When Life Changes in an Instant

Catastrophic Injuries in Kentucky can happen in an instant.A catastrophic injury can happen in a moment, but the effects can last a lifetime. These are injuries that fundamentally change how a person lives, works, and cares for themselves. Recovery often involves surgeries, prolonged rehabilitation, and long-term support at home.

For 51 years, families in Radcliff, Elizabethtown, and across Central Kentucky have trusted Skeeters, Bennett, Wilson & Humphrey with serious injury cases. If you want to learn more about who we are and how we work with clients, visit our About Us page.

This page focuses on what catastrophic injuries are, what a claim should include, and how we help people suffering from serious injuries move forward.

Table of Contents

What Is a Catastrophic Injury?

In plain terms, a catastrophic injury is one that causes permanent or long-term limits on independence or the ability to work. Common examples include:

  • Spinal cord injuries that cause partial or complete paralysis
  • Traumatic brain injuries that affect memory, attention, speech, or movement
  • Severe burns that require grafts and ongoing wound care
  • Amputations of an arm, leg, hand, or foot
  • Multiple complex fractures that limit mobility and function
  • Loss of vision or hearing
  • Severe scarring or disfigurement that affects appearance and daily function

These injuries can result from highway crashes on I-65 or Dixie Highway, industrial or agricultural incidents, dog bites, or defective products.

Common Misconceptions After a Catastrophic Injury

People in crisis often hear advice that sounds reasonable but misses key facts.

“A big initial settlement offer must be enough.”

A number can sound large in the short term yet fall far short of lifetime costs. Without a careful calculation of future needs, it is easy to accept too little.

“The insurance company will add everything up for me.”

In reality, an insurance company evaluates a claim based on the information it receives. It is not the insurance company’s job to maximize your claim or make sure you are fully compensated. If no one documents future medical care, home modifications, adaptive equipment, and lost earning capacity, those costs are unlikely to be considered.

“I should wait to call a lawyer until I recover more.”

Waiting can make it harder to collect records, witness statements, and other proof. Early planning helps make sure nothing important is missed.

The Real Costs: Understanding Damages

A complete claim accounts for every category of loss, not just hospital bills. People that have serious, catastrophic injuries caused by someone’s negligence normally suffer the following damages:

  • Economic damages. These are financial losses you can measure, such as surgeries and hospital stays, rehabilitation, in-home nursing or attendant care, durable medical equipment, medications and supplies, wheelchair vans and transportation, and the cost of modifying a home with ramps, widened doors, and a roll-in shower. Economic damages also include lost wages and the loss of future earning capacity if a person cannot return to the same kind of work.
  • Non-economic damages. These reflect the human impact of a life-changing injury, including ongoing pain, emotional distress, and the loss of enjoyment of daily activities.
  • Loss of consortium. Loss of consortium damages compensate a spouse for the loss of companionship, support, and intimacy resulting from the injured person’s condition. It recognizes that a serious injury affects the whole family.

How We Build a Strong, Complete Case

Our role is to gather the right information and present it in a clear, organized way so decision-makers understand the full picture. That includes:

  • Collecting complete medical records, operative notes, and rehabilitation summaries
  • Coordinating with treating physicians and specialists to document long-term needs
  • Using life care planners, vocational experts, and economists to project future costs and lost earning capacity
  • Documenting day-to-day challenges at home, including personal care needs and caregiver time
  • Summarizing the data for the insurance company in a way that shows both current losses and lifetime needs
  • Preparing for trial if a fair offer is not made

Hypothetical Example: From a Tempting Offer to a Fully Documented Claim

Consider a hypothetical Hardin County man who suffers a serious spinal cord injury in a crash on I-65 near Elizabethtown. After emergency surgery and a lengthy hospital stay, he faces limits on mobility and cannot return to his prior job operating heavy equipment. The insurer offers a six-figure settlement. It sounds like a lot of money, more than the man has ever had in his life,  and he is tempted to accept it. The problem is that the offer reflects short-term bills and a few months of lost wages, not the decades of costs ahead.

When he hires our firm, we start by getting the full story. We obtain complete medical records, speak with his treating providers, and document the help he needs with daily tasks. We measure the cost of modifying his home with a ramp, widening doorways, and installing a roll-in shower. We price a wheelchair accessible van and the ongoing cost of maintenance and adaptive equipment. We gather pay records and job history to understand what he earned and what his future would have looked like without the injury.

Next, we engage a vocational expert and an economist to create a life care plan. This plan projects the cost of future clinic visits, therapy, durable medical equipment, supplies for skin integrity and pressure sore prevention, medication management, in-home attendant care, and likely replacement cycles for equipment. The economist also evaluates lost earning capacity, including benefits and retirement contributions he will miss.

With this information, we present a thorough package to the insurer that explains present losses and carefully projects future needs. If the insurance company’s settlement offer does not account for these realities, we are prepared to take the case to trial and present the evidence to a jury. In this hypothetical, the life care plan shows seven-figure lifetime costs. The insurer now understands the full financial impact and reassesses the claim. The result is the resources the client needs to live as independently as possible and to plan for the long term.

If you want more detail on planning for long-term needs after a serious accident, see our FAQ on how Kentucky attorneys help seriously injured clients plan for the future.

Local Considerations in Central Kentucky

Serious injuries here often involve highways like I-65 and corridors such as Dixie Highway, where speeds are high and multiple agencies may investigate a crash. Specialized rehabilitation is available nearby, but most patients need care at trauma centers in Louisville or Lexington. This means travel for treatment, temporary lodging for family, and time away from work all add to the damages our clients in these cases suffer. We are local to Hardin County and understand how to document these realities, so they are included in a claim.

Why Choosing the Right Kentucky Injury Lawyer Matters

Catastrophic injury cases require careful planning, persistence, and clear communication. For more than five decades, families in Radcliff, Elizabethtown, and throughout Central Kentucky have trusted us with some of the most serious and sensitive matters.

We are not a “TV lawyer” firm. You will not see us making loud promises in commercials or putting our faces on billboards. Our focus is on doing the work that matters developing- with quiet confidence and proven strength-  thoroughly documented cases that can withstand close scrutiny in negotiations or in court.

Insurance companies know that when we take a case, we take it seriously. We prepare every matter as if it will go to trial, and that preparation often makes the difference in securing fair compensation for our clients.

To learn more about our values and approach, visit our About Us page.

Next Steps

If you or a loved one has suffered a catastrophic injury, you do not have to figure this out alone. The earlier we begin documenting your needs, the more complete your claim will be.

Call Skeeters, Bennett, Wilson & Humphrey or contact us online to schedule a consultation. We will listen, answer your questions in straightforward terms, and help you understand your options.