Ohio Catastrophic Injury Attorneys
When you’ve experienced a life-altering injury in Ohio, it’s critical to understand your legal options. Navigating the complex landscape of personal injury law can determine the path forward. At Chester Law Group, our dedicated Ohio catastrophic injury law firm, led by attorney David Chester, will guide you through the process to secure the compensation you deserve when you’ve been injured.
Why Work With Us After a Serious Injury
As your Ohio catastrophic injury attorney, we have deep knowledge about severe injury cases and fight tirelessly to secure maximum compensation:
- We cover all case-related expenses upfront, ensuring injured victims face no financial barriers
- We possess extensive experience in severe injury cases, including spinal cord injuries and life-altering trauma
- We understand Ohio’s catastrophic injury laws and when additional claims may be pursued
Comprehensive Legal Support for Catastrophic Injury Victims
Life-changing accidents create complex legal challenges that demand extensive experience. Our catastrophic injury lawyers in Ohio help clients navigate:
- Comprehensive medical treatment costs, both current and future
- Lost income and reduced earning potential
- Common third-party scenarios (including being struck by another vehicle while working)
- Pain and suffering for past, present, and future suffering, with necessary medical evidence
- Finding all potentially liable parties, including individuals, companies, and cities or state of Ohio
Insurance companies and opposing counsel frequently minimize the devastating impact of catastrophic injuries. We understand how to thoroughly document these losses and engage the necessary experts to substantiate your claim. Whether you need a spinal cord injury attorney in Ohio or representation following another type of life-changing accident, contact us for a consultation immediately.
“We’re willing to spend whatever money is necessary to help our clients with serious injuries. It could cost us $30,000 to have a specialist testify in court, but we’ll always go the extra mile.”
–David Chester
Removing Financial Barriers As Your Ohio Catastrophic Injury Attorney
- We advance all costs for specialized medical experts and accident reconstruction professionals
- We engage qualified medical specialists to analyze and document your injury patterns
- We eliminate all upfront financial requirements for legal representation
- Our no-recovery, no-fee commitment means you risk nothing—we absorb all expenses if unsuccessful
- We accept complex catastrophic injury cases that other firms may decline
Using Experts in Your Case
Our legal team collaborates with a comprehensive network of specialized professionals to strengthen your case. This includes:
- Medical professionals: We engage qualified physicians to thoroughly assess the scope of your injuries and identify any lasting impairment or functional limitations. We also advocate for appropriate and accurate diagnostic testing, including advanced imaging like MRIs, to uncover all potential injuries that may not be immediately apparent.
- Economic analysts: Our firm retains financial experts to determine the monetary impact of your injuries. They evaluate lifetime healthcare costs, present income losses, and economic consequences should you be unable to resume your previous employment.
- Life care specialists: These professionals assist us in identifying the comprehensive services you’ll require both immediately and throughout your recovery. This may encompass home healthcare assistance and vocational rehabilitation for career transition.
5-Step Process for Working With a Catastrophic Injury Lawyer in Ohio
- Contact us for a complimentary consultation regarding your severe injury incident
- Schedule a thorough case evaluation at our office or your preferred location
- Receive strategic guidance for gathering essential documentation and preserving evidence
- Obtain protection from aggressive insurance company settlement pressure
- Build a comprehensive case file documenting all economic and non-economic damages for maximum recovery
5-Step Process for Maximizing Compensation in Serious Injury Cases
- We immediately secure critical evidence before it becomes unavailable
- We systematically identify every potential source of compensation
- We develop a strategic legal approach with necessary expert testimony
- We conduct aggressive negotiations with insurance companies and responsible parties
- We file formal litigation should settlement negotiations prove insufficient
Serious Injury Resources
DISCLAIMER: When necessary, Chester Law Group with client consent teams up with litigation co-counsel with trial experience in medical malpractice claims to help clients achieve the best results possible. The results are specific to the facts and legal circumstances of each of the clients’ cases and should not be used to form an expectation that the same results could be obtained for other clients in similar matters without reference to the specific factual and legal circumstances of each client’s case. Litigation co-counsel is listed where appropriate.
TRAUMATIC INJURY TO MOTHER AND UNBORN CHILD/ CUYAHOGA COUNTY/ PREMISES LIABILITY/ WRONGFUL DEATH
Our pregnant client was severely injured by a motor vehicle while sitting on a bench in front of a commercial establishment. Injuries resulted in a child born with severe brain damage and multiple disabilities. Sadly, the child died within a year of the accident. Liability attached to the premises owner for unsafe condition of the customer parking in relation to the bench. Our investigation uncovered a prior incident and notice to the premises owner of the unsafe condition. Primary recovery from the premises owner for Injuries and Wrongful Death.
