Regardless of whether serious disfigurement and scarring is the result of a car accident, dog bite, or a presmises liability accident, serious disfigurement and scarring may be a significant part of your personal injury claim. In fact, in motor vehicle accidents, serious disfigurement is an exception to Pennsylvania’s limited tort rule of law. Therefore, even if you have chosen limited tort car insurance, which limits your right to sue under Pennsylvania law, if you have sustained serious disfigurement in a car accident, you have the right to be compensated. It is a jury question as to what serious disfigurement may be, but if there is any scarring, especially on the face, juries in Pennsylvania will almost always find the injury to be serious disfigurement.

Proper treatment of serious disfigurement and scarring

It is important to properly treat a laceration that may ultimately result in scarring. This usually begins with suturing the wound. After the sutures are removed, topical creams are applied to the wound to attempt to lessen the scarring.  A severe laceration can take six (6) months to a year to heal, but the healing does not necessarily mean the scar will disappear. 

Expert reports in serious disfigurement and scarring injury claims

In almost every case involving a laceration resulting in a scar, we send our clients to a plastic surgeon to evaluate the scar, and to see if surgery to lighten the scar is possible.  The plastic surgeon will also render an expert opinion as to the permanency of the scar and surgical options.  Fox Law also hires a professional photographer to take pictures of the scarring, so that those pictures can fully and adequately capture the severity of the scar.  These photographs will be forwarded to the adjuster for the insurance company for their review. Photographs, and the plastic surgeons report, are both extremely important in establishing settlement value for the case.  Facial scarring, especially if it is a woman, is the most serious disfigurement.  The age of the client also has a large impact on the value of a case involving scarring.

Serious disfigurement as the result of an amputation injury

In the case of an amputation injury, serious disfigurement and scarring may also result in permanent loss of function, chronic pain, and inability to do your job. It is important that cases involving serious disfigurement and scarring are properly managed for maximum compensation. If you were in an accident that resulted in severe lacerations, serious disfigurement or scarring, Fox Law can guide you through the appropriate medical treatment to maximize the value of your case.