Recovering Compensation for Scarring and Disfigurement from Catastrophic Injuries

Your appearance plays a vital role in your self-esteem and confidence. After suffering from a catastrophic injury that caused scarring and disfigurement, even after the physical wounds have healed, you may be left with deep emotional and psychological wounds that alter the way you live and move through the world. Scarring on your face or on parts of your body that are visible when you are clothed can also have an impact on your ability to get a job.

What types of catastrophic injuries can cause scarring and disfigurement?

Disfigurement is often a result of severe burns, lacerations, and limb loss. There are many types of injuries that can occur which cause scarring and permanent disfigurement, including:

• Car accidents
• Motorcycle crashes
• Animal attacks
• Chemical burns
• Explosions
• Construction accidents
• Fires
• Electrical burns

Treatments for disfigurement and severe scars

For serious injuries that cause extensive scarring, there are treatment options that can have some degree of effectiveness including:

• Reconstructive surgery
• Plastic surgery
• Surgery to remove scar tissue and adhesions
• Grafting healthy skin to burned areas

Making a claim for compensation

If you have been left with disfiguring scars and permanent disabilities, you may be able to take legal action to recover compensation for your medical bills and lost wages, the cost of therapy or counseling, your severe emotional distress, pain and suffering, and future medical bills related to the ongoing medical care for your injuries.

You may also be able to make a claim for your loss of future earning potential. In 2012, the National Center for Biotechnology Information reviewed 216 articles about burn injury victims returning to work. They discovered that “nearly 28% of all burn survivors never return to any form of employment.” A ProPublica study published in 2015 found that “10 years after their injuries, workers awarded permanent partial benefits had lost about 55 percent to 70 percent of their earnings.”

Why are the numbers so low? Many victims cannot physically do the jobs they did before. Others live in constant pain. In particular, severe burn injury victims are prone to infection and may require accommodations – such as climate control and HEPA filters – that their companies cannot provide. When you file a claim for compensation after a catastrophic injury, your lawyer can help you calculate your loss of potential earnings, so you can make a full claim.

At Bailey & Greer, PLLC, our Memphis catastrophic injury attorneys can represent you and your loved ones in complicated catastrophic injury cases. Also, if you are in Jackson or West Tennessee, we have a team of experienced personal injury lawyers ready to represent you as you pursue compensation for your injuries. Please call us toll free at 901-680-9777 or fill out our contact form to schedule a meeting with one of our car accident lawyers today.