Permanent Disability Injuries in North Carolina and Virginia

In many personal injury cases (due to car accidents, product defects, or other reasons), the victim of an accident is often able to fully recover. In many cases, the wounds and broken bones do heal over time and with proper medical attention. But in some accidents the damages are permanent – meaning the victim never fully recovers.

Example of permanent disability

A classic example of permanent disability is where a part of the body has to be amputated in order to save the whole body. It can also mean a permanent loss of full use of a body part. While prosthetics may restore some mobility, the quality of life is greatly affected. In cases of permanent injury, there may also be some permanent loss of a specific function or movement of the specific body part, for example, where you can use your arm, but you can’t raise it over your head anymore.

Damages that relate to permanent injuries – the damages that relate directly to a permanent injury include:

Medical

• There are medical bills to maximize the recovery.
• After the maximum recovery possible, there are expenses for medications to treat the pain and medical equipment to manage the pain
• These bills may be projected forward for the remainder of the injured person’s life expectancy

Lost Wages

• Permanent disability can cause a permanent loss of wages because the victim can’t work anymore or
• Reduced lost wages because the permanent disability prevents the victim from working at full capacity.
• There can also be lost retirement benefits because the employee can’t work or has work that earns less wages.

Pain and Suffering – Will continue throughout the victim’s life. Pain and suffering for permanent disabilities includes:

• Physical pain because of the permanent disability
• Physical pain to try to manage the pain
• Emotional pain – not being able to do the activities he/she once did
• Emotional pain – not being able to enjoy his/her spouse or other relationships as before

How We Can Help

Anyone who has been in an accident in North Carolina or Virginia because of someone’s carelessness or because of a worker’s compensation case, and who has received injuries, needs to have legal help. Contact Norfolk Injury Lawyer Joe Miller or call him at 888-694-1671 for more information on how to proceed, how to work with your doctors, and whether you might have a significant recovery coming your way.