The injuries suffered in a car accident can span the spectrum of severity. Some individuals are fortunate to escape their wrecks with no injuries at all, or perhaps some minor cuts and bruises. Others suffer broken bones and serious gashes that require stitches or staples. Yet others suffer catastrophic injuries. Usually these injuries involve damage to the brain or spinal cord, and they can have significant ramifications on an individual’s life. While these victims are often left with extraordinary physical and emotional pain, suffering and limitations, they also incur an overwhelming amount of medical expenses.
Take spinal cord injuries, as an example. An individual who develops incomplete motor functioning of any type can see expenses nearly up to $350,000 for their first year of treatment alone. Each subsequent year of medical care can cost these individuals as much as $42,000. Those with more severe spinal cord injuries, such as high tetraplegia, can incur more than $1 million in initial care during the first year post-injury, with an additional $185,000 for care each subsequent year.
These medical expenses can be overwhelming even for the most well-off victims. Over the course of a victim’s lifetime caring for a spinal cord injury can cost as much as $5 million. These costs include not only initial care to stabilize the spine and mitigate damage, but also rehabilitative care focused on achieving the fullest recovery possible. Of course, as mentioned above, there are other damages to consider in these cases as well, such as lost wages and pain and suffering.
Those who suffer a spinal cord injury due to another party’s negligence may need to look into potential personal injury legal options. By doing so, a victim may be able to succeed in imposing liability, thereby resulting in accountability and, hopefully, the recovery of compensation.
