Catastrophic Injury Lawyers in Reading, PA

When an injury permanently changes a life, the legal stakes are too high for a firm divided across unrelated practice areas. Liever, Hyman & Potter has represented wrongful injury victims and their families since 1959, making us the longest-established motor vehicle injury law firm in Reading, PA. All four of our attorneys handle only wrongful injury and death claims. No real estate closings, no contracts, no distractions. Our combined experience exceeds 115 years, every one of them devoted to a single purpose. The broader legal community calls us “The Lawyers’ Lawyers.” Other firms refer clients to us because they know our record.

Catastrophic injuries are those that permanently prevent a victim from returning to normal life, including gainful work. These claims are more complex than standard personal injury cases and demand thorough documentation of future medical costs, permanent loss of earning capacity, and long-term care needs. 

If you or someone you care for has suffered a life-altering injury in the Reading area, call our catastrophic injury attorneys today at (610) 885-1991. There’s no cost to start, and no fee unless we recover.

Documented Multi-Million-Dollar Recoveries

Results in catastrophic injury cases have to match the scale of what victims lose. Our published settlements include a $6.5 million recovery for a teenager who suffered a brain bleed resulting in hemiplegia, a $12.75 million settlement for failure to diagnose brain disease, a $3.5 million trucking crash settlement, and a $3.265 million drunk driving wrongful death settlement. In a recent three-year period, our attorneys recovered more than 500 awards and settlements, including numerous million-dollar and multi-million-dollar results. Since 1959, we’ve won thousands of awards and settlements for victims and their families. That is more than any other firm located in the Berks and Schuylkill County area.

Lead attorney John R. Badal holds membership in both the Million Dollar Advocates Forum and the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, national recognition tied to documented results at those dollar thresholds. Every case we accept is reviewed and assigned to a civil trial attorney qualified to handle it.

Types of Catastrophic Injuries We Handle

An injury is generally treated as catastrophic when it permanently disrupts major life functions or prevents the victim from working. Common examples include:

• Traumatic brain injury (TBI): Severe head trauma causing permanent cognitive impairment, memory loss, speech difficulties, or personality changes
• Spinal cord injuries: Damage resulting in paraplegia or quadriplegia, often requiring lifelong care and assistive devices
• Severe burns: Third-degree burns requiring surgeries and skin grafts and leaving permanent scarring
• Amputations: Loss of a limb requiring prosthetics and extensive rehabilitation
• Permanent vision or hearing loss: Irreversible sensory loss limiting the ability to work and manage daily life
• Multiple severe fractures: Crushed or shattered bones requiring reconstructive surgery and potentially causing lasting mobility limitations
• Internal organ damage: Injuries to vital organs that may require transplants or permanent medical intervention

Common Causes of Catastrophic Injuries in Reading

Most catastrophic injury claims arise from a predictable set of negligent events. Motor vehicle accidents, car, truck, and motorcycle crashes are among the most frequent causes, given the forces involved. Large commercial truck collisions are especially devastating due to the size and weight disparity with passenger vehicles. Construction site accidents, including falls from scaffolding and roofs, frequently produce spinal cord injuries and brain trauma. Medical malpractice, surgical errors, misdiagnosis, and medication mistakes can cause permanent disabilities. Defective vehicles and dangerous products give rise to product liability claims. Pedestrian and bicycle accidents leave victims without protection, making severe outcomes common when they’re struck by a motor vehicle on Berks County roads.

What Compensation Covers in a Catastrophic Injury Claim

Pennsylvania law allows catastrophic injury victims to pursue both economic and non-economic damages. Economic damages cover past and future medical expenses, surgeries, rehabilitation, long-term care, assistive devices, and home modifications such as wheelchair ramps or accessible bathrooms. Lost wages and permanently reduced earning capacity are recoverable, and future income loss is often the largest financial component in these cases.

Non-economic damages address pain and suffering, emotional distress, PTSD, disfigurement, and loss of enjoyment of life. Pennsylvania doesn’t cap non-economic damages in personal injury cases outside of medical malpractice. Loss of consortium, the impact on the victim’s relationship with a spouse or family, is also recoverable. Proving the full scope of damages typically requires expert medical testimony, life care planners, and economic analysis.

Pennsylvania's Legal Rules That Govern Your Claim

Pennsylvania gives injury victims two years from the date of injury to file a personal injury lawsuit. Missing that deadline typically bars recovery. If a government entity caused the injury, you must file a formal notice within six months. That is a far shorter window that can catch victims off guard.

Pennsylvania follows a modified comparative negligence rule: you can recover damages even if you were partially at fault, as long as your share of fault is below 51%. Your recovery is reduced proportionally to your percentage of fault. Evidence in catastrophic cases, surveillance footage, accident reports, and medical records degrades quickly, and early legal action can help preserve what you need to build a complete claim.

Why Families Choose Liever, Hyman & Potter

Start with a Free Consultation

Catastrophic injury cases demand a firm prepared for a long, complex fight. One that can retain expert witnesses, medical specialists, life care planners, and economic analysts without the client bearing that financial risk upfront. Our contingency structure means we advance all costs and collect nothing unless we recover.

Tell us what happened. There’s no cost for the consultation, and we won’t charge a fee or seek reimbursement for expenses we advance unless we recover money for you.

Call Liever, Hyman & Potter today at (610) 885-1991 to speak with a catastrophic injury attorney in Reading and Berks County.