Scarring and Disfigurement Attorneys in Mobile

Injuries are almost inevitable in car crashes, falls, and other accidents—however, the effects of these injuries can last a lifetime for some victims. Some accidents leave scars that are permanently visible, affecting the individual’s comfort, self-esteem, and role in society.

If an accident has left you with permanent scars or disfigurement, you could be entitled to compensation for what you have lost. Contact Burns, Cunningham & Mackey at 251-432-0612 today to discuss your legal options.

What is Disfigurement?

Disfigurement occurs in any accident that permanently changes your appearance in an undesirable way, impacting you and those you come into contact with you. This may include scarring, losing limbs, or losing control of your muscles due to nerve damage. Common examples of disfigurement include:

• Permanent scarring
• Amputation and limb loss
• Loss of one or more body parts
• Loss of muscular control
• Traumatic brain injury that changes your body’s function and capabilities

While some of the items listed here do go away with time or become less visible, victims generally live with the consequences of scarring or disfigurement for the rest of their lives. Although scars may become less visible, scarring that covers much of your face or parts of your body exposed in clothing is likely to cause you permanent discomfort and insecurity. A loss of muscular control will forever change the way you move around independently and interact with the world around you.

Causes of Scarring and Disfigurement

Almost any type of accident can cause permanent scarring and disfigurement. Common causes of these injuries include:

• Car accidents that cause cuts and lacerations that lead to permanent scarring
• Car accidents resulting in explosions that leave victims with significant burning
• Workplace injuries that cause lost limbs or burns
• Amputation due to injuries suffered in an attack, car accident, fall, or medical accident
• Dog bites
• Chemical splashes and spills, such as those that happen in the workplace or in truck accidents involving tractor-trailers carrying hazardous chemicals

Understanding the Financial Damage of Disfigurement

The financial losses associated with disfigurement are complex, especially since many of the losses you suffer may not be financial in nature. However, the court system only allows financial compensation through the civil courts, so that is how your losses are measured and repaid.

First, you have to look at the obvious financial costs of a disfiguring injury. Medical treatment for this type of injury is usually extraordinarily expensive, involving diagnostic testing, pharmaceutical medications, surgical treatments, physical therapy, and ongoing pain management.

Injuries like lost limbs and widespread scarring can leave victims with permanent pain, tightness, or discomfort, so therapy and pharmaceutical treatments will likely be lifelong. Furthermore, it is likely that you will need psychological support and assistance as you learn to live with a permanent injury. A fair settlement should compensate you for your mental healthcare expenses.

On top of all that, many people with disfigurement and scarring lose some or all of their ability to work. For some, it’s physical. Their physical limitations and capabilities change so much that they truly cannot return to their old line of work, so they have to either quit working or switch to a different, lower-paying job. This type of loss can add up to hundreds of thousands of dollars lost over a lifetime.

Other victims have to quit working for psychological reasons. Some cannot handle the increased staring and insensitive comments that come with their physical changes, which drives them out of the workforce. In both cases, these victims deserve compensation for what they have lost.

Another type of loss that may be included in your settlement is pain and suffering. You can never get the time back that you spent writhing in pain from your scars or coping with the mental trauma of disfigurement. However, the court may award you financial compensation for these losses.

Are You Entitled to Compensation?

At this point, you may be wondering if you are entitled to compensation. It comes down to two questions:

• Are you able to prove that the other party is liable for your accident and injuries?
• Are you able to prove the severity of your injuries and their impact on your life?

Proving liability is a key part of any personal injury case. When you speak to your personal injury attorney, they should be able to tell you how strong your case is and whether or not they can prove the other person’s liability.

The other side of that is demonstrating your injuries’ impact on your life. This involves providing medical documentation and reports of your progress, documenting the ways in which your injury has changed your lifestyle, and tracking days spent away from work or other activities. If you can successfully prove the other party’s liability and your own losses, you could be entitled to compensation.

How Your Attorney Can Help

Hiring a personal injury attorney is crucial when you are facing permanent injuries. The financial impact of this type of injury is hard to calculate, and for that reason, many victims accept insurance offers that are far too low to be fair. Insurance companies fear scarring and disfigurement claims, simply because they can result in large payouts if a victim realizes everything they are going to lose.

Because of this, they do everything they can to get to victims before they speak to an attorney. They might claim that you aren’t owed compensation for psychological trauma or that your injuries aren’t severe enough to warrant additional compensation. They may say that there’s no proof that their client is to blame or that you are partially at fault, so you should receive no compensation.

These tactics are often enough to scare victims into accepting a low settlement. That’s why you need Burns, Cunningham & Mackey by your side. Our team is well-versed in the common tactics used by insurance companies, and we know how to successfully thwart them as we fight for a full and fair settlement on your behalf. You will live with the consequences of your injuries for the rest of your life—don’t let the insurance company evade their responsibility to fairly compensate you.

Contact Burns, Cunningham & Mackey Now

If you or someone you love has suffered a scarring or disfigurement injury that was caused by someone else, the team Burns, Cunningham & Mackey is here to help. Let’s set aside some time to talk about your legal options and plan your next steps. Give us a call at 251-432-0612 or get in touch with us online to get started.