Did you or a loved one sustain a brain injury in Ogden, Utah? If someone else’s negligence caused your injury, you could be entitled to compensation for financial and personal losses.
Contact an Ogden personal injury lawyer to discuss your rights. Parker & McConkie Personal Injury Lawyers has 100 years of combined experience and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for clients. Our team knows how to get results and is ready to get to work fighting for you.
Call us today at (801) 845-0440 to schedule a free consultation with an Ogden brain injury lawyer.
How Parker & McConkie Personal Injury Lawyers Can Help After a Brain Injury in Ogden, UT
Brain injuries can be life-changing events. They often have long-term consequences for victims and lead to personal and financial hardships. If someone else’s negligence caused your brain injury, they should be held accountable.
However, it can be hard to get the compensation you deserve after a brain injury. Insurance companies have a team of lawyers and adjusters working hard to minimize the value of claims or avoid liability.
Victims need an experienced Ogden personal injury lawyer fighting to ensure their rights are protected. Parker & McConkie Personal Injury Lawyers fights hard for accident victims. Our team has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars in settlements and verdicts for our clients.
When you hire us to represent you in a brain injury case, we’ll:
- Investigate your injury to identify all causes
- Determine all parties liable for your injury
- Gather evidence and work with expert witnesses to strengthen your case
- Calculate the fair value of your claim
- File a claim with the liable party’s insurance company
- Negotiate to ensure you get a fair settlement
- If necessary, file a lawsuit and represent you in court
- Keep you updated on the status of your case
- Comply with all deadlines
- Handle all administrative tasks
Our team has experience handling all types of personal injury claims, including brain injury cases. We’ll fight to ensure you get the most compensation possible.
Call us today to schedule a free consultation with an Ogden personal injury attorney.
How Common Are Brain Injuries in Utah?
Brain injuries are more common than most people realize. Every year in the United States, around 1.7 million people are hospitalized for traumatic brain injuries.
According to data from the Utah Department of Health & Human Services, traumatic brain injuries are a leading cause of death and disabilities in Utah. In 2022, traumatic brain injuries led to over $189 million in hospitalization charges.
What Is a Brain Injury?
A traumatic brain injury is an injury caused by external trauma to the brain. They are an increasingly common type of injury, and the severity of injuries varies significantly based on the type of injury and the location of the injury.
Mild brain injuries can lead to symptoms that include:
- Dizziness
- Headaches
- Confusion
- Irritability
- Concentration problems
- Memory problems
- Sleep issues
Symptoms of more serious brain injuries include:
- Nausea and vomiting
- Loss of consciousness
- Trouble walking or speaking
- Personality or behavioral changes
- Seizures
- Weakness on one side of the body
Symptoms of a brain injury can come on suddenly or gradually. In addition, the symptoms can be short-term or long-term. Some brain injury victims experience life-long impacts that affect their personal and professional lives.
What Causes Most Brain Injuries in Utah?
Brain injuries can be caused by any impact to the head. While many different events can cause traumatic brain injuries, some of the most common are:
- Motor vehicle accidents, including car accidents, truck accidents, pedestrian accidents, and motorcycle accidents
- Slip and fall accidents
- Sports-related injuries
- Construction accidents
- Workplace accidents
- Violence and assaults, including gunshot wounds
The first thing our team will do is investigate your brain injury to identify all causes. Then, we’ll determine all parties liable and build a strong cause to ensure the liable parties are held accountable.
How Much Is My Utah Brain Injury Case Worth?
The value of personal injury claims varies significantly from case to case.
Some of the factors that have the biggest impact on how much your case is worth are:
- The type and severity of your injury
- Whether or not you’ll make a full recovery
- Whether or not you suffered a permanent disability
- The impact your injury has on your ability to work
- The amount of pain and suffering you experienced
- The amount of insurance coverage available
The best way to get an estimate of how much your case is worth is to meet with a personal injury lawyer. Contact our team to discuss how much your brain injury claim is worth.
