On this page
- What Is Considered a Catastrophic Injury?
- Serious Accidents in the Hammond Area
- Why Future Medical Needs Matter
- Lost Wages and Loss of Earning Capacity
- Building Evidence of Long-Term Losses
- Catastrophic Injuries Involving Commercial Trucks
- Insurance Coverage Can Be Critical in a Serious Injury Case
- What Damages May Be Available?
- How Long Do You Have to File a Louisiana Catastrophic Injury Claim?
- Hammond Catastrophic Injury Cases and the Local Court System
- Why Trust Our Firm With Your Hammond Catastrophic Injury Case?
- Frequently Asked Questions About Hammond Catastrophic Injury Claims
That makes a catastrophic injury claim different from many ordinary personal injury cases. We may need to investigate not only who caused the accident, but also how the injury affects the person’s long-term medical, financial, and personal circumstances.
For someone seriously injured in Hammond or elsewhere in Tangipahoa Parish, our attorneys can investigate the accident, preserve evidence, evaluate available insurance, and document the losses supported by medical, employment, and other appropriate evidence.
What Is Considered a Catastrophic Injury?
“Catastrophic injury” generally refers to an injury that produces particularly severe, permanent, or long-lasting consequences. The term itself is not a medical diagnosis.
Depending on the medical evidence, serious injury cases may involve conditions affecting the brain, spinal cord, limbs, mobility, neurological function, or other major bodily systems.
Our attorneys do not diagnose injuries or determine someone’s medical prognosis. Those conclusions belong to qualified medical professionals.
Catastrophic injury claims may arise from incidents such as:
- Car accidents
- Commercial truck collisions
- 18-wheeler crashes
- Motorcycle accidents
- Pedestrian or bicycle accidents
- Dangerous property incidents
- Defective products
- Certain workplace-related accidents
Regardless of how serious an injury is, severity alone does not prove that another person or company is legally responsible.
Serious Accidents in the Hammond Area
Hammond’s transportation network creates a mixture of local, commuter, and regional traffic.
I-12 and I-55 intersect near Hammond, while U.S. 190 and surrounding state and local roads connect the city with other communities in Tangipahoa Parish.
A catastrophic injury could result from a passenger-car collision, motorcycle crash, pedestrian accident, or commercial vehicle collision on any part of that network.
Hammond also has an important local resource for traumatic injuries at North Oaks Medical Center.
North Oaks operates a Level II Trauma Center in Hammond. The health system states that its trauma program has been verified by the American College of Surgeons and designated by the Louisiana Department of Health as a Level II Trauma Center since 2016. Its trauma team provides care 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
The existence of a local trauma center does not establish the seriousness, cause, or value of any individual injury claim.
Why Future Medical Needs Matter
One of the biggest differences in a catastrophic injury case is that the consequences may continue long after the initial accident.
Emergency treatment and hospitalization may represent only part of someone’s medical experience. Depending on the injury and recommendations of qualified healthcare professionals, future needs could potentially include additional treatment, rehabilitation, follow-up care, medication, medical equipment, or assistance.
North Oaks, for example, maintains a post-trauma clinic in Hammond for individuals discharged from the hospital after injuries, illustrating how trauma care can continue beyond the emergency department.
When future medical damages are claimed, we do not simply estimate what someone might need.
Medical records, physician opinions, treatment recommendations, costs, and other appropriate evidence may be necessary to support those damages.
Lost Wages and Loss of Earning Capacity
A catastrophic injury can also affect employment.
Two concepts may become important:
Lost wages generally concern income already lost because the injured person was unable to work.
Loss of earning capacity concerns how an injury may affect the person’s ability to earn income in the future.
They are not necessarily the same.
For example, someone might eventually return to work but be unable to perform the same physical duties, work the same schedule, or pursue the same employment opportunities as before the accident.
Depending on the case, we may examine evidence such as:
- Wage and payroll records
- Tax information
- Employment history
- Education and training
- Previous job responsibilities
- Documented medical restrictions
- Evidence concerning future employment capabilities
Economic or vocational professionals may also become relevant when appropriate.
We do not assume that every serious injury causes a loss of earning capacity. That loss must be established through evidence specific to the injured person.
Building Evidence of Long-Term Losses
A catastrophic injury case requires documentation of both the accident and its consequences.
Evidence concerning the accident itself may include:
- Police or incident reports
- Photographs
- Witness statements
- Surveillance or dash-camera footage
- Vehicle information
- Electronic vehicle data
- Commercial trucking records
- Business or maintenance records
- Insurance information
Evidence concerning damages may include:
- Medical records
- Medical bills
- Rehabilitation documentation
- Employment records
- Wage information
- Physician opinions
- Documentation of medically supported future needs
The two sides of the case work together.
Even extensive medical documentation does not establish who caused the accident. Likewise, strong evidence of another party’s fault does not automatically establish the amount of damages.
Our job is to build both parts of the claim using evidence rather than assumptions.
Catastrophic Injuries Involving Commercial Trucks
Hammond’s location at I-12 and I-55 makes commercial vehicle cases particularly relevant to this hub.
When a catastrophic injury results from an 18-wheeler or commercial truck collision, the evidence may extend beyond what is available in a typical car accident.
Depending on the circumstances, we may investigate:
- Driver qualification information
- ELD and hours-of-service records
- Dispatch communications
- GPS or telematics data
- Electronic vehicle information
- Maintenance and inspection records
- Cargo documents
- Tractor and trailer ownership
- Employment or contractor relationships
- Commercial insurance policies
Our separate Hammond truck and 18-wheeler pages address those issues in greater detail.
