A catastrophic injury doesn't just hurt — it rewrites your future. Segal Law Firm builds cases that account for the rest of your life, not just the hospital bill.
We represent people with the most severe injuries imaginable: traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord damage, paralysis, amputations, severe burns. These cases require expert testimony, life-care planning, and a firm willing to spend whatever it takes to prove full damages.
Why catastrophic cases are different
A typical injury claim values medical bills already incurred. A catastrophic case has to value the next 30 to 50 years — adapted housing, attendant care, lost lifetime earnings, future surgeries, equipment replacement, and the human loss of the life you expected to live.
Insurers' first offers in these cases are almost always a fraction of true value. We retain life-care planners, economists, vocational experts and treating physicians to document every dollar — and every loss that isn't measured in dollars.
Long-term damages we pursue
- Lifetime medical & attendant care
- Lost lifetime earnings
- Home & vehicle modifications
- Future surgeries & equipment
- Pain, suffering & disfigurement
- Loss of consortium for family
What families should do early
Catastrophic cases are won — or lost — in the first weeks.
Document every diagnosis
Keep a running file of every doctor, every imaging study, every prognosis. Specialists are key to proving permanent impact.
Track daily impact
Have a family member journal what your loved one can no longer do — meals, dressing, conversation, work. Juries respond to specifics.
Reject early offers
Insurers move fast when they smell a high-value case. Any settlement signed in the first months will leave millions on the table.
Call us before signing anything
Hospital lien forms, employer paperwork, insurance releases — none of it should be signed without a lawyer review.
Why catastrophic injury families choose Segal
Expert team on day one
Life-care planners, neurologists, economists, accident reconstructionists. We assemble the full team your case needs.
Eight-figure track record
Catastrophic cases require firms that have actually tried them. We have.
Trial-ready always
Insurers settle high only when they know we'll go to a jury. We prepare every case that way.
Family-centered handling
You'll work with attorneys who understand that the patient — and their spouse, children, and parents — are all our clients.
Early settlements rob the future.
Insurers move fast in catastrophic cases because they know early offers undervalue lifetime care. Don't sign anything before we review.
The injuries we handle
Severe, life-altering injuries across New York
Traumatic brain injury (TBI)
From concussion with lasting cognitive effects to severe TBI requiring lifetime care. We work with neurologists and neuropsychologists to prove every deficit.
Spinal cord injuries
Paraplegia, quadriplegia, partial paralysis. We project lifetime care, equipment, and lost earnings down to the dollar.
Amputation & limb loss
Prosthetics, fittings, replacements every few years, vocational rehab. We value the full lifetime cost, not just the surgery.
Severe burns & disfigurement
Skin grafts, reconstructive surgery, lifetime psychological care. Burns are among the most undervalued injuries — we make sure yours isn't.
Multiple fractures & crush
Complex orthopedic injuries with permanent hardware, chronic pain and lost function. We document the long-term limitations carefully.
Vision & hearing loss
Often permanent and life-changing. Vocational experts prove the income impact.
Wrongful death
When negligence takes a loved one, surviving family can recover for lost support, services, and guidance.
Catastrophic child injuries
Birth injuries, childhood TBI, paralysis in minors. These cases require valuation over 70+ years of life expectancy.
Frequently asked
Answers before you call
Why do catastrophic cases settle for so much more?+
Because the damages aren't just past bills — they're decades of future care, lost earnings, home modifications and human loss. Properly documented, the value is often in the millions or tens of millions.
Should I accept the insurance company's early offer?+
Almost never. Early offers in catastrophic cases are routinely a small fraction of true lifetime cost. Once you sign, you cannot reopen the case.
What is a life-care plan?+
A medically-grounded document prepared by a credentialed life-care planner that prices out every future medical need — surgeries, attendants, equipment, therapies, housing — for the rest of the injured person's life. It's the foundation of any catastrophic case.
How do you prove future income loss?+
We retain vocational experts and economists who measure what the person would have earned over their working life, including raises and benefits, then discount it to present value.
Will my Medicare or Medicaid affect the case?+
Yes — there are mandatory lien repayment rules and sometimes a Medicare Set-Aside is required. We handle all of it so the recovery is properly protected.
What does it cost?+
Nothing upfront. We work on contingency and advance every case cost — including expert fees — so families can focus on care, not bills.
Contact
A catastrophic injury deserves a catastrophic-injury firm.
Free consultation. We come to the hospital or the home. No fee unless we win.