It is frequently the case that, following a dangerous accident, an injury
victim is able to pursue compensation from those responsible with a "hard
number" in mind: restitution for all the medical bills, lost wages,
and other costs resulting from the accident. However, what if that hard
number is tougher to determine? What if the victim is faced with catastrophic
injuries that will require care and related costs far into the future?
In these cases, the legal concept known as maximum medical improvement,
or MMI, comes into play. MMI is the point at which doctors determine an
injury victim has recovered as much as he or she possibly can from their
injury. This doesn't necessarily mean that the patient has fully recovered
from their accident, but just that their recovery has plateaued and it
can be reasonably estimated that they will no longer improve.
This MMI determination is critical in cases where injury victims have suffered
spinal cord injuries,
brain damage, or other injuries that are known for resulting in lasting, even permanent
effects for that patient. MMI allows attorneys to properly calculate what
the ongoing cost of care and a comfortable quality of life will be for
these clients and include those costs in the suit against the responsible parties.
Why MMI is So Important
Proceeding to take legal action without an MMI determination can leave
the injury victim with future costs associated with their injury—even
if they won their suit against those responsible for their accident. To
illustrate, let's take a look at "Amanda," a nurse who was
in a serious car accident caused by someone else. Amanda seriously injured
her wrist in this accident and wanted to sue the responsible driver for
surgery that would best restore function to her arm.
The court awards her compensation for that surgery, but following the surgery,
doctors realize that Amanda will still need months of physical therapy
and there is no guarantee that she will be able to return to her prior
position as a nurse with her diminished wrist. This is the point where
MMI should have been determined and, because Amanda acted too quickly,
the lost wages and required physical therapy costs were left out of her
initial suit.
If you or a loved one has suffered a life-altering injury due to actions
of someone else, then
McCloskey Law Center is ready to hear from you. Their dedicated and proven St. Louis personal
injury attorneys have more than 50 years of collective legal experience
in this practice area and have recovered millions of dollars on behalf
of their clients. They know what it takes to make the gravity of their
clients' injuries known both in and outside the courtroom.
Ready to start pursuing the relief you and your family deserve?
Contact the team today.