One of the most serious injuries a person in Michigan can suffer in a car accident is a spinal cord injury. Spinal cord injuries can be physically catastrophic, as they often leave a person paralyzed to some extent. However, spinal cord injuries can also be financially catastrophic, especially if the injury keeps a person from being able to work to provide for themselves and their family. The following is an overview of the costs associated with a spinal cord injury.
Medical expenses
In the first year of their injury alone, a person with high tetraplegia will pay approximately $1 million in medical expenses. A person with low tetraplegia can expect to pay approximately $769,000 in medical expenses in the first year of their injury. A person with paraplegia will pay around $518,000 in medical expenses in the first year of their injury. Finally, if a person suffers a spinal cord injury that leads to incomplete motor function at any level can expect to pay approximately $347,000 in medical expenses the first year of their injury.
Lost wages
However, medical expenses are not the only expenses a person will incur if they suffer a spinal cord injury. Spinal cord injuries often keep a person from working, leading to lost wages and lost earning potential. For example, only 11.7% of those with a spinal cord injury are working one year post-injury. That number does go up to 35.2% 20 years following the injury. However, even if a spinal cord injury victim is eventually able to return to the workplace, it is likely they needed to take time off to recover causing them to lose wages they otherwise would have earned at work.
Spinal cord injuries are costly
The medical expenses associated with a spinal cord injury are astronomical, and they are only compounded if the spinal cord injury victim cannot work. For this reason, if a person suffers a spinