Florida Attorney for Accidents Resulting in Long-Term Care Injuries
Accidents resulting in catastrophic injuries often require life-long care that may cost several million dollars. There are many causes of serious injuries, including but not limited to, car accidents, truck crashes, motorcycle collisions, workplace accidents, and others. Often, these accidents are caused by negligence on the part of another person.
Regardless of how an injury requiring long-term care occurred, it can put a tremendous financial and emotional strain on the victim and their family. In this situation, it’s advised to seek help from a skilled personal injury lawyer in Florida to help you pursue the compensation you deserve to ease the financial burden.
Long-term care after an accident
Catastrophic injuries, such as paralysis, spinal cord injuries, and traumatic brain injuries, require long-term care after an accident. “Long-term care” is a broad term used to describe different types of services that a victim can’t do themselves after sustaining a serious injury.
Basically, the victim needs someone else to help them perform basic tasks of everyday living. Depending on the severity of the injury, an injured person may require long-term care either temporarily or permanently.
While many victims who suffered catastrophic injuries rely on their family members and friends to assist them in daily activities, others use long-term care facilities.
Individuals who may require long-term care services following an accident include:
- People who sustained a spinal cord injury;
- Individuals who suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI) or head trauma;
- Persons who suffered fractured or broken bones;
- Individuals who had an amputation; and
- People who are dealing with other severe physical or mental struggles in the aftermath of an accident.
Types of injuries requiring long-term care
Depending on the circumstances of an accident, a victim may be unable to function on their own after sustaining the following types of injuries:
- Spinal cord injuries
- Traumatic brain injuries (TBI)
- Amputation
- Broken bones
- Birth injuries
- Paralysis
- Loss of sight or hearing
- Nerve damage
- Neurological disorders
- Mental issues
Accidents resulting in injuries that require long-term care
In many cases, accidents resulting in injuries that require long-term care are caused by someone else’s negligence, carelessness, or reckless conduct.
Common types of accidents that cause long-term care injuries include:
- Car wrecks
- Pedestrian accidents
- Motorcycle crashes
- Bicycle collisions
- Truck wrecks
- Workplace accidents
- Construction accidents
- Slip and falls
- Sports accidents
- Boating collisions
- Medical malpractice
- Accidents caused by defective products or equipment malfunction
- Fires and explosions
Types of long-term care services
People who need someone else’s assistance with everyday tasks may require the following types of long-term care services:
- Dressing
- Bathing
- Going to the bathroom
- Moving around the house
- Eating
- Taking medicine
- Shopping
- Running errands
- Undergoing physical therapy
- Attending medical appointments
- Home maintenance
If your family members, friends, or relatives cannot provide long-term care after your accident injury, you may need to stay in a long-term care facility. However, staying in facilities that provide long-term care services is not cheap.
Who will pay for long-term care services after an accident injury?
Injuries requiring long-term care can total hundreds of thousands of dollars. These totals include the costs of long-term care services, rehabilitative treatment, surgeries, prescriptions, and medical equipment, among others.
In addition, a person requiring long-term care may experience emotional distress, mental anguish, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, phobias, and other mental and psychological struggles. That’s why it’s vital to consider all non-economic damages associated with your injury in order to receive comprehensive compensation.
“But who will pay for long-term care services and other costs and expenses?” you may wonder. First and foremost, you need to understand that not all insurance policies cover long-term care services. Even if your insurance company agrees to pay for your long-term care expenses, you could quickly exhaust your policy limits requiring you to seek alternative legal channels to obtain financial compensation.
If your long-term care injuries resulted from a serious car accident, for example, under the Florida Statutes Section 627.736, you can seek compensation through your own auto insurance company (known as Florida’s no-fault insurance system). In addition, if your accident injury is considered “serious”, you can file a personal injury claim against the negligent at-fault party who caused the accident and recover additional economic damages.
How to seek compensation for long-term care costs?
As mentioned above, depending on the specific circumstances of your accident, you may be able to seek compensation for the cost of long-term care services by filing a personal injury lawsuit against the person or entity that caused or contributed to the accident.
You may be able to recover damages such as:
- Medical bills
- Lost wages
- Diminished earning capacity
- Pain and suffering
- Rehabilitation and therapy costs
- Long-term care expenses
- Equipment costs
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Loss of companionship
Also, the Florida Statutes Section 768.72 provides that injured victims may be entitled to punitive damages if the injury was caused by the defendant’s gross negligence or intentional misconduct.
Consult with an experienced Florida injury attorney
If your injury was caused by someone else’s negligence, intentional misconduct, or recklessness, contact an experienced personal injury lawyer to help you obtain compensation for the costs of long-term care and other expenses associated with your injury. Contact our Florida Board-Certified Civil Trial lawyer at Rick Kolodinsky, P.A., to prepare a strong legal case and help you receive compensation. Call at 386-200-1866 for a free case review.
