Scarring & Disfigurement Attorneys in Auburn
The fallout of a personal injury has a ripple effect on every part of your life. Some injuries are so serious that they leave victims with lifelong pain and trauma, which is why it’s important to consider these factors when negotiating fair and full compensation.
Scarring and disfigurement are common outcomes for serious injuries, and they often have a lifelong impact on a victim’s quality of life. If you’ve been injured in an accident that’s left you with permanent scarring or disfigurement, it’s time to talk to an attorney and explore your options. Set up a consultation now by calling Haygood, Cleveland, Pierce, Thompson & Short at 334-821-3892.
Understanding Scarring and Disfigurement
Scarring and disfigurement are unique in that they can cause both physical pain and mental anguish. Scarring can cause a tight, strained feeling on the skin that limits your mobility and causes pain if you push your limits. Disfigurement, depending on the extent of your injury, can permanently limit your mobility and leave you suffering from chronic pain.
Both of these outcomes can cause significant mental anguish. Victims often struggle to enjoy the same quality of life they had before the accident, because the knowledge that others can see their injuries limits their enjoyment.
Scarring can occur anywhere on the body. It’s common in accidents, workplace explosions, and other incidents that leave victims with burns on a significant portion of their body. Scars that are visible in everyday clothing tend to have a more serious impact on a victim’s mental health and wellbeing than those that are hidden by clothing. Some types of scarring that can have a permanent impact on your wellbeing include contracture scars, hypertrophic scars, and keloid scars.
Disfigurement covers a wide range of physical limitations, including:
- Joint damage that limits mobility
- Damage to the face, including facial fractures
- Amputation
- Cuts and lacerations that permanently change the appearance of the skin
- Any injury that changes your appearance or how you physically feel
Side Effects of Scarring and Disfigurement
Unfortunately, the effects of scarring and disfigurement go far beyond what is visible to the naked eye. Victims often feel ashamed of their injuries, even if those injuries were caused by another person’s negligence. They may limit their outings and activities to avoid seeing how people react to their disfiguring injuries. Victims often report embarrassment, humiliation, anxiety, shame, and depression. This range of emotions can obviously have a permanent impact on one’s mental and emotional wellbeing.
All of this is in addition to the physical side effects of scarring and disfigurement. Once you reach the point of maximum medical improvement, you can expect to see little to no change in the appearance or feeling of your injuries. Victims often report chronic pain that requires ongoing use of narcotics, tightness and pinching around injury sites, limited mobility, and a loss of sensation in the affected areas.
Fighting for Compensation
If you suffer an injury that leaves you with scarring or disfigurement, you could be entitled to significant compensation. Treating scars and disfiguring injuries can be extremely expensive, and beyond that, you are often entitled to compensation for the permanent damage you suffer because of your injuries. Part of your settlement should cover medical expenses, including:
- Appointments related to the original injury
- Surgical treatments for your injuries
- Therapist and psychologist fees for the mental health effects of your disfiguring injuries
- Physical therapy to help you learn how to live independently with your lifelong injuries
- Scar revision surgery
- Plastic surgery to limit the physical appearance of injuries
- Medication expenses
Beyond that, you may also receive compensation for pain and suffering, the permanent loss of certain body functions, mental anguish, and lost wages. If your injury is serious enough to limit your ability to work or prevent you from working entirely, you should also receive money for future lost income. This is often a substantial amount, since you may receive enough money to make up for the money you would have earned through retirement.
If your injuries are likely to require ongoing care—a likely outcome for something as serious as disfigurement—you may also receive money to cover your future medical care expenses.
How We Can Help
You may feel that your injuries are so obvious and debilitating that it should be easy to get a full and fair settlement. However, remember that the liable party’s insurance company does not see the situation the same way. Where you see a permanent hit to your quality of life, they see a potential threat to their company’s bottom line. No matter how nice they may seem when you talk to them or how much they claim to have your best interests in mind, remember that they are not working for you. They want to protect their company from a lawsuit and limit their financial losses.
That’s where the team at Haygood, Cleveland, Pierce, Thompson & Short comes in. Our extensive experience in personal injury cases puts us in the ideal position to fight for the compensation you are owed.
You’ve suffered significant damage because of someone else’s negligence—you should not be left bearing the burden on your own. While a fair settlement will not bring back the full use of your body or return your body to its previous state, it can give you the treatment and freedom you need to find new ways to enjoy life.
Our team handles everything for you, from investigating your original accident and gathering evidence to fighting for a fair settlement with insurance adjusters. In most cases, negotiations result in a fair settlement agreement. If the other side is unwilling to negotiate, we’ll begin preparing for court and fight for you in front of a judge. No matter what, we’ll be with you every step of the way.
Choose Haygood, Cleveland, Pierce, Thompson & Short for Your Personal Injury Claim
If you or someone you love has suffered disfiguring injuries because of another person’s negligence, it’s time to fight for the compensation you’re owed. Let us help. Schedule a consultation now by contacting us online or giving us a call at 334-821-3892.
