Every year, around 18,000 new cases of spinal cord injuries are reported in the United States. According to the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center, vehicle crashes are currently the leading cause of the condition, followed by falls and other causes such as violence, sports, and other recreational activities.
Surviving a spinal injury can be transformative. Moreover, it is often accompanied by ongoing and chronic symptoms, which means you must incur an ongoing health expense and make adaptations to your home. It can be a significant concern for the survivor, especially if the accident has left you unable to work.
If you or your loved one has suffered a backbone injury in an accident where you were not at fault, you need to get help from an experienced spine injury lawyer, as you may be entitled to compensation.
Let’s take a look at the expenses you may incur following an injury and how you can recover the costs.
Expenses Related to a Spinal Cord Injury
Every traumatic injury is unique and brings along an exclusive set of costs. While the costs most commonly include medical expenses and lost income, the actual expenditure incurred for each category can vary drastically among individuals depending upon the severity of their accident. Hence, there’s no way to estimate the expenses fully. However, there are a few common types of expenses related to the condition, which will help you understand the cost of the injury that you can expect.
Medical Expenses
The most significant costs associated with spinal cord injuries include medical expenses. It encompasses the costs related to medical procedures, hospital stays, rehabilitation, transportation, and medical assessments.
Long-Term Medical Care Expenses
Since spinal cord injuries often involve ongoing and chronic symptoms, survivors of such injuries may require medical support for the rest of their lives. Hence, it is common for accident victims to spend several million dollars after their initial treatment for the following expenses.
- Rehabilitation and support, including physical, occupational, speech, and mental health therapies,
- Cost of in-home modifications such as installation of elevators, lifts, and ramps,
- Investment in supporting medical equipment such as respirators, wheelchairs, etc., and
- Lifetime medications such as the cost of painkillers and other medicines.
- Medication, like painkillers, antibiotics, and medicine to prevent blood clots
Lost Income and Potential Future Earnings
Spinal cord injuries can be a physically devastating outcome of an accident. Still, they can also take a toll on your financial health as often such injuries affect your ability to return to work. The loss of employment is a major expense associated with such injuries. Moreover, even if the survivors get employed, the earning potential of employees with back and neck injuries is below the national average.
Emotional and Physical Pain and Suffering
While it is easier to estimate the cost of medical expenses, assigning a monetary value to the trauma related to accidents and associated injuries is not simple. Yet it is costly, which every experienced injury attorney will consider if you decide to file a claim.
How to Claim Damages for a Spinal Cord Injury
Legally the survivor of a spinal injury is entitled to claim for different expenses, including medical treatments and non-economic damages, which include emotional and mental distress, reduced quality of life, and psychological trauma.
To make a claim, you must consult a seasoned attorney who can help you accurately estimate the cost of all your expenses in the long run. Only a lawyer with prior experience in successfully handling spinal cord injury claims for clients will know the strategies to negotiate with the insurance companies and obtain maximum compensation on your behalf.
Your experienced lawyer can help you fight and recover the following costs.
- Initial and long-term healthcare costs,
- Cost of adaptations and renovations at your home,
- Lost income and potential for future income
- Non-economic damages.
Has a Spinal Injury Transformed Your Life? Get Legal Assistance.
If you have survived a traumatic injury that completely changed your life, let a seasoned injury lawyer take care of your claim so that you receive maximum compensation for your monetary and non-monetary losses.
