the scope of your situation and help you avoid common pitfalls.

One of those serious pitfalls includes talking about your accident, injury, or legal case with an insurance company or representative for the person responsible. While these people may seem honest and straightforward, they are out to meet only their own goals. They do not have your best interest at heart, and they will use anything you say to their advantage whenever possible. The right attorney can help you avoid these situations and ensure the continued protection and success of your legal case.

While it can be difficult to know how to find the right attorney, the Delaware injury attorneys at Morris James have a long track record of success for Delaware injury victims, and our clients understand that we work tirelessly to provide a comprehensive case to meet their unique needs. 

• $2.2 million settlement: a man who, while in the course and scope of his employment, lost both legs when struck on the side of the road by a truck driver
• $2.1 million settlement: Navy SEAL struck by a driver who left the roadway, causing serious injuries to his legs
• $875,000 settlement: bicyclist who injured an eye when struck by a teenage car driver
• $850,000 settlement: young lady injured her shoulder in a multi-car accident which resulted in surgery, lost earnings, and medical expenses
• $615,000 settlement: 47-year-old man struck by a car while changing a tire, resulting in a significant arm injury
• $500,000 settlement: wrongful death claim where the defendant crossed the center line, killing the mother of 5 adult children
• $445,000 settlement: 60-year-old tractor-trailer driver rear-ended by another tractor-trailer, resulting in neck and back surgeries
• $350,000 settlement: 44-year-old woman who suffered orthopedic injuries resulting in surgery as a result of a motor vehicle accident
• $297,500 settlement: policy limits wrongful death settlement arising out of a motor vehicle accident
• $250,000 settlement: 51-year-old man who suffered a neck injury requiring surgery as a result of a motor vehicle accident
• $220,000 settlement: 46-year-old female cafeteria worker, injured low back lifting a tray of juice and subsequently diagnosed with failed back syndrome
• $205,000 settlement: 32-year-old male maintenance worker sustained low back injury while moving a trash dumpster, requiring multiple surgeries
• $164,990 settlement: 49-year-old male bus driver sustained low back and knee injuries when the bus hit a deep pothole, resulting in knee replacement surgery
• $125,000 settlement: 66-year-old woman who suffered an eye injury as a result of a trip and fall at a retail store
• $90,000 jury verdict: 44-year-old man rear-ended in an automobile accident resulting in muscular injuries and an elbow nerve injury