Can I Recover Compensation if I’m Being Blamed for My Brain Injury in Utah?
Utah is a modified comparative negligence state that allows you to recover compensation as long as you’re less than 50% to blame. However, your compensation is reduced in proportion to your share of fault. If you are 50% or more at fault, you are barred from recovering damages.
What Damages Can I Recover After a Brain Injury in Ogden, UT?
If your personal injury claim is successful, you can demand compensatory damages from the liable party. The purpose of compensatory damages is to put victims in the same position they were in before an accident.
To accomplish this goal, there are two types of compensatory damages: economic damages and non-economic damages. Economic damages compensate victims for financial losses incurred in an accident.
Examples of economic damages commonly awarded in brain injury cases are:
- Current and future medical expenses
- Lost income
- Decreased earning capacity
- Home and car modifications
- Medications and medical devices
- Physical therapy and rehabilitation
Non-economic damages are more abstract and compensate victims for intangible, personal losses after an injury. These can be difficult to calculate, and it’s often necessary to consult with expert witnesses to quantify non-economic damages.
Some common examples of non-econcomic damages are:
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional anguish and mental distress
- Loss of consortium
- Decreased quality of life
- Anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder
In rare cases, victims are also entitled to punitive damages. In Utah, punitive damages are only awarded when the responsible party’s conduct was willful, malicious, intentionally fraudulent, or showed a reckless indifference to the rights of others. Punitive damages are used to punish the wrongdoer and deter bad behavior.
While punitive damages are not commonly awarded, they are available in some brain injury cases. Our team will analyze your case and determine all damages applicable.
After an accident, you only have one opportunity to recover damages from the liable party. To ensure you get the compensation you need to cover all current and future expenses, it’s vital to demand compensation for all damages you’re entitled to recover.
To learn more about the damages you’re entitled to, contact our team.
How Much Does It Cost to Hire a Brain Injury Lawyer?
Our team works on a contingency fee basis. Under this fee structure, we don’t get paid unless our client gets paid through a settlement or verdict.
At the start of representation, the attorney and client will agree on a contingency fee rate. This is usually between 25% and 40%. If the client gets paid through a settlement or verdict, a percentage of that award goes to the attorney to cover fees.
Under this structure, clients don’t pay any fees upfront or out of pocket. In addition, this fee structure ensures our team is personally invested in every case.
How Long Do I Have to File a Lawsuit for a Brain Injury in Utah?
In Utah, the statute of limitations for personal injury claims is four years. In most cases, this means victims have four years from the date of their injury to file a lawsuit against the responsible party. After this period, you have no right to recover. If the statute of limitations has expired, any lawsuit you file will be dismissed, and you’ll have no leverage to demand a fair settlement.
There are a couple of important exceptions to this rule. Wrongful death claims must be brought within two years of the victim’s death. If you lost a loved one because of a traumatic brain injury, you can bring a wrongful death claim on their behalf. This ensures the accountable party is held responsible and that your family gets the compensation it deserves, like medical bills, funeral expenses, and lost income.
If your family plans to bring a wrongful death claim, this must be done within two years of your loved one’s death. In addition, if your brain injury was the result of medical malpractice, you must file your lawsuit within two years of the injury.
It takes longer than most people realize to investigate an injury, gather evidence, consult with experts, and negotiate with the responsible party. To ensure your rights are protected, contact an Ogden personal injury lawyer as soon as possible after your accident.
Contact an Ogden Brain Injury Lawyer for a Free Consultation
If you or a loved one suffered a brain injury because of someone else’s negligence, Parker & McConkie Personal Injury Lawyers can help. Our team has an impressive track record of results and will fight to ensure you get the most compensation possible.
Call us today, contact us online, or visit our Ogden personal injury office to schedule a free consultation with an Ogden brain injury attorney.
