What Constitutes “Disfigurement” in a Nebraska Personal Injury Case?
Experiencing any kind of accident that results in a personal injury can be traumatizing. Not only do you have to deal with missed time from work and medical appointments, but depending on the severity of the accident, you might be in a lot of pain and even facing disability. When an accident is so severe that it causes permanent disfigurement, what does that actually mean and what compensation are you entitled to receive? The situations can vary greatly, but the following is an overview of this sensitive matter.
What Is Disfigurement and How Can It Happen?
In a general sense, disfigurement results from an accident that causes extreme scarring, loss of limbs, or other changes to one’s physical appearance that can prevent them from resuming their daily life activities. Sometimes a medical procedure can result in disfigurement, yet this falls under medical malpractice rather than personal injury.
Common types of disfigurement include burns from a fire or a chemical spill, loss of limbs, decreased or complete loss of motor functions, or scarring. Unfortunately there are a plethora of personal injury incidents that can cause one or more of these life changing alterations.
Your Rights and Claims to a Case
Sustaining injuries that lead to disfigurement after an accident gives you grounds to file a personal injury case. In order for the case to stand, you must be able to prove that your injuries were caused by the negligence of another person. This might mean that another driver ran a red light and hit you, causing you to have injuries that lead to disfigurement.
Unfortunately, the state of Nebraska makes it very difficult to receive benefits through worker’s compensation if the accident occurred at work. Even if your injuries lead to severe disfiguration and you were not able to return to work, receiving an award is an uphill battle as this state does not specifically pay for these types of claims.
Every Situation Is Different
Remember that each and every case will have varying circumstances, so it’s nearly impossible to project how much money you can recover. In general, personal injury cases in Nebraska can include compensation for pain and suffering, medical bills, lost time at work, and even disability. The most clear cut cases are the ones in which it is apparent that the injured individual cannot return to their daily lives because of their injuries.
Have you been in an accident and have disfiguring scars or other injuries? If you need representation to get the benefits you deserve, contact Inkelaar Law today.