Can You Seek Compensation for Disfigurement?

Many discussions around the personal injuries that follow car accidents, slip-and-falls, instances of medical malpractice, and other serious accidents focus on recovery. Recovery looks different for every injury victim, so aspects of these discussions might not apply to everyone.

For some injury victims, a full recovery is not possible. Instead, these individuals will reach their maximum medical improvement (the point at which their condition is not expected to improve any further) without getting close to where their physical health was prior to their accident.

The lawyers at Krzak Rundio Gorman, Injury Attorneys know how difficult it can be to navigate your life after an accident and are dedicated to making sure that all our clients know their options for compensation after suffering serious injuries and disfigurement in a serious accident.

What Is Disfigurement?

A disfigurement may occur when your physical appearance is permanently changed or altered, often due to an injury. A few examples of disfigurements that are commonly cited in personal injury claims include:

• Burns
• Prominent scarring
• Skin texture differences
• Altered body part shapes
• Missing limbs, fingers, or toes

Disfigurement is an understandably sensitive topic – discussing or thinking about it may cause both physical and emotional pain to victims. Victims may struggle to come to terms with their new appearance or feel as if their physical body is not an accurate representation of who they are once were before a moment in time changed their life forever.

Depression and psychological trauma are not at all uncommon. For many people, the disfigurement itself carries a constant reminder of the accident. Any victim who has suffered an injury that caused disfigurement would be well-advised to work through any related emotional trauma with a licensed therapist. Although therapy can be expensive and is not always covered by insurance, it may be a compensable expense that is covered by a personal injury claim.

Many different types of accidents and incidents may cause permanent physical deformities. At Krzak Rundio Gorman, Injury Attorneys, we have worked with injury victims suffering from disfigurements who have survived some of the following:

• Explosions
• Fires
• Airplane crashes
• Workplace accidents
• Car and motorcycle accidents
• Truck accidents
• Bicycle accidents
• Pedestrian accidents
• Premises liability accidents
• Firework accidents
• Surgical errors
• Slip and fall accidents

This is far from an exhaustive list of all the different types of accidents that may be covered by a personal injury claim, so do not feel worried if you do not see your accident or injury listed above.

Compensation for Disfigurement in a Personal Injury Claim

Whether you were injured in a car accident, at the hands of a doctor, or on another person’s property, you will need financial support to address the full breadth of your injuries. It is important to note that personal injury damages cover much more than just your medical bills. You may also receive compensation for damages like:

• Lost wages from missed work (past and future if ongoing)
• Reduced earning capacity
• The cost of repairing your vehicle or other property
• Pain and suffering (past and future)
• Mental anguish (past and future)
• Loss of a normal life
• Scarring and disfigurement

Disfigurement may fall under both pain and suffering as well as mental anguish. You will need to prove that the disfigurement was the direct result of another party’s negligence. To prove this and to fully show the impact that a disfigurement has had on your life, you can collect and provide some of the following documentation to your lawyer and the insurance company:

• Photos of the injury site (throughout the healing process)
• Video of the injury site (throughout the healing process)
• Pictures of an accident scene
• Eyewitness accounts
• Medical records
• Written statements from mental health providers
• Physical therapy evaluations

Do not assume that your injury is not compensable because of the nature of your accident. Even if you were partially at fault, you can still recover compensation for your injuries and damages so long as you were less than 50% at fault.

Insurance companies may try to dispute liability, though. You do not have to simply accept their account of what happened if it puts you at 50% or more responsible. It is possible to provide additional evidence and documentation that supports what really happened, bringing your liability below the 50% threshold for compensation. Taking on this challenge when you are already dealing with your own recovery is not easy, so you should be sure that you have the right guidance and support on your side.

Compassionate Guidance Can Help

Living through the accident or incident that led to your disfigurement was already difficult enough. Being asked to relive that experience over and over again as you try to prove your personal injury claim creates an unfair emotional burden that you must carry. The good news is that you do not have to carry it alone, as it is possible to secure compensation for disfigurement.

At Krzak Rundio Gorman, Injury Attorneys, we are dedicated to helping injury victims in their fight to recover the compensation they deserve. If an accident upended your life, caused serious injuries, or left you disfigured, we are here to help. The headache and challenge of working with the insurance company goes away when you have knowledgeable and compassionate attorneys who are on your side.

When we take on a personal injury case, we dedicate as much time, resources, and energy as it takes to secure the best possible outcome for each individual clients. From properly valuing your case to proving liability, the personal injury lawyers at Krzak Rundio Gorman, Injury Attorneys are ready to go to work for you. We know how the big insurance company operates, and we will guide you through the process so that you do not have to accept anything less than what will cover the full scope of your damages.

You can call us or visit our website to schedule a no-obligation, free consultation, during which you can discuss your situation in greater detail with a personal injury attorney.