When involved in an accident, you are probably going to suffer various kinds of injuries, including catastrophic injuries that you may never recover from entirely. Limousine accidents, although not frequent, can result in devastating injuries to its passengers and other people. A limousine is a common carrier vehicle in Florida because it is hired to transport people from one place to another. As a result, limo drivers and companies are required to exercise more care in ensuring the safety of their passengers.

The costs of caring for victims that suffer catastrophic injuries are high. This is due to the life-long care these victims require. Although Florida is a no-fault state, when a victim suffers devastating injuries from a limo, they can seek damages from the limo company or driver. A skilled Clay County Personal Injury Attorney will assist you in seeking compensation for the costs of caring for the injuries.

Understanding Catastrophic Injuries

As earlier stated, Florida is a no-fault state, meaning that when a person gets injured in a car accident, they look to their insurance company for damages. When the injuries are catastrophic, however, the costs for treatment and life-long care are hefty. In this case, the law allows the victim to seek compensation from the driver or party responsible for the accident.

Not all injuries are catastrophic in a limo accident. When you suffer catastrophic injuries from a limo accident, it means the injuries are severe with long-term and life-altering effects. Most devastating injuries require the injured victim to undergo surgery, among other forms of treatment. For an injury to be catastrophic, it involves:

  • The victim is suffering a permanent disability. This may involve losing the function of a body party such as arms or legs.
  • The victim is unable to work as they did before the accident.
  • The victim may need assistance and care for the rest of their lives or some form of accommodation.
  • The victim may require life-long medical assistance.
  • The victim may need prosthetics to replace lost limbs or devices to assist them in their daily lives. These include the use of wheelchairs, canes, or walkers.
  • The victim may suffer from severe disfigurement or scarring.
  • The victim may suffer from severe injuries to their spine.
  • The victim may endure acute trauma to their brain.
  • Amputation may be a consequence.
  • Some victims may lose their sight permanently.
  • Acquired deafness can also result in a catastrophic injury.
  • Some victims suffer extensive burns.
  • Some injuries result in part or full paralysis.

Catastrophic injuries are different from standard injuries victims of a limo accident may sustain. Some of the devastating injuries are not easily detectable. Aside from the apparent physical injuries, some head injuries may appear normal, but they have lasting effects such as:

  • Changes in personality
  • Unexplainable mood swings
  • The victim suffers from memory loss.
  • Irritability
  • Losing the ability to focus or concentrate
  • Being unable to cope with financial affairs

Even after attaining maximum recovery, some victims of catastrophic injuries have to stop working because their performance is not as it was before the accident. Equally, individuals that suffer visible injuries may suffer from other life-changing side effects.

Treatment and care of catastrophic injuries can leave the victim, and their families broke, especially when their insurance cannot cover all the costs. Getting compensation for the damages suffered from the limo driver or the limo company becomes critical to help with the financial burden. Getting an experienced attorney that understands the complexities of a claim enables you to focus on recovery as they get your damages.

Catastrophic Limousine Accidents

Although limo accidents are not common, when they occur, they can result in substantial injuries to the victims. Passengers in a limo hardly have their seat belts on and maybe moving about the vehicle when the accident occurs. Additionally, the passengers are usually seated sideways, having their backs against the interior walls. All these things make them more vulnerable to severe injuries when an accident happens.

Various limo accidents result in catastrophic injuries. These are:

Rollover Accidents

Some accidents with a limo result in it rolling over once or several times. This is a very violent accident resulting in the passengers hitting against each, and the body of the vehicle. Many things can cause an accident. If the limo is forcefully hit by another car, the driver may lose control over it and roll over on the side or severally.

Limos can also rollover when they come into collision with an oncoming vehicle. The forceful impact can also throw it off the road and cause it to rollover. When this type of accident happens, the passengers and even the driver sustain substantial injuries, which some may be catastrophic.

Typically, passengers in a limo hardly have their seatbelts on. As a result, they quickly move from one place to another and even get thrown out of the limo. It is common for victims of these accidents to suffer significant injuries to their heads or brains, amputations, or injuries to their spine, among others. These sorts of injuries leave their victims with severe injuries altering their lives forever.

T-Bone Accidents

These accidents are also common, especially at intersections. The accidents involve one car crashing on to another on its side with its front. These accidents are often forceful, and victims can be thrown out of the vehicle and crash on the hard road surface. When this happens, the victims may lose limbs, break bones, crash on their heads, or suffer internal injuries. If the victim sustains spinal cord injuries, he or she can be paralyzed for the rest of their lives.

The impact on the side of the limousine when very forceful can cause significant injuries to the victims. Most vehicles are not as protected on the side as they are from the front. This means the protection is not as much, and any small crash can result in serious injuries.

