Posted in Personal Injury
When a person sustains a catastrophic injury in Milwaukee, the financial consequences extend far beyond the immediate medical bills. Long-term care, lost earning capacity, permanent disability, and the lasting impact on daily life all require compensation categories that go well beyond what a standard car accident or slip and fall claim typically involves. Understanding the full scope of damages available in a Wisconsin catastrophic injury case is an essential part of pursuing recovery that reflects the true cost of the harm.
Economic Damages in Milwaukee Catastrophic Injury Cases
Economic damages cover the quantifiable financial losses the injury has caused and will continue to cause. In catastrophic injury cases, these losses are typically far larger than in standard personal injury cases because they extend over years or decades of the injured person’s life.
The primary categories of economic damages in a Milwaukee catastrophic injury case include:
- Past medical expenses, including emergency care, surgery, hospitalization, and all treatment received from the date of injury to the date of resolution
- Future medical expenses, which require professional analysis through a life care plan that projects the care the injured person will need over their remaining lifetime
- Past lost wages, representing the income the injured person lost from the time of injury through the resolution of the claim
- Future lost earning capacity, which accounts for the long-term impact of the injury on the person’s ability to work and earn income over their remaining working years
- The cost of in-home care, home modification, and assistive equipment required by the disability
- Transportation costs for ongoing medical treatment and related needs
Each of these categories requires professional documentation. Life care planners establish future medical needs. Vocational analysts assess the impact on earning capacity. Economists convert future losses into present value figures.
Non-Economic Damages in Wisconsin Catastrophic Injury Cases
Non-economic damages compensate for losses that do not carry a price tag but are real and significant. In catastrophic injury cases, these damages are often the largest single component of the overall claim because the injury’s impact on quality of life, independence, and personal relationships is profound and permanent.
Non-economic damages available in a Milwaukee catastrophic injury case include pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life reflecting the activities and experiences the injury has foreclosed, emotional distress, and loss of consortium damages available to the injured person’s spouse. Wisconsin does not impose a cap on non-economic damages in most personal injury cases, meaning these damages are determined by the evidence rather than an arbitrary ceiling.
A Milwaukee catastrophic injury lawyer develops both the economic and non-economic damage evidence from the beginning of the case, working with the appropriate professionals to build the documentation that supports recovery of the full range of available damages.
How Available Insurance Coverage Affects Catastrophic Injury Recovery
In catastrophic injury cases, the damages frequently exceed the available insurance coverage, which means identifying all potentially liable parties and all available coverage becomes a critical part of the case. Multiple defendants, umbrella policies, employer liability coverage, and product liability insurance may all be relevant depending on how the injury occurred.
Hickey & Turim, S.C. is a Wisconsin personal injury firm representing catastrophically injured clients in Milwaukee and throughout the state, including cases where the full scope of economic and non-economic damages requires extensive professional analysis to properly document and present.
Pursuing the Full Value of Your Milwaukee Catastrophic Injury Claim
If you or a family member has sustained a catastrophic injury in Milwaukee, speaking with a Milwaukee catastrophic injury lawyer about what damages are available and what evidence is needed to support them is the most important early step toward a recovery that reflects what the injury has actually cost.
