One of the main causes of paralysis in the United States are spinal cord injuries. Nearly 300,000 people in the U.S. live with spina cord injury and there are nearly 18,000 new cases every year. Around seven out of ten new cases of spinal cord injuries occur in car accidents.
A person who suffers a spinal cord injury and is paralyzed will have many difficulties in their life – including financial difficulty. If you have suffered this type of injury, you may have grounds to recover compensation for said injury. Read on to learn how your long-term costs can be estimated and then contact The Law Offices of Larry H. Parker at 800-333-0000 for a free legal consultation.
The Financial Costs of Paralysis
Every case is different, but for most people who suffer a paralysis injury, their financial costs include emergency care right after the accident, bills for their hospitalization, the cost of surgeries, the cost of long-term and ongoing occupational and physical therapy, and speech therapy. A person who suffers a paralysis injury also often needs mental health treatment, personal care services, medications, medical equipment, and modifications to their home.
Average Lifetime Expenses of a Person Who Has Been Paralyzed
Estimates suggest that a person who has high tetraplegia (also known as quadriplegia – the loss of all four limbs and their torso) incurs more than $1 million in medical care and living expense in their first year after their injury. Moving forward, the average is around $200,000 per year. This means that if a person was injured at 25, their injury may cost them around $5 million over the course of their lifetime.
A person who has paraplegia, which involves paralysis of the legs and lower body, can expect medical and living expenses of about $500,000 the first year. As the years go on, the average cost is about $70,000 per year. For a person injured when they were 25 years old, they can expect their injury to cost them about $2.5 over the course of their lifetime.
Economic Costs Are Not the Only Losses a Person with Paralysis Will Experience
Of course, the lifetime damages a person with paralysis goes through is more than just their healthcare and personal care costs. They may no longer be able to work. They may see serious changes to their quality of life. They may have PTSD and anxiety. They may no longer be able to take part in a sexual relationship.
These are all expenses that should be taken into consideration when a settlement is decided on for a case involving paralysis. If you are in this position and do not know where to start, then all you need to do is make a single call to The Law Offices of Larry H. Parker at 800-333-0000 for a free legal consultation.
