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Catastrophic & Serious Injuries
Has A Catastrophic Injury Changed Everything?
What Happened to You Was Not Minor. The Legal Fight That Follows Should Not Be Either.
There is a category of injury that changes not just the day it happens — but every day that follows.
An injury that ends a career. An injury that changes how a person moves through their home, interacts with their family, and imagines their future. An injury that introduces a lifetime of medical procedures, adaptive equipment, rehabilitation, and care costs that no one planned for and no one should have to face alone.
These are catastrophic injuries. And the legal fight to secure full accountability for what they cost requires a different level of preparation than a standard personal injury claim.
At Cohn & Swartzon LLP we have represented seriously injured Californians — and their families — for more than 90 combined years. We understand what catastrophic injury litigation requires. We build cases that capture the full lifetime scope of what happened. And we fight for outcomes that reflect the full reality of what was taken.
What You Can Expect When You Work With Cohn & Swartzon LLP
From the moment you call us, you speak directly with an attorney. Not a case manager. Not an intake coordinator. An attorney who will listen to what happened, evaluate your situation honestly, and tell you exactly where things stand.
A full evaluation of your lifetime damages — not just your current bills.
Catastrophic injury cases are not about what you paid for treatment last month. They are about what this injury will cost you over a lifetime — future surgeries, future rehabilitation, future care needs, adaptive equipment, home modifications, vocational retraining if your ability to work has been affected, and the full economic value of what the injury permanently removed from your life.
We take over all communication with insurance companies.
The insurance company representing the person or entity responsible for your injury is not working for you. From the moment we are retained, we handle every call, every letter, and every claim submission. You stop taking those calls. We take them for you.
We bring in the right experts.
Catastrophic injury cases require life care planners who can calculate the full cost of future medical needs, vocational experts who can assess the economic impact on earning capacity, and medical specialists who can explain the long-term prognosis in terms that a jury can understand and that an insurer cannot dismiss.
Help navigating medical treatment when you do not have health insurance or your coverage is limited.
Not everyone has great health insurance. Some clients have none at all. We can help connect you with paths to obtain the medical treatment you need — including providers who work on a lien basis with out the need for a client to pay for quality medical treatment out of pocket.
Claim paperwork handled completely.
From accident reports to medical record requests to insurance submissions — we manage the paperwork so you can focus on your life. Every document that leaves this office related to your case goes through our highly trained team first.
You will always know who is handling your case and what the next step is.
You have direct access to your attorney from the first conversation through the final resolution. We cannot guarantee the outcome of any case. What we can guarantee is how we handle yours — with clarity, consistency, and a personal commitment that does not end when you hang up the phone.
Common outcomes
What Qualifies as a Catastrophic or Serious Injury?
| Injury Type | Description |
| Traumatic Brain Injury | Damage to the brain from a blow, penetrating injury, or violent movement can produce permanent cognitive, emotional, and physical changes. TBI affects memory, concentration, personality, and the ability to work and care for oneself. It is one of the most complex and most frequently undervalued catastrophic injuries in personal injury litigation. |
| Spinal Cord Injuries | Damage to the spinal cord can produce partial or complete paralysis, loss of sensation, and permanent changes to motor function at and below the level of injury. Spinal cord injuries typically require lifetime medical management and dramatically affect independence, mobility, and every dimension of daily life. |
| Paralysis | Whether caused by spinal cord trauma, traumatic brain injury, or severe nerve damage, paralysis changes the entire trajectory of a person’s life. Future medical costs, adaptive equipment, home modifications, and personal care needs must all be accounted for in a claim that truly reflects what the injury cost. |
| Severe Burn Injuries | Serious burns cause not only profound physical pain and permanent scarring but frequently require multiple reconstructive surgeries over years. The psychological impact of severe burn injuries — including changes in appearance and the social and professional consequences of visible scarring — are real, compensable, and often inadequately valued in early settlement offers. |
| Amputation | The loss of a limb affects mobility, vocation, independence, and daily life in ways that extend far beyond the initial medical cost. Prosthetics require ongoing maintenance and replacement. Vocational retraining may be necessary. The psychological impact of limb loss is significant and long-lasting. |
| Permanent Nerve Damage | Severe nerve damage producing chronic pain, numbness, loss of function, or complex regional pain syndrome can be as disabling as more visible catastrophic injuries — and is frequently underestimated by insurers and overlooked in inadequate settlement offers. |
| Multiple Trauma | High-speed collisions, workplace accidents, and other catastrophic events often produce injuries across multiple body systems simultaneously. Building a case that accounts for the interaction and combined impact of multiple serious injuries requires both legal and medical expertise. |
Act now
Why Catastrophic Injury Cases Require a Different Level of Preparation
An insurance company evaluating a catastrophic injury claim is not looking at what the injury cost you yesterday. They are calculating the minimum amount they can offer that you might accept — before you fully understand what this injury will cost you over the rest of your life.
That gap between what they offer and what the injury actually costs is where serious cases are won or lost.
At Cohn & Swartzon LLP we close that gap before we negotiate. We build the lifetime damages picture first. We retain the experts who can support it. We prepare every case as if it will go to trial.
Founding Partner Saar Swartzon helped secure a $36 million verdict in a mesothelioma case — the 48th largest asbestos verdict in the United States that year — a result that required building an airtight connection between a catastrophic medical outcome and the party responsible for it. That is the standard we bring to every serious injury case we accept.
FAQ
Your Questions Answered
The primary difference is in the scope of damages. A catastrophic injury claim must also account for future medical costs over a lifetime, future care needs, adaptive equipment and home modifications, vocational impact if the injury affects the ability to work, and the full long-term psychological and emotional consequences of a permanent injury. Building that case requires life care planners, vocational experts, and medical specialists working alongside the legal team from the beginning.
Do not accept it without speaking with an attorney first. Early settlement offers in catastrophic injury cases are almost always made before the full lifetime scope of the injury is understood. Once a settlement is accepted and a release is signed, the right to pursue additional compensation is almost always permanently gone. Call us before you respond to any offer. The consultation is free.
Yes. California law recognizes claims for loss of consortium by spouses and in some circumstances by other family members affected by a catastrophic injury. When a serious injury fundamentally changes the nature of a family relationship, those losses are compensable and can should be included in any comprehensive claim.
The window varies significantly depending on the type of case, who the defendant is, and the age of the person injured. In some situations that window can be as short as six months. The sooner an attorney is involved the more options are available and the more evidence can be preserved. Call us as soon as possible.
Cohn & Swartzon LLP Gets Results
Thousands
of clients served throughout California
$150M+
in verdicts, judgments, and settlements over their combined careers
90+ years
of combined legal experience
Direct access
to your attorney from the first call through resolution
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The consultation is always free. You speak directly with an attorney — not a coordinator, not a case manager. Our team is available by phone 24 hours a day 7 days a week. There are no upfront fees and no fee unless we recover for you. Services are available in English and Spanish.
Your job is to recover. Our job is to get you justice.
Cohn & Swartzon LLP · legalhelp123.com
2 Park Plaza, Suite 1050, Irvine, CA 92614
131 East Kern Ave, Suite H, Tulare, CA 93274
“Unintentional injuries are a leading cause of death and disability in the U.S.”
— CDC
“Severe injuries often result in lifelong medical needs and financial impact.”
— NIH
Cohn & Swartzon LLP Gets Results in Catastrophic & Serious Injuries
1000s of clients served throughout California
$150 million+ in verdicts, judgments, & settlements
90+ years of combined legal experience
