The Devastating Financial Impact of a Spinal Cord Injury

Legally Reviewed and Edited by: Terry Cochran

Suffering a personal injury can be devastating, not only physically but also financially. You may be forced out of work for weeks, months, or years depending on your injuries and have no way to pay the mounting medical expenses, much less pay for daily living. Suffering a spinal cord injury is even more devastating on your finances as it often results in serious and irreversible damage.

Spinal cord injuries, SCI for short, can be caused by any number of events, from car accidents to slip and falls to criminal acts. The victims are often caught up in a web of hospitals, doctors, physical therapy, and assisted living requirements, among many others. The loss of motor function contributable to spinal cord injury steals away your independence, leading you to depend partially if not wholly dependent on others.

Along with the physical challenges, the financial needs continue to mount up, long after insurance has covered their limits. The victim and their family have no choice but to continue, suffering increasing stress along with the bills.

The Reality of the Financial Impact of Spinal Cord Injuries

Only those who have experienced or are currently experiencing a spinal cord injury truly understand the magnitude of the costs involved—everything changes, not just for the victim, but for their families as well. The financial impact of living with SCI is shocking and devastating to all involved.

The National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center announced about 17,810 new spinal cord injury cases in the United States each year. The Center also estimates that lifetime costs attributed to spinal cord injury range anywhere from $1,704,144 to $5,100,941 for those injured at age 25. For those who sustained an injury at age 50, lifetime costs range between $1,202,832 and $2,803,391.

Various factors determine actual costs, including the type of injury sustained. This can be partial quadriplegia (or incomplete tetraplegia), complete tetraplegia, partial paraplegia, and complete paraplegia.

Breakdown of Spinal Cord Injury Related Costs

Both direct and indirect costs are involved with spinal cord injuries. Indirect costs include such things as lost wages, lost benefits, and lost productivity. Direct costs are naturally all the related medical expenses and daily care and living expenses. Those with spinal cord injuries often need wheelchairs and other adaptive technology to function. Long term care is normally required, as well.

What Insurance Pays

Payouts from health insurance policies assist the immediate costs associated with a spinal cord injury. If the event that caused the injury is due to another person or entity’s negligence, you may also receive money from liability policies.

However, these amounts only address immediate concerns, and a spinal cord injury can lead to a lifetime of expenses that someone has to pay. That usually means your family members.

Legal Options to Help with Costs

Insurance policy limits are in place, and those limits are reached quickly in a spinal cord injury situation. With your continuing expenses, contacting a personal injury lawyer is where you can turn to for help. Your attorney will file your injury claim and work with your insurance company to ensure you receive what you need and deserve.

Spinal cord injury victims who are not at fault for the event that caused their injury have additional legal recourse. Lawsuits can be filed against those individuals, companies, or other entities who, as a result of careless or reckless actions, or failure to maintain a safe environment, contributed to the injury.

Filing a lawsuit is a way to seek compensation beyond insurance companies’ limits and can help with the lifelong expenses involved with a spinal cord injury.

Contact the Leading Spinal Cord Injury Law Firm in Michigan

If you or a member of your family has suffered a spinal cord injury due to someone else’s negligence, call Cochran, Kroll & Associates, P.C. at 866-MICH-LAW. We are the leading spinal cord injury law firm in Michigan and value the attorney-client relationship.

Our expert team of spinal cord injury attorneys includes Eileen Kroll, who has a combined 30 years of experience as a registered nurse and a trial attorney. Schedule your confidential, free consultation with us today.

Disclaimer : The information provided is general and not for legal advice. The blogs are not intended to provide legal counsel and no attorney-client relationship is created nor intended.