Catastrophic injuries can result from any preventable accident. One moment, you’re driving down Tualatin Valley Highway or pulling out of a parking lot near Hillsboro Marketplace. The next, a commercial truck barrels through a red light and slams into your car. Or you may be riding your bike along the Rock Creek Trail when a distracted driver veers off the road and hits you. These are not minor car accidents – they can leave you with spinal cord damage, brain trauma, or other injuries that change how you live, work, and interact with the people around you.
After an ambulance ride or emergency care at Hillsboro Medical Center, the reality sets in. You may be looking at months of medical treatment and physical therapy, as well as job loss and even permanent disability. At Harris Velázquez Gibbens, our Hillsboro catastrophic injury lawyers help you demand full compensation for your losses, so you can get the medical and financial resources you need to recover.
Why Hire Us for Your Catastrophic Injury Claim in Hillsboro?
Catastrophic injury claims are normally high-value cases. You may need long-term medical treatment, home modifications, attendant care, and compensation for any reduced or lost earning ability. This is why insurance companies prefer to fight them instead of offering a fair settlement amount, but at Harris Velázquez Gibbens, you’ve got a determined legal team that will fight for what you’re owed.
Here’s how our personal injury law firm can help you pursue a stronger claim:
- Proven Results in High-Value Injury Cases: We’ve handled personal injury lawsuits involving spinal cord trauma, brain injuries, and permanent disability. Our record includes multi-million dollar outcomes that helped our accident victims pay for future care, home renovations, and loss of income without sacrificing quality of life.
- Resources to Build a Strong Claim: Our Hillsboro catastrophic injury lawyers work with physicians, care planners, and forensic economists to document how a severe accident injury affects your outlook. If you need full-time home care or can no longer return to your job, we gather the data to show exactly what that costs over time.
- Trial-Ready Representation From the Start: Our personal injury attorneys prepare every case as if it will go to court. That means organizing expert testimony and anticipating defense tactics. If the insurer drags out negotiations or denies your claim, we don’t have to start from scratch: we’re already prepared for a jury trial.
- Full Evaluation of Past and Future Losses: Medical bills and lost wages are just the beginning. You may also need home modifications, transportation upgrades, vocational retraining, and pain management for years. Our personal injury team builds claims that show the full scope of your financial loss and personal hardship.
- Clear and Consistent Communication: You won’t be left wondering what’s happening with your case. Your personal injury attorney will return your messages and prepare you before every decision or hearing. When you have questions, you’ll get direct answers from the people handling your claim, not an answering service or a distant call center.
We handle catastrophic injury claims on a contingent fee basis. That means you don’t pay us unless we recover compensation for you. You have nothing to lose by contacting our personal injury lawyers, and possibly everything to gain.
What Counts as a Catastrophic Injury?
A catastrophic injury causes permanent damage that affects your ability to live, work, or care for yourself. Common examples include:
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Spinal cord injuries that result in partial or complete paralysis
- Severe burns that require skin grafts or leave permanent scarring
- Amputations caused by crush injuries or surgical removal
You might also qualify if you’ve lost your vision or hearing in a car wreck, suffered nerve damage after toxic substance exposure, or need lifelong care after a serious motorcycle accident. If you now find it difficult or impossible to return to work, perform daily tasks, or live without assistance, a personal injury attorney can help you pursue a catastrophic injury claim.
Common Causes of Catastrophic Injuries
Catastrophic injuries often result from violent, high-impact events or repeated failures to follow basic safety rules. They include:
- Car Accidents: High-speed crashes on highways like OR-8 or OR-219 can result in severe trauma. Head-on collisions, rollovers, and car accidents involving pedestrians or cyclists can all cause brain injuries, broken bones, burn injuries, and even neurological disorders or wrongful death.
- Falls From Height: Construction workers and roofers are especially vulnerable to falls. A faulty harness or unstable scaffolding can lead to spinal injuries, head trauma, or broken limbs. These incidents tend to occur on sites near downtown developments or industrial areas.
- Commercial Truck Accidents: Tractor-trailers and box trucks travel through Hillsboro every day. When they speed, fail to brake in time, or make wide turns in tight intersections, smaller vehicles are put at risk. These auto accidents often involve crushing injuries or fatalities.
- Motorcycle Accidents: Unlike vehicle operators and passengers, motorcyclists have little protection when a crash happens. Even if they’re wearing riding gear and a helmet, they can still suffer devastating injuries. Bicycle accidents involve the similar degree of risk as a motorcycle crash.