The cause of these injuries may vary. Most T-bone accidents because of their nature are mostly due to careless drivers or motorists that disregard traffic rules. Some motorists refuse to give way or turn at the wrong place and end up getting hit by an oncoming vehicle. At intersections, traffic is normally controlled by lights, and if a motorist jumps a red light, they may end up in an accident. The limo driver or another motorist can be responsible for the recklessness that would result in the accident.

The damage to the limousine is also significant when hit from the side. T-bone accidents involving limousines typically result in substantial costs in treating injuries and property damages. Fortunately, victims involved can be compensated for the losses by the limo company. This is when the driver was responsible for the accident. This is only possible after exhausting their insurance cover that compensates for damages.

Head-on Crashes

These crashes typically involve two vehicles crashing into each other when moving from different directions. Often, the impact of these kinds of crashes is very forceful, resulting in some of the most catastrophic injuries in road accidents. Many head-on collisions result in fatalities, if not, very devastating injuries.

These accidents can be caused by either the limo driver or the other motorist overtaking at the wrong place, especially at a bend. These accidents can also be as a result of over speeding by either motorist. When the speed is too high, and one is faced with an emergency, it is difficult to bring the vehicle to a stop. As a result, the two cars crash into each other, causing significant damages and injuries to the occupants.

Some victims may end up having injuries to their spine that cause paralysis, while others can have their limbs damaged. Some of the injuries as a result of head-on collisions require extended treatment periods that are costly to the victim and their family. Additionally, some injuries may require specialized equipment like walkers or wheelchairs.

Head injuries due to this type of accident often leave their victims in a vegetative state when they are substantial. This may mean the victim will stay alive only with the help of machines, and the cost is high.

Damages to the vehicles involved in the accident are also high, and sometimes the limousine may need replacing altogether. The person or party at fault in such an accident must pay damages to the victims. If blame was shared between the limo driver and the other motorist, then costs are sought from each party. This is usually according to their degree of responsibility.

Individual Collisions

Although these types of accidents are not very common, they happen, and when they do, the injuries are catastrophic. The causes of these accidents are distractions or speed. When a limo driver is moving at high speeds, he or she may face a sudden emergency on the road. While trying to avoid it, the limo may crash on a tree or a structure such as a building. The impact of this kind of accident can result in catastrophic injuries.

Distractions in a limo may be out of the driver trying to please his or her passenger’s demands. Also, if the driver attempts to use the phone while driving or focuses on something outside of the car, they can easily crash onto an obstacle that causes significant damages. Intoxicated driving is another cause of individual collisions. When a driver is impaired by drugs or alcohol, they are likely to miscalculate their distance from an object and end up crashing into it.

The passengers are likely to suffer from broken bones, limbs, neck and shoulder injuries, traumatic brain injuries, among others. These injuries can be catastrophic, requiring various procedures to treat them that may be costly. If the vehicle starts leaking gas, sometimes it can burst into flames, causing severe burns to any person in it.

When the occupants of the limo sustain burn injuries, they can be significant such that they cause disfigurement. This may result in them not using some parts of their body or needing extensive surgeries to get back to where they were. This may result in hefty medical costs and even counseling costs as the victim may require support to adjust to the new them.

Rear-end Crashes

These types of accidents happen when another hits the vehicle at the front from behind. When the car from the back is moving at high speeds and the limo is in front of it, when it crashes into the limo, it may cause catastrophic injuries. Equally, on a highway, most vehicles move at relatively high speeds. If the limo was at the back and the car at the front suddenly brakes, the limo may not be able to stop on time, resulting in a rear-end crash.

The impact from rear-end crashes either by the limo getting hit or hitting another vehicle can be forceful. Because of the nature of limo occupants not to have seatbelts on, the impact can cause a lot of bombarding with the limo’s body or against each other. A passenger can hit their head very hard against the body of the vehicle, causing traumatic injuries to the brain.

Traumatic head injuries often require surgical procedures to prevent the pressure in the head caused by swelling. If not treated on time, injuries can result in severe damages to the victim that may require extended treatment.

Mechanical Fault Accidents

Limos can also experience accidents due to mechanical faults. When the limo leaves the manufacturer, it may have defects due to its design that may result in it having an accident. Additionally, some parts of the limo may be faulty and end up, resulting in an accident. For instance, if the braking system is defective, a limo driver may try to apply brakes, and they fail.

When brakes fail, an accident will likely result. The driver may crash into another vehicle, a stationary object, or even roll over, among others. These types of accidents can also be catastrophic because of the injuries and other damages that result.

For instance, the limo driver can crash into a truck that was stationary or that joined the road carelessly when their brakes fail. The speed at which the limo was moving may have been so high, causing a forceful impact. The injuries, as a result, can range from brain traumas to back injuries, amputations, or disfigurement. Treating these injuries is also costly to the victim and their family. The damages to the limo, as a result, can also be significant.

