Los Angeles Catastrophic Personal Injury Lawyers
Helping victims and families throughout California
We represent people who have been seriously injured by the wrongdoing of others. These injuries are sometimes called personal injuries, catastrophic personal injuries or life-altering injuries. Reach out to Heimberg Barr LLP if you are looking for justice with the help of a trusted attorney.
Types of catastrophic injuries
Spinal cord injuries are among the most serious personal injuries, with long-term, life-altering consequences for the victim. These catastrophic injuries can result from many causes, including trauma to the spine resulting in compression of the cord or that fractures, crushes, compresses, or dislocates one or more vertebrae, by spinal masses like tumors, hematomas, hemangiomas, or epidural abscesses, or by penetrating wounds that alter or sever the spinal cord.
The 4 most common causes of spinal cord injury in the U.S. are:
- Motor vehicle accidents
- Falls
- Acts of violence
- Sports and recreational injuries
Damage to the spinal cord can cause varying degrees of loss of strength, sensation, function, and/or mobility at and below the site of the injury. At Heimberg Barr LLP, we help spinal cord injury victims recover the compensation they need to begin the process of rebuilding their lives.
Brain injuries can be “acquired” or “traumatic.”
Acquired brain injuries (ABI) is an injury to the brain that occurs after birth. ABIs are not hereditary, congenital, degenerative, or related to birth trauma, and can be associated with insufficient blood flow or oxygen to the brain or with pressure on the brain. Examples of ABI include stroke (hemorrhagic or ischemic), near drowning, aneurysm, tumor, meningitis, and hydrocephalus.
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is an injury to the brain caused by an external force, such as a blow to the head. Among the most common causes of traumatic brain injury are falls, motor vehicle accidents, sports injuries, assaults, or being struck by or against an object.
The effects of traumatic brain injury can be profound with devastating consequences to a victim’s life and that of their family. Severe brain injury can leave the victim in a state of complete dependence. Many people who suffer severe TBI require long-term rehabilitation to recover as much function and independence as possible, depending on the extent of damage to the brain. Serious brain injuries will significantly impact a person’s family, ability to earn a living, and social interactions. When they are caused by the negligence of others, our team of attorneys will aggressively pursue full and fair compensation for the injured people we represent.
In the most recent year for which statistics are available, 1,889,000 people were injured and 34,247 were killed in traffic accidents in the U.S. Unfortunately for many of those who were injured, the traffic crash was caused by the driver of another vehicle.
Driver behaviors that contribute to car accidents and injuries include:
- Aggressive driving
- Distracted driving
- Drowsy driving
- Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs
- Driver inattentiveness
If you have been injured in a car accident that you believe was the fault of another driver, our team of skilled lawyers can investigate the details of the accident, assess the full extent of your losses, and represent you in a claim for compensation.
As motorcyclists lack the protection of an enclosed vehicle, they are more susceptible to serious injuries in a crash. Sadly, many motorcycle accidents are caused by other drivers who fail to register the presence of the motorcycle on the roadway and violate the motorcyclist’s right-of-way.
Injuries to the extremities, particularly bone fractures, are frequently sustained in motorcycle accidents, and severe head, chest, and abdominal injuries are also common. After a serious motorcycle accident caused by a negligent driver, our knowledgeable motorcycle accident attorneys can help you pursue the compensation you will need to get your life back on track.
Public Transportation Accident Injuries
Many people rely on public transportation today, including planes, trains, buses, scooters, ride-sharing services, and subways. With high fuel costs and parking issues to contend with, more people are taking advantage of efficient, widespread ground transportation systems. Unfortunately, as public transportation vehicles are often larger than other vehicles, these vehicles can create serious damage when they crash.
Public transportation vehicles are common carriers with a responsibility to provide high safety standards. A passenger who is hurt in a public transportation accident may have a legal right to hold the common carrier liable. However, determining liability can be difficult and complex. Our lawyers have the knowledge and experience to reconstruct events and establish cause and liability.
Injuries sustained in schoolyards are more common than you might think. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that 200,000 children a year in the U.S. are treated in emergency rooms for playground injuries, most of which occur at schools or daycare centers.
Many schoolyard injuries involve falls, equipment failures, or children colliding on the playground. In many cases, these accidents could have prevented with adequate adult supervision. If your child has been injured in a schoolyard accident due to another party’s negligence, our skilled attorneys can help you seek the compensation you and your child deserve.
Playground/Amusement Park Injuries
Unsafe equipment, environmental hazards, and inadequate safety rules can lead to serious injuries at amusement parks and playgrounds. In many cases, it is children ages 14 and younger who suffer injuries. This type of personal injury claim falls under the category of premises liability law. Our premises liability lawyers at Heimberg Barr LLP understand the legal issues inside and out. We have what it takes to face down insurance companies and hold the negligent parties accountable.
Sources:
- Mayo Clinic: Spinal Cord Injury
- NHTSA: Lower-Extremity Injuries in Motorcycle Crashes
- CDC: Playground Injuries: Fact Sheet
Reasons to file a personal injury case
Following a catastrophic injury, victims may face new physical and financial hardships, may no longer be able to work to support themselves or their families or to pay for mounting medical bills or afford the extra costs of hiring help to do what they can no longer do around the house.
Payment for your or a family member’s injuries or for the wrongful death of a loved one is often critical to your and your family’s future yet, in most cases, you will face an army of lawyers working relentlessly to keep you from recovering what you are owed.
Insurance companies and corporations devote entire departments and great resources to fighting you in order to avoid providing you the money you desperately need. Their whole focus is to avoid claims or to settle with you for the least amount of money possible.
You need the experienced attorneys of our award-winning law firm on your side to fight for you.
Your settling for less could mean the difference between years of debt to pay off medical expenses, the inability to get necessary therapies and medical care and increased health insurance costs now that you have had a life-changing injury such as a spinal cord injury, brain injury, birth trauma, amputation or the need for a life-long treatment such as dialyses.
Why choose Heimberg Barr LLP?
Heimberg Barr LLP attorneys have the knowledge and the experience to pursue catastrophic injury claims and to understand what these types of injuries mean to victims and to victims’ families. As a doctor and an attorney, Steven Heimberg knows what medical records mean and how to communicate this to courts and juries and make them understand his clients’ cases.
Contact the personal injury attorneys of Heimberg Barr LLP today
Though we understand that this is an excruciatingly difficult time for you, please be aware that it is critical that an investigation into the facts of the case be undertaken as soon as possible if you are considering filing a lawsuit. This is necessary to preserve evidence, to get information while memories are fresh, and to avoid losing your right to bring a lawsuit. Our team of expert catastrophic personal injury attorneys are here to help you.
If you, or a family member, are a victim of a catastrophic personal injury, contact us or call (310) 954-2000 for a free consultation.