The true costs of living every day with a spinal cord injury depends on many different factors including, the type and severity of your injury, your age and your prognosis for recovery.
There are many types of spinal cord injuries with different degrees of severity, and all of them requiring specialized care. Your age, too, affects the long-term financial impact your injury will have on your life.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and The University of Alabama National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center, someone suffering from High Tetraplegia, one of the most severe cases that involves damage to one of the eight cervical segments of the spinal cord, will require over $1 million in specialized care in the first year after suffering their injury. They will need approximately $170,000 per year after that, totaling well over $4 million over the course of the average lifetime if injured at age 25.
The same sources state that someone injured at age 25, suffering any level of incomplete motor function resulting from lesions in the thoracic, lumbar, or sacral regions of the spinal cord, may require nearly $2 million over the course of an average lifespan.
In addition to medical attention immediately following your injury, other costs you will incur may include;
- Adaptions to your home, such as ramps, bath lifts, extensions, etc.
- A special vehicle that you can drive/access easily
- Lost wages
- Private health care to insure you receive the best possible care in a timely manner
- Pain and suffering
- Out of pocket expenses, such as travel costs to and from doctors’ appointments
- Rehabilitation and therapy to maximize your independence
- Nursing home costs in a worst-case scenario
If your life has been impacted by a spinal cord injury, you already know how different things are going to be. Everyday tasks that you once took for granted, such as personal hygiene, shopping, and household chores have taken on a whole new level of difficulty. Money will not make everything like it was before the injury, but it will certainly help as you adjust to your new lifestyle. Spinal cord injury claims require an attorney who has expertise in this field, and a proven track record of getting clients the right amount of compensation for their injury. If you or someone you love has suffered a spinal cord injury through the actions of another person, an experienced personal injury attorney at Phillips Law Firm can help.