Awarded: Total awarded for injuries and Wrongful Death:- $985,000
SPINAL CORD INJURY: PARAPLEGIC; INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENT | ECONOMIC DAMAGES ESTIMATED TO BE OVER $4,000,000.00
Our client suffered a catastrophic spinal cord injury in an industrial accident. The injury resulted in our client becoming a paraplegic. Further details are prohibited by the terms of the nondisclosure agreement. Liability was in serious doubt. Litigation co-counsel was Lynn Lazarro.
Settlement: Confidential Settlement: January 2014
BRAIN INJURY IN A BAR FIGHT | AKRON PERSONAL INJURY LAWYER.
Akron man was injured in a bar fight and suffered brain injuries which required rehabilitation and a hospital stay. The brain injury required surgery to reduce swelling, along with a long rehab process. Litigation co-counsel was Lynn Lazarro. Brain injuries can occur from blunt force trauma that occurs when a person is hit in the head, as is the case here, or when the head hits the dashboard or steering wheel, as in the case of a car accident. The brain itself can be damaged simply by striking the inside of the skull during a whiplash type injury, even if there is no head impact on an external object. This is according to the US Center for Disease Control. The brain damage may not fully show up for weeks or months, and total recovery is not always possible. It requires expert treatment to find and treat all of the various symptoms of brain injury.
Not all brain injuries are dramatic, as in the case above. We often see clients who have trouble remembering phone numbers, lists or people’s names. They can’t find their keys or they forget appointments. It is these little things that can signal that the brain has been injured, and the patient should talk to their primary care physician immediately. Special testing, such as SPECT scans and MRIs, can be used to find the injury and lead to treatment where possible. Vocational rehabilitation can oftentimes help a person cope with the brain injury that may never fully go away.
In my experience, mild traumatic brain injuries are one of the most often missed injuries in the Ohio personal injury field. Perhaps because the symptoms can be so subtle, perhaps because patients do not even know there is a problem or they do not associate it with the recent trauma, or people are too busy treating for obvious, painful injuries, such as broken bones, herniated discs, etc. Just because pain is gone in the body does not mean a person has fully recovered from an Ohio personal injury. Other subtle cues can indicate a more serious, long-term injury has occurred.
Jury verdict: $500,000
TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY | SUMMIT COUNTY OHIO SERIOUS INJURY LAWYER.
A 52-year-old Akron man was severely injured when a truck driver from Bolivar turned left in front of him. The accident occurred on SR 241 in Green. The Akron man suffered a traumatic brain injury as well as many other injuries. The small town of Green had three fatalities in 2009 according to the ODPS, with Summit County having 32 fatalities.
On a related note, it is important to note that according to current research, many brain injuries from car accidents go undiagnosed. This is because the symptoms are not always readily apparent, as is the case with serious traumatic brain injuries. Mild traumatic brain injury can cause symptoms such as forgetfulness, dizziness, etc, which many people do not tie to the car accident so they don’t tell their doctors about them. Also, in this day and age of HMOs and managed care, doctors do not always have enough time to ask all the questions to find out about mild traumatic brain injuries unless the person mentions it first. I see this a lot in my Ohio personal injury practice. Also it is important to note that according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a person does not need to hit his or her head on the dashboard to suffer brain damage. The rapid movement of the brain inside the skull during a rear impact is enough to cause brain damage.
Awarded: $300,000
PERSONAL INJURY: T-BONE CAR ACCIDENT. BROKEN RIBS AND FRACTURED VERTEBRAE.
Our client, a middle-aged Ohio resident from Uniontown, Ohio, was injured when her car was T-boned by another vehicle. Our client suffered several broken ribs and other broken bones, include two fractured vertebrae. The client underwent rehabilitation. No surgery was needed as all of the fractures healed on their own with a full recovery.
Awarded: $175,000: January 2014
PASSENGER SUFFERS CONTUSIONS | STARK COUNTY MOTORCYCLE ACCIDENT.
A 32-year-old female from Massillon was the passenger on a motorcycle when it was involved in an accident on SR 172 in Canton. A Canton man failed to yield forcing the motorcycle to fall to the road. She was taken to the hospital by EMS were she was treated for multiple sprains, strains and contusions.
Awarded: $135,000
MULTIPLE SPRAINS AND STRAINS | STARK COUNTY SERIOUS INJURY.
On Route 687 in Jackson Township there was an accident involving a 45-year-old Louisville man and a woman from Massillon. The Massillon woman rear-ended the man; he suffered a herniated disc, multiple sprains and strains.
Awarded: $119,000
TORN ROTATOR CUFF | CUYAHOGA COUNTY SERIOUS INJURY.
An accident on I-480 in Warrensville Heights had a 50-year-old man from Mantua suffering from a torn rotator cuff after a Lyndhurst man lost control and went across three lanes of traffic striking the side of his car.
Awarded: $105,000
HERNIATED DISC | LORAIN COUNTY SERIOUS INJURY.
