Serious injury in a personal injury case means permanent injury.  Serious injury often means past medical bills, and future medical expenses.  Serious injury often means past wage loss, and future wage loss or future loss of earning capacity.

Serious injury often means disability.  Disability is present when you lack the ability to perform work, activities, or tasks of living.  Disability may be physical, but it also may be sensory or mental.

Serious injury also includes pain and suffering.  Pain and suffering means past, present, and future pain and suffering experienced since the injury. Often in a serious injury case pain and suffering will continue into the future. 

Serious injury usually includes loss of capacity to enjoy life.  Whereas disability compensates for inability to lead a normal life, and pain and suffering compensates for physical and mental discomfort, loss of ability to enjoy life compensates for loss of specific artistic, athletic, or unique skills possessed and lost or the ability to perform at the pre-injury level.

Serious injury also at times involves disfigurement.  Disfigurement occurs when there are permanent changes to the body that are observable such as amputation or scars.

Pat Trudell regularly handles serious injury cases.  He works with his clients to understand the impact to their life as a result of serious injury.  Pat works with the client’s doctors to appreciate the future medical impact of permanent injury.