New Orleans
Some injuries don’t just heal with time.
A catastrophic injury changes what someone can do, earn, and expect from the rest of their life, and Louisiana law recognizes that by placing no general cap on what a case like this can be worth.
The Voorhies Law Firm builds these cases around the decades of care they often require, not just the immediate bills.
A catastrophic injury is one that permanently changes a person’s ability to work, live independently, or care for themselves.
This category includes:
Louisiana’s approach to damages makes a real difference in catastrophic injury cases specifically.
Unlike medical malpractice claims, which cap recovery at $500,000, Louisiana places no general cap on damages in an ordinary personal injury case, whether it arises from a car accident, a defective product, or a dangerous property condition. For a catastrophic injury, where lifetime care costs can run into the millions, this matters enormously. The one notable exception is a claim against a government entity, which is capped at $500,000 (not including future medical care) under Louisiana’s Governmental Claims Act.
There’s no fixed formula for calculating what a catastrophic injury case is worth. Building one typically requires a life care plan, a detailed projection of future medical needs, equipment, home modifications, and attendant care, developed with medical and vocational experts, translated into a dollar figure a jury or insurer can evaluate.
The same statewide rules apply in these cases, which is two years to file under article 3493.1 for incidents on or after July 1, 2024, and a 51% bar to recovery under article 2323 for incidents on or after January 1, 2026.
STEP 1
Free consultation.
Tell us what happened. We’ll give you an honest, no-cost assessment.
STEP 2
Investigation.
We identify every party whose negligence contributed to the injury.
STEP 3
Life care planning.
We work with medical and vocational experts to project your full future needs.
STEP 4
Damage calculation.
We build the complete financial picture: past and future medical care, lost earning capacity, and the human cost of what’s changed.
STEP 5
Demand and negotiation.
We pursue full value across every policy that may apply.
STEP 6
Filing suit, if needed.
We file before your deadline when a fair resolution isn’t within reach.
STEP 7
Resolution.
Your case is resolved, whether by settlement or verdict, ideally structured to fund decades of care.
We handle catastrophic injury claims arising from:
Behind every catastrophic injury case is a family recalculating what the next fifty years actually look like. We build the case around that full picture, not just what’s owed today.
The Voorhies Law Firm has recovered over $100 million for our clients, including a $10 million recovery for a client left with serious head, spine, and leg injuries after a negligent driver caused a motorcycle crash.
Results may vary, and every case depends on the specific injury and facts involved.
A catastrophic injury case lives or dies on the quality of the life care plan behind it.
Richard P. Voorhies III and the team at The Voorhies Law Firm bring in the medical and vocational experts needed to get that number right.
You’ll work with the same attorney from your first call through resolution, and there’s nothing to pay unless we recover for you.
We handle catastrophic injury cases on contingency, so you can focus on recovery.
Generally, an injury that permanently affects someone’s ability to work, live independently, or function without ongoing assistance, spinal cord injuries, severe brain injuries, major burns, and amputations are common examples.
Not in most cases. Louisiana doesn’t cap damages in ordinary personal injury claims, only medical malpractice ($500,000) and claims against a government entity are capped.
It’s a detailed projection of your future medical and care needs, developed with medical and vocational experts, that translates a catastrophic injury into the actual dollar figure needed to cover a lifetime of care.
Usually two years from the date of the incident for claims on or after July 1, 2024, under Civil Code article 3493.1.
Nothing to start. We handle these cases on contingency, so our fee comes only from what we recover.
