Denver Eye Injury Attorney

If you have suffered eye injury through the negligence of another, contact Fang Accident Lawyers in Denver. Our Denver eye injury lawyer can tell you if you have a case and what damages you may be entitled to claim. The human eye is an organ that is fragile and essential for everyday function. Sadly, thousands of eye injuries occur every year in the workplace alone.

Why Choose Our Firm?

• Our Denver eye injury attorneys operate on a contingency-fee basis.
• This means you pay us no legal fees until we reach a settlement or win your case.
• Our firm has more than a decade of experience litigating over 10,000 collective cases, with a success rate of 98%.
• We do not employ paralegals or legal assistants.
• All our cases are handled directly by experienced Denver personal injury lawyers.

Why You Need a Denver Eye Injury Lawyer

After an accident causing eye injuries, the responsible party’s insurance company may try to deny liability or reduce the amount of your claim. Insurance companies are for-profit corporations motivated to reduce their payouts and increase profits for shareholders. You may be offered a settlement that does not cover the damages you have suffered. An experienced Denver eye injury attorney can help pursue the damages you deserve after an accident.

An eye injury lawyer can conduct a thorough investigation of the accident that injured you to search for signs and evidence of negligence. This may involve interviewing eyewitnesses, gathering documents and records, hiring highly qualified experts, and re-creating the accident. Then, your lawyer can present your case to an insurance company (or judge or jury during a personal injury trial) in a compelling way.

An attorney in Denver can utilize proven and aggressive legal strategies to negotiate a fair settlement value from an insurer on your behalf. Meanwhile, you will enjoy greater mental peace to focus on healing from your injuries and rebuilding your life. You will not have to worry about taking on complicated legal processes or succumbing to an insurance company’s attempts to take advantage of you with a lawyer by your side.

Types of Eye Injuries

The eye is a complex organ that may suffer a variety of injuries in a traumatic accident. Many different parts of the eye can sustain damage, potentially causing levels of vision impairment or loss. Every type of eye injury requires immediate medical care for proper treatment.

Types of eye injuries include:

• Conjunctival hemorrhage: broken blood vessels in the conjunctiva, or the thin membrane that covers the white part of the eye.
• Corneal abrasion: a scratch on the outermost layer of the eye, often caused by a foreign substance such as sand or dirt entering the eye.
• Eye contusion: bruising on or around the eye from blunt force trauma that results in discoloration, often referred to as a “black eye.”
• Hyphema: bleeding or an accumulation of red blood cells in the anterior chamber of the eye, usually caused by injury or direct force.
• Orbital cellulitis: an infection located in the tissues that surround the eye, typically caused by the spread of a sinus infection.
• Orbital fracture: a break or crack in the bones that surround the eye socket, such as a fracture from a blow to the eye.
• Penetrating eye injuries: damage caused by a sharp object penetrating or puncturing the eyeball, potentially injuring its internal structures.
• Photokeratitis: eye injury caused by overexposure to ultraviolet rays, such as from staring at direct sunlight or welding arcs.
• Retinal detachment: separation of the retina from its supporting tissues. The retina is the light-sensitive layer located in the back of the eye.
• Traumatic iritis: inflammation of the iris (the colored part of the eye) due to eye injury or blunt-force trauma.

Many eye injuries have the potential to cause temporary or permanent vision loss. There are many different types of vision loss, including blurred vision, blind spots, light sensitivity, loss of peripheral vision and blindness. Loss of vision can have a major impact on an accident victim’s daily life.

Common Causes of Eye Injuries

The tissues of the eye are delicate and susceptible to injury. Common causes of eye injuries include:

• Trauma: A blow to eye with a hard object can damage the eye, eyelids, and surrounding muscles and bones. Motor vehicle accidents are a common cause of traumatic eye injuries.
• Physical assault: intentional assaults or attempts to injure someone, such as an assault or battery crime (with or without the use of dangerous instruments).
• Cuts and scratches: A stick, fingernail, or another sharp object may scratch the eye and the cornea (the clear, dome-like cover).
• Objects in the eye: Metal shavings, wood chips, grains of sand, and slivers of glass can get into the eye and scratch or cut the cornea.
• Chemical burns: Certain chemicals can cause serious burns inside the eye. Alkalis, such as drain cleaners, oven cleaners, and fertilizers, are among the most dangerous.
• Medical malpractice: a medical misdiagnosis, failure to treat an eye condition or an eye surgery mistake could lead to serious patient eye injuries and loss of vision.
• Defective products: items that contain manufacturing, marketing or design defects – such as dangerous toys or defective medical devices – can inflict eye injuries on consumers.
• Workplace accidents: contact with dangerous objects and substances in the workplace, as well as disasters such as explosions, can severely injure a worker’s eyes.
• Premises liability: eye injuries caused by negligent property owners who fail to remedy a hazardous condition, such as the presence of obstacles or dangerous substances.

If someone else’s negligence or failure to use proper care caused your eye injury, you may be eligible for financial compensation in Denver.

