Anyone in a serious accident, whether it be a motor vehicle accident or a fall, may wish for a speedy recovery. Some injuries, however, are a bit more permanent. Both of these accidents make up the majority cause of spinal cord injuries.
Spinal cord injuries have a risk of serious, lifelong paralysis. These changes to a person’s life cost a lot mentally, physically and financially.
Mental costs
Navigating the costs and changes may lead to stress and, as the Model Systems Knowledge Translation Center reports, even depression. Approximately one in five people suffering from a spinal cord injury are susceptible to depression. The average statistic for Americans is one out of 20 people.
Physical costs
The spinal cord represents the central hub of your nervous system. Damage to a portion of it may lead to partial or total paralysis to everything below the injury. This manifests as motion control loss, paraplegia or even tetraplegia — the paralysis of all four limbs and the body.
Financial costs
All of these pressures and recovery from them cost money. The National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center estimates that first-year costs for tetraplegia range as high as $1.14 million. Even if a person suffers motor functional loss at any level, they have an estimated average cost of $45,572 each subsequent year after the first.
In the event of a spinal cord injury, people have a lot to overcome. This includes long hospital stays, recovery and physical rehabilitation. It also includes adjusting to a new normal. When it comes to compensation for those costs, there are options to get what is fair from an insurance or damages claim.