The involvement of a trucking company does not automatically establish company liability. We evaluate what the evidence and applicable law actually support.
Insurance Coverage Can Be Critical in a Serious Injury Case
Catastrophic injuries can create significant medical and financial losses. Identifying potentially applicable insurance coverage can therefore become an important part of the investigation.
Depending on the accident, we may examine:
- Automobile liability policies
- Commercial vehicle coverage
- Employer or business policies
- UM/UIM coverage when applicable
- Policies covering additional potentially responsible parties
Policy limits should not be confused with the value of a claim.
Likewise, the existence of an insurance policy does not automatically mean the policy provides coverage for a particular accident.
We review the available policies, insured parties, coverage provisions, and facts rather than assuming coverage exists.
What Damages May Be Available?
When the evidence supports liability, a catastrophic injury claim may involve damages concerning both existing and future losses.
Depending on the circumstances and applicable law, those losses may include:
- Past medical expenses
- Future medical expenses supported by evidence
- Past lost wages
- Loss of earning capacity
- Property damage
- Certain legally recoverable non-economic damages
- Other supported losses resulting from the injury
There is no standard settlement value for a catastrophic injury.
Two people can suffer apparently similar injuries yet have very different medical needs, occupations, earning histories, insurance situations, degrees of fault, and long-term consequences.
For that reason, our firm does not assign a case value based solely on the name of an injury or the severity of the accident.
How Long Do You Have to File a Louisiana Catastrophic Injury Claim?
Louisiana’s current general rule gives many injury claimants more time than the state’s older one-year framework.
Civil Code Article 3493.1 generally provides that delictual actions are subject to a two-year liberative prescription period beginning on the day the injury or damage is sustained. The change became effective July 1, 2024. Louisiana’s legislation also contains specific provisions involving minors or interdicts in certain permanent-disability product-liability actions.
That general rule should not be applied mechanically to every case. The accident date, defendant, type of claim, and other circumstances can affect the applicable deadline.
Waiting can also create evidence problems before prescription expires. Video may be overwritten, vehicles can be repaired, witnesses may become harder to locate, and commercial records may be retained for limited periods.
Hammond Catastrophic Injury Cases and the Local Court System
Hammond is located in Tangipahoa Parish, which is part of Louisiana’s 21st Judicial District.
The 21st Judicial District Court has original jurisdiction over civil and criminal matters in Tangipahoa, Livingston, and St. Helena Parishes. The Tangipahoa Parish Courthouse is located at 110 North Bay Street in Amite.
A catastrophic injury occurring in Hammond does not automatically mean litigation must be filed there. Proper venue depends on the parties, accident location, claims, and applicable Louisiana law.
Still, understanding Hammond’s relationship to Tangipahoa Parish and the 21st JDC is part of handling a locally based serious injury claim.
Why Trust Our Firm With Your Hammond Catastrophic Injury Case?
At Jacqueline A. Scott & Associates, we represent injured people and families throughout Louisiana.
A catastrophic injury case can require considerably more than proving that an accident happened. We may need to document medical treatment, investigate future needs, analyze employment consequences, identify available insurance, preserve accident evidence, and determine which parties the evidence supports holding responsible.
Our approach is to investigate the individual case rather than rely on assumptions about what a particular injury should be worth.
We also understand that clients dealing with serious injuries need communication throughout that process. Our goal is to help clients understand what is happening with their claim while we investigate the evidence and pursue the legal options available to them.
Make ’Em Pay.
Make ’Em Pay represents our approach to accountability.
In a Hammond catastrophic injury case, that means pursuing the people or companies the evidence and Louisiana law support holding responsible and seeking damages that can be supported by the facts of the case.
It does not mean guaranteeing liability, predicting someone’s medical future, promising compensation, or assigning a case value before the evidence has been evaluated.
If you or a family member suffered a catastrophic injury in Hammond or elsewhere in Tangipahoa Parish, contact our firm to discuss what happened, what evidence may need to be preserved, and the legal options that may be available.
Make ’Em Pay.
Frequently Asked Questions About Hammond Catastrophic Injury Claims
What makes an injury catastrophic?
The term generally describes an injury with particularly severe or long-lasting consequences. It is not itself a medical diagnosis, and qualified medical professionals determine the nature, severity, and prognosis of an injury.
Can a catastrophic injury claim include future medical expenses?
Potentially. Future medical expenses may be part of a claim when the need and amount can be supported by appropriate medical and other evidence. They should not be based on speculation.
What is loss of earning capacity?
Loss of earning capacity concerns how an injury may affect someone’s future ability to earn income. It is different from wages already lost and must be evaluated based on the injured person’s individual circumstances.
Does Hammond have a trauma center?
Yes. North Oaks Medical Center in Hammond operates a Level II Trauma Center, verified by the American College of Surgeons and designated by the Louisiana Department of Health. Trauma services are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Where is the district court serving Hammond?
Hammond is in Tangipahoa Parish and is served by the 21st Judicial District Court. The Tangipahoa Parish Courthouse is at 110 North Bay Street in Amite.
This article is general information about Louisiana law and is not legal advice. Laws and deadlines can change, and every case depends on its own facts. Past results do not guarantee or predict future outcomes. Reading this page or contacting the firm does not by itself create an attorney-client relationship.
