How Do I Get Started with a Catastrophic Injury Claim?

The steps for starting a catastrophic injury claim can feel overwhelming, especially when you are still trying to heal. A catastrophic injury is generally one that causes lasting or permanent harm, often requiring extensive treatment, long-term care, and significant changes to both lifestyle and future plans. These things need to be addressed quickly to help prevent additional struggles, but knowing where to begin is not always easy.

This is where an experienced catastrophic injury lawyer becomes indispensable.

Catastrophic injury claims can involve multiple defendants, complex evidence, and high-dollar damages. When you are starting a catastrophic injury claim, you need a lawyer with sufficient experience handling these cases successfully to make sure all of your current and future needs can be addressed.

Looking for Help Starting a Catastrophic Injury Claim? Talk to Us for FREE

If you or a loved one has suffered a catastrophic injury in Colorado, call the Denver office of Burg Simpson at 303-792-5595 to schedule a FREE consultation. We can explain your options and how the claim process works, and help you determine the best way to move forward.

What Are the Leading Causes of Catastrophic Injury?

Catastrophic injuries refer to things like traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, amputation, severe burns, multiple fractures, organ damage, or any injury that might permanently limit your ability to work, engage in activities you love, or live independently. Some of the leading causes include:

• Motor vehicle accidents
• Falls from heights
• Workplace and industrial accidents
• Pedestrian and bicycle crashes
• Skiing and outdoor recreation accidents
• Defective products and equipment failures
• Explosions, fires, and electrocution
• Serious medical errors

Starting a catastrophic injury claim involves identifying its exact cause. This is something that may require a thorough evaluation of the events leading up to the accident, as well as a close look at the accident itself.

At Burg Simpson, our Denver personal injury attorneys have decades of experience investigating all types of serious accidents. We work with various specialists, including crash reconstructionists, to determine how an accident happened and who can be held liable, so we can build the strongest case for compensation. If you have been seriously hurt in any type of accident, we are here to look into its cause, evaluate its long-term consequences, and help you pursue the fair and full compensation you deserve.

How to Start a Catastrophic Injury Claim

Each injury is unique. However, certain steps can be taken when starting a catastrophic injury claim that can help protect your rights. These include:

1. Getting Medical Care

Your health comes first. Also, medical records are the backbone of a catastrophic injury claim. Make sure to keep all documents, invoices, and EoBs.

2. Documenting What Happened

While it is still fresh in your memory, write down what happened. Document the time, place, weather, lighting, what you saw and heard, and who was involved. If you have access to photos or video, make sure to preserve those as well.

3. Preserving Evidence

Catastrophic injury cases often come down to proof, such as surveillance footage, incident reports, phone data, and the exact condition of vehicles, safety gear, and equipment after the accident.

4. Reporting the Incident Through the Proper Channels

Do not assume someone else will handle the reporting. If you are injured in a motor vehicle accident, get a police report. If your injury takes place at work, report it to a supervisor. If it is on someone else’s property, make sure an incident report is created. As with all documentation after an accident, keep your report accessible.

5. Track Your Losses

Start a folder (paper or digital) for:

• Medical bills and receipts
• Prescriptions and medical devices
• Mileage to appointments
• Work notes and missed-time documentation
• Home care expenses and any help you had to hire
• Photos showing the progression of your injuries

6. Speak to a Catastrophic Injury Lawyer

As soon as possible, contact a catastrophic injury lawyer for help. Your lawyer can step in to:

• Identify all responsible parties
• Send preservation letters so evidence does not disappear
• Coordinate with experts, including medical, life care planning, and vocational specialists
• Calculate the lifetime costs of your injury
• Handle communications with insurance so you can focus on recovery

7. Watch What You Say

In catastrophic injury cases, there is often a rush to record statements or push early settlement talks before your future needs are clear. Do not share information with insurance adjusters, others involved in the accident, or on social media without first talking to your lawyer.

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Be sure to keep in mind that Colorado limits how long you have to file a catastrophic injury claim. For many personal injury cases, the statute of limitations is two years (three for motor vehicle accidents), making it important to begin your claim before too much time passes.

Burg Simpson Helps Victims of Catastrophic Injury Throughout Colorado

Catastrophic injury victims need serious trial lawyers with the resources, experience, and willingness to fight when the other side refuses to be reasonable. Founded in 1976, Burg Simpson has recovered more than $2 billion in verdicts and settlements, helping us earn a reputation as one of the most successful personal injury law firms in the country. This matters in catastrophic injury cases. The defense is not guessing what you might do, they are evaluating what you can do. A strong reputation, real results, and trial readiness let the other side know you need to be taken seriously.

When you work with Burg Simpson, you get a team that can help:

• Investigate quickly and preserve key evidence
• Identify all liable parties (drivers, employers, property owners, manufacturers, etc.)
• Use top experts to prove liability and help calculate lifetime damages
• Push back against lowball offers and tactics to delay compensation
• Build a strong, trial-ready case, even when negotiations are likely to succeed
• Litigate in front of a judge or jury when a settlement cannot be reached

Equally important, when you choose Burg Simpson, you are choosing a firm where you matter. Our lawyers’ success in and out of the courtroom is matched only by their unwavering commitment to helping each of our clients achieve justice. We know how frightening starting a catastrophic injury claim can be. We are here to guide you through the process with every ounce of care and attention you deserve.

Talk to a Catastrophic Injury Lawyer for FREE

To schedule an obligation- and cost-free case review with one of the experienced attorneys at Burg Simpson, use our online contact form or call our Denver office today at 303-792-5595. Based in Denver, we welcome clients from all areas of Colorado, including communities along the Front Range, across the Eastern Plains, and throughout the Rocky Mountains and Western Slope.