- Defective Products: Faulty brakes, airbags, machinery, or ladders can all lead to injuries. So can defective drugs. If a product fails during normal use, the manufacturer or distributor may be held responsible. This includes both consumer goods and heavy industrial equipment.
- Slip and Fall Accidents: Property owners violate premises liability law when they fail to make their locations safe for legitimate visitors. Slip and fall injuries are an especially common risk.
- Workplace Accidents: Manufacturing, construction, and warehouse jobs carry higher injury risks. Machinery entanglement, falling objects, and electrical exposure can all lead to permanent disability or death, especially in construction accidents. Employers have a duty to provide safe working conditions.
- Assaults and Violent Acts: Physical attacks may cause lasting brain or spinal damage. In some cases, the property owner may also be liable if they failed to provide adequate security on-site. These claims may involve both civil and criminal proceedings.
What Compensation Can You Seek for Catastrophic Injuries?
When you suffer a catastrophic injury, your ability to earn a living may be gone, your independence may be limited, and your day-to-day life may look nothing like it did before the accident. At Harris Velázquez Gibbens, our personal injury attorneys help you pursue compensation that reflects all of these losses.
You may be entitled to recover damages for:
- Medical Expenses: This includes hospital stays, surgery, follow-up appointments, physical therapy, prescriptions, and long-term care needs. If you require rehabilitative services or mobility equipment, those costs can be included as well.
- Lost Income and Earning Capacity: If you’ve missed work or can’t return to your job due to your injury, your lost wages may be recoverable. We also calculate how your future income could be affected.
- Home Care and Support Services: Catastrophic injuries may need in-home assistance. This includes personal care aides, transportation help, or domestic services you used to manage yourself.
- Pain and Suffering: You may be compensated for physical pain, mental distress, anxiety, depression, and loss of enjoyment of life. These effects are real and often lasting, especially after trauma.
- Permanent Disfigurement or Disability: Visible scarring, amputations, or paralysis may support additional damages. These outcomes can affect how others treat you and how you experience the rest of your life.
- Home or Vehicle Modifications: If you need to install wheelchair ramps, widen doors, or modify your car for accessibility, the cost of those changes can be part of your personal injury lawsuit.
How Long Do You Have to File a Catastrophic Injury Claim?
In Oregon, you generally have two years from the date of the injury to file a personal injury claim. If you miss that deadline, which is known as the statute of limitations, you could lose your right to recover compensation entirely. That’s why it’s important to act early, even if you’re still in recovery or waiting for a full diagnosis.
Some situations may change the statute of limitations. For example, if your injury happened on government property or involved a public employee, you may need to file a formal notice within just 180 days. Other cases may involve minors or individuals who can’t make legal decisions for themselves. At Harris Velázquez Gibbens, we track these timelines for you: once we take your case, you won’t have to worry about missing paperwork or court dates. Our personal injury lawyers handle those details while you work on your recovery.
What to Do After a Catastrophic Injury
Always seek emergency treatment after a major injury, even if you’re unsure how severe it is. Medical records from your initial visit help link the injury to the event and prove causation when it’s time to file your insurance claim. Attend every follow-up appointment and complete any rehab or therapy your doctor recommends. Gaps in care can hurt your recovery and give insurers an excuse to question your claim.
You should also:
- Take photos of the accident scene, visible injuries, and damaged equipment or vehicles. If there were any witnesses, get their contact information so you can get a statement from them later.
- Save every bill, prescription receipt, treatment summary, and discharge note. These documents support the value of your personal injury claim and show the full extent of your injuries.
- Avoid giving recorded statements or signing anything without legal advice. Adjusters may try to settle early or use your words to downplay your condition.
- Talk to a personal injury lawyer as soon as you know you have compensable injuries. An attorney can protect your legal rights, handle insurance communications, and seek maximum compensation for all your damages.
Did You Suffer a Catastrophic Injury in Hillsboro? Call Us!
A catastrophic injury can take away your ability to work, limit your independence, and bring major changes to your daily life. Medical bills, job loss, and ongoing care needs can quickly overwhelm you and your family.
At Harris Velázquez Gibbens, we’re here to guide you through it. If you were injured in Hillsboro and your life has changed because of it, contact us today for a free consultation with a personal injury lawyer. You can call 503-610-4398 or contact our law firm online. We’ll help you take the next step and work to recover what you need for your future.