When a mechanical fault is the cause of the limo accident, the victims of the crash can seek damages from the limo manufacturer or the part manufacturer. When establishing the cause of the accident, the accident reconstruction experts and the police must look for any possible reason. The limo manufacturer or part manufacturer will also have their investigators check into the cause of the crash.

After establishing a part failure or design failure caused by the accident, the party responsible for the catastrophic accident is required to pay damages and not the limo company. Determining fault is critical when victims suffer from devastating injuries in Florida. If the injuries are not catastrophic, your cover will take care of the damages suffered. However, with substantial injuries, the party at fault is expected to pay for costs. This is typically once the personal cover of the victim is exhausted.

Accidents Due to Bad Weather

Bad weather often causes many accidents on our roads. Limos also experience these accidents, and sometimes they are catastrophic. When it is snowing, the roads can be slippery, making it impossible to control the limo or stop when needed to. Additionally, heavy rainfall or storms cause poor visibility, which can frustrate the limo driver, ending up in an accident.

When a driver is unable to see well, they will end up either crashing into another vehicle, a stationary object, or hitting a pothole on the road. The impact of the crash can result in some catastrophic injuries. This happens when the passengers hit against each other or the body of the limo.

Some of the injuries passengers of a limo can suffer from including broken limbs that may lead to amputations, traumatic brain injuries, or spinal cord injuries. The cost of treating these injuries is high and can cause significant damage to the victim’s finances.

Life-long Costs of Catastrophic Limousine Accidents

Catastrophic injuries are defined as those types of injuries that leave a victim with permanent damages or in need of extended medical care. Victims of devastating limo accidents often need extended hospitalization and may never be able to care for their needs. These costs can financially damage the victim and their families for years to come. Fortunately, the state of Florida allows a victim that suffers these injuries to be compensated for all the costs. These costs include:

  • Emergency medical costs – From the cost of evacuation to the emergency room costs and medical treatment, you are entitled to receive compensation for them. Following a limo crash, you will go to the hospital to get treated for the injuries sustained. The doctors in treating your injuries will use surgery as well as other medical procedures. The cost of these procedures, doctor’s fees, medication, and any additional costs associated with treating your injuries are compensable.
  • Continuous medical care – As earlier stated, catastrophic injuries require extended treatment. Victims of these injuries are required to visit their doctors that keep monitoring their progress continuously. The cost of constant medical care is hefty, and the state allows for compensation on the same.
  • Medications – Even post-hospital stay, victims of catastrophic injuries may find they require specific medicines to stay alive. The cost of the drugs is supposed to get compensated by the at-fault party or their insurance company.
  • Occupational and physical therapy – This is another cost that is hefty to victims of catastrophic injuries. The extended stay in the hospital makes them require treatment to learn how to walk or do things by themselves again. Additionally, those that lose their limbs and have to be fitted with prosthetics need therapy to learn how to function with them. Victims that suffer blindness or deafness as a result of a limo crash also require treatment and learn new skills to enable them to cope. All the costs associated with the therapy are also compensable.
  • Medical equipment – Sometimes, the doctors may say there is nothing more they can do for the victim at the hospital. When the damages are extensive with the maximum recovery attained, the victim may still be left in a vegetative state. This means he or she will spend the rest of their lives needing care. As a result, a hospital bed may be required at home. Wheelchairs, walkers, and a lift may also be required to facilitate the victim’s movements. All these expenses are compensable according to the compensation law in Florida.
  • Counseling – Catastrophic injuries cause the victims lasting psychological damages. When a person could see, and suddenly they cannot see, a person was an athlete, and now they can use their body anymore or a person was independent but now must depend on others. All these, among others, cause significant psychological trauma that requires extended counseling. The cost of psychological therapy is compensated in Florida as well.
  • Lost wages – Most individuals that suffer catastrophic injuries due to limo accidents are left unable to earn a living. The damages incurred will not allow them to continue working as they did before, resulting in them being unable to support themselves or their loved ones. The income they lose during treatment and their lost ability to earn a living are also compensated.
  • Pain and suffering – Catastrophic injuries are painful to endure, and the suffering the victims undergo through their lives is significant. The law allows victims of these injuries to be compensated due to the pain and suffering they go through.

Find a Personal Injury Lawyer Near Me

All injuries following a limousine accident are unwelcome and damaging, but catastrophic injuries are even more harmful. The life-changing aspect of these injuries is devastating, let alone the lasting economic damages. For this reason, a victim of a catastrophic limousine injury should contact Clay County Personal Injury Attorney to pursue their damages as they recover. Contact us at 904-494-8242, and we will aggressively pursue your losses.