A 24-year-old male from Oberlin was in an accident on West Ave. and 15th St. in Elyria. He was taken to the hospital when the other car driven by a female from LaGrange failed to yield and turned in front of him. He was treated for a herniated disc.
Awarded: $100,000
SERIOUS CANTON ACCIDENT | STARK COUNTY MOTORCYCLE CRASH LAWYER.
A Canton man was involved in serious motorcycle accident. Client fractured his collarbone and ankle, and had surgery to repair injury. Motorcycle injuries are some of the worst type of collisions I see in my Ohio personal injury practice. The motorcycle provides almost no protection from the impact of the two-ton or more vehicles. We often see these types of injuries in pedestrian accidents also. The human body cannot withstand the force created by the car moving at high speed. The motorcycle accident can be even worse because the motorcycle can be moving at high speed, and a tap by a car can send the motorcycle rider flying into the air and land a long distance from the bike. The force at impact from the speed of the motorcycle leads to many brain injuries as well as catastrophic orthopedic injuries, such as spinal compression and burst fractures, compound fractures of the arms and legs and collapsed lungs if the bike lands on the client. Wearing a helmet may protect the brain to some degree, but not the neck and rest of the body. This is why safety and careful attention to the road is critical for all motorcycle drivers. You may be a great rider, but you have to avoid the car drivers who may not be such good drivers. A small mistake on their part that might cause a fender bender if you were in a car can kill you or cripple you if you are on a motorcycle.
Awarded: $100,000 (policy limits)
MULTIPLE FRACTURED RIBS | STARK COUNTY SERIOUS INJURY.
A three-car accident on SR 800 in Pike Township happened when a Canton man rear-ended a 79-year-old man from Dalton, pushing him into oncoming traffic. The man suffered head contusions and multiple fractured ribs.
Awarded: $95,000
PEDESTRIAN STRUCK BY MOTORIST | OHIO PEDESTRIAN ACCIDENT ATTORNEYS.
Client was a pedestrian walking to her car in a bank parking lot when she was struck by a motorist. Upon impact she struck her head on the pavement. Client suffered multiple injuries.
In this case, the client was especially in trouble because she was hit by a car and struck her head on the ground. The force of the impact would have been enough to cause serious brain injury, although thankfully that did not happen here. The force from a car is enough to shatter human bone, and the person being thrown from the scene and striking the ground is enough to force another set of ground impact injuries. When you combine the injuries from initial impact with the vehicle with the subsequent impact injuries with the ground, it is understandable why pedestrian accidents in Ohio can lead to much more serious injuries on average than car accidents. You can walk away from a 5 mph fender bender when you are in a car, but the same impact on a walking pedestrian can be massive. As you know physics state that the force of impact equals mass of the object hitting you and the acceleration of the object hitting you. With a heavy car, you do not need much speed to cause catastrophic damage, including death. Common sense tells you this. In my experience, I have seen some of the worst injuries suffered by pedestrians. If you are not thrown from the scene, you may end up under the car and crushed. These sets of injuries in my experience usually are fatal if not treated quickly.
Awarded: $86,157.70
CAR ACCIDENT: WRONGFUL DEATH: MIDDLE-AGED NORTHEAST OHIO MAN DIED. ALMOST $900,000 IN ECONOMIC DAMAGES.
Our client was a middle-aged man from northeast Ohio. He was killed in an auto accident. His future lost wages and other economic damages totaled almost $900,000. Liability was in doubt on this case. We argued that the party at fault crossed a double yellow line on the road. The case was settled before a jury trial was necessary. Our sincere condolences to his family. Litigation co-counsel was Lynn Lazarro.
Awarded: Confidential Settlement: January 2014
Frequently Asked Questions About Catastrophic Injury Cases
Your available legal options depend primarily on what party (or parties) are at fault, what type of insurance they carry or assets they have, and the extent of your injuries, including lifetime injuries and how these affect your life now and into the future.
Ohio’s comparative fault statute allows recovery even when you bear partial responsibility for the incident, provided the other party is at least 51% at fault. Chester Law Group has extensive experience constructing strong cases that demonstrate the opposing party’s greater responsibility, often transforming cases that initially appear unfavorable into successful recoveries for our clients.
If the at-fault driver in a truck or car accident only carries minimum insurance but you’ve suffered a life-altering injury, we’ll investigate all potential sources of compensation as an experienced catastrophic injury attorney in Ohio, including the driver’s umbrella policies, your own underinsured motorist coverage, and any third parties who may share liability, such as corporations the person was working for and cities or the state of Ohio.
If your catastrophic injury resulted from a dangerous condition on someone’s property—such as inadequate lighting leading to a fall, structural defects, or lack of security—you may have a premises liability claim. We’ve successfully recovered substantial settlements in premises liability cases. The key is acting quickly to preserve evidence and identify all responsible parties.