Skip to Content

Permanent disfigurement refers to a drastic change in your appearance – which is very closely associated with your sense of self – and when this catastrophic occurrence is the result of someone else’s negligence, it can make the emotional damage that much more challenging. Permanent disfigurement can be the result of traffic accidents of every kind, serious slip and falls, accidents on the job, medical mistakes, and much more. If someone else’s negligence leaves you permanently disfigured, seek the professional legal guidance of an experienced Florida permanent disfigurement attorney today.  

Injuries that Are Most Likely to Be Permanently Disfiguring

The kinds of injuries that are most likely to be permanently disfiguring are often on or near the face and come in wide-ranging forms. 

Serious Lacerations

Serious lacerations are those deep cuts that often require either stitches or sutures, and they frequently lead to permanent scarring. 

Serious Burns

Burns are exceptionally painful injuries that are also exceptionally vulnerable to infections and scarring. As burns heal, the burned area thickens and becomes less elastic, which makes the scarring that much more noticeable. 

Road Rash

Road rash refers to the cuts, abrasions, scrapes, and burns that motorcyclists, pedestrians, and bicyclists often experience in traffic accidents – as they are dragged across the road. Road rash is highly susceptible to unsightly scarring that can cover a wide swath of skin. 

Exposure to Chemicals

Exposure to chemicals can happen on the job, in traffic accidents (as the victim comes into contact with the effects of the accident’s immense impact), and in premises liability incidents that involve dangerous chemicals. Such exposure can cause serious burns that, in turn, cause permanent disfigurement.

Amputation or Loss of a Body Part

The loss of a limb, a digit, a toe, a foot, or a hand can all have cataclysmic physical and emotional effects, and these injuries are a form of permanent disfigurement. 

Your Overall injuries

The thing about permanent disfigurement is that it does not occur in a vacuum – you experience the underlying injury at the same time. This means that not only are you physically injured but that you must also contend with the devastating emotional effects of your physical appearance being permanently altered as a result of someone else’s negligent behavior. The fact is that it is difficult to overstate the psychic pain associated with no longer looking like yourself. And this heavy emotional baggage can make the physical recovery process that much more grueling.

Your Economic Damages

The economic damages associated with your permanent disfigurement refer to those losses you experience that come with a verifiable cost. These generally break down into two primary categories. 

Your Medical Costs

Permanent disfigurement tends to come with several extraordinary costs – in addition to the typical medical expenses that accompany other catastrophic injuries. Consider the following common medical expenses:

 

  • Emergency care and transportation from the scene of the precipitating accident
  • Surgeries and aftercare
  • Hospitalizations
  • Medical tests and procedures
  • Medical attention from doctors, specialists, and other medical professionals
  • Pain management
  • Physical therapy
  • Occupational therapy
  • Prescription medications
  • Rehabilitation
  • Adaptive physical devices
  •  Home health care

 

In addition to this standard fare, injuries that lead to permanent disfigurement generally require highly specialized plastic surgeries. Further, because the scarring that is closely associated with disfigurement decreases elasticity in the affected area, considerable physical therapy – and occupational therapy (if the hands or feet are affected) – is often required. This is not to mention the cost of the therapy, counseling, and/or psychiatric care that is often necessary to address the emotional consequences of these very permanent injuries. 

Your Lost Earnings

The kinds of serious injuries that are commonly associated with permanent disfigurement are also closely associated with a serious decrease in hours on the job – and attendant decreases in earning power. Further, if your work is customer-facing, permanent disfigurement can affect your confidence and your ability to continue advancing your career according to your plans and goals. All told, permanent disfigurement can lead to a serious loss in earning potential over the course of your career, which translates to considerable financial deficits. 

 

These are the economic damages you can expect to suffer, but the non-economic damages can represent an even more serious hurdle. 

Your Non-economic Damages

Your non-economic damages – as they relate to permanent disfigurement – encompass your physical and emotional pain and suffering – and they are likely to be immense. The kinds of injuries that typically lead to permanent disfigurement are all closely associated with significant physical pain, but the emotional suffering you endure as a result of being physically altered in appearance as a result of someone else’s negligence can be difficult to quantify. The finality of such an injury can prove very difficult to come to terms with.  Common symptoms of serious emotional pain and suffering include:

 

  • Emotional lability (or difficulty controlling one’s emotions)
  • Severe mood swings
  • Depressive episodes that can prove debilitating
  • Increased anxiety and panic attacks 
  • Accident flashbacks
  • Sleep disturbances that can include night terrors and/or nightmares
  • Flat affect
  • Difficulty connecting with others
  • Diminished self-acceptance and/or self-worth
  • Embarrassment (related to the disfigurement)
  • Tendency to self-isolate 

 

While these negative effects have no price tag attached, they are exceptionally challenging obstacles that many accident victims consider the most difficult of all to overcome. 

An Experienced Palm Beach Permanent Disfigurement Attorney Is Standing by to Help

The distinguished permanent disfigurement attorneys at Iscoe Law Firm – proudly serving Miami, West Palm Beach, Palm Beach County, Fort Lauderdale, and Broward County – have a distinguished track record of successfully guiding difficult permanent disfigurement cases like yours toward beneficial conclusions that allow our clients the best possible opportunities to reach their fullest recoveries. Your future matters, so please do not hesitate to reach out for more information about how we can help you by contacting or calling us at 800-800-6500 today. We’re here to take your call 24 hours of the day – all 365 days of the year.  

Skip to content
This site is registered on wpml.org as a development site. Switch to a production site key to remove this banner.