Eye Injury Statistics

Motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of eye injuries in the U.S. Auto accidents present unique eye injury risk factors, including:

• Rapid changes in velocity
• Broken glass exposure
• Airbag deployment
• Lack of restraint use
• Exposure to foreign bodies

In a study published by the National Institutes of Health in 2014, researchers found the following facts about eye injuries caused by motor vehicle accidents:

• An estimated 75,028 eye injuries caused by motor vehicle crashes were treated in U.S. emergency departments in a seven-year period.
• Males accounted for 59.6% of motor vehicle accident eye injuries.
• Motor vehicle crash eye injury rates were highest among teens ages 15 to 19.
• Drivers accounted for 62.2% of auto accident eye injuries treated in emergency rooms.
• Contusion/abrasion was the most common diagnosis.

If you suffered an injury to your eye due to negligence in a car accident, our auto collision lawyers in Denver can help.

What Are the Consequences of an Eye Injury?

An eye injury that affects vision can permanently alter a victim’s life. This is what is known as a catastrophic injury in personal injury law. A serious eye injury could result in many life-altering consequences, including:

• Expensive and ongoing medical costs
• Inability to return to work at prior capacity
• Loss of the ability to drive
• Loss of personal independence
• Inability to engage in favorite sports or recreational activities
• Missed opportunities to enjoy time with loved ones
• Strains on relationships with others
• Psychological consequences, such as depression

Eye injuries can cause vision impairment, blindness, pain, discomfort, decreased functionality, a financial burden and mental health disorders. Physical and mental health support services can be crucial to help victims cope with the consequences of eye injuries.

Who Can Be Held Liable for an Eye Injury?

In Colorado, an accident victim who suffers an eye injury can pursue justice from the person or party that caused the injury through the civil legal system. A personal injury claim can hold an at-fault party accountable for his or her actions and result in financial compensation for the victim’s related losses.

Liability for eye injuries depends on what caused the accident and the surrounding circumstances. The at-fault driver may be liable if eye injuries are sustained in a motor vehicle accident. In a product liability claim, the manufacturer of the defective item can be named as the defendant. If your eye injuries were caused by someone else’s negligence, our experienced Denver eye injury lawyers can investigate the accident to determine liability.

Holding someone liable for an eye injury typically involves filing an insurance claim and negotiating a settlement that resolves the legal dispute. In some cases, eye injury claims need to proceed to court. In a workplace accident eye injury case, a workers’ compensation claim may be available. This is a type of no-fault insurance claim for eligible employees who get injured within the course and scope of employment in Colorado.

What Damages Can I Recover After Suffering an Eye Injury?

The goal of a personal injury case is to make a victim whole again through a monetary award that is given to reimburse the claimant’s losses. A successful eye injury case in Denver can help a victim move forward by awarding the financial compensation (also known as damages) he or she needs to pay for related costs. 

Available damages in an eye injury claim may include:

• Past and future medical bills: all necessary medical expenses related to the treatment of your injury, including surgery, therapy, rehabilitation, medical devices and medications
• Lost wages: income and employment opportunities you lost while you recovered from a temporary eye injury, such as time taken off of work for eye surgery.
• Permanent disability: compensation for a disability due to an eye injury, such as vision loss, which may include home and vehicle modifications or lost future earning capacity. 
• Pain and suffering: intangible losses suffered due to an eye injury, such as emotional distress, mental or psychological harm, loss of enjoyment of life, and loss of consortium.
• Punitive or exemplary damages: an additional amount that is awarded in some cases where the defendant is punished for committing an intentional act of wrongdoing.

You and your family could seek compensation for a variety of economic and noneconomic losses through a Denver eye injury claim. Our attorneys at Fang Accident Lawyers are prepared to help you fight for maximum financial compensation for your present costs as well as future estimated losses. Contact us to discuss the potential value of your eye injury case.

Statute of Limitations for Filing an Injury Claim in Colorado

A statute of limitations is a law that places a time limit on the ability to file a lawsuit. Colorado Revised Statutes (CRS) Section 13-80-102 states: The following civil actions, regardless of the theory upon which suit is brought, or against whom suit is brought, must be commenced within two years after the cause of action accrues, and not thereafter: (a) Tort actions, including but not limited to actions for negligence, trespass, malicious abuse of process, malicious prosecution, outrageous conduct, interference with relationships, and tortious breach of contract.”

According to this law, most eye injury claims must be filed within two years of the date of injury or discovery of injury. However, Colorado has an exception for injuries caused by car accidents. CRS 13-80-101(n)(I) states: “All tort actions for bodily injury or property damage arising out of the use or operation of a motor vehicle…shall be commenced within three years after the cause of action accrues, and not thereafter.”

Note that these are the time limits for eye injury lawsuits, not insurance claims. Insurance claims should be started much sooner – typically, within 24 to 72 hours of the incident. Certain circumstances may lengthen or shorten the filing window. For instance, under the Colorado Governmental Immunity Act, administrative claims against the government must be filed within no more than 182 days of the date of injury. 

Finally, if the eye injury victim is a minor under the age of 18, he or she generally has two years from the date of his or her 18th birthday to file a claim in Colorado. With limited exceptions, claims that are filed after the statute of limitations has expired will be time-barred, meaning the claimant will not be allowed to proceed. It is important to contact a Denver eye injury lawyer as soon as possible to discuss a potential case.

Contact a Denver Eye Injury Attorney Today

Our Denver trial lawyers at Fang Accident Lawyers can provide sound legal counsel and negotiate with insurance companies on your behalf. Contact us as soon as possible if you have sustained eye injuries in an accident that was someone else’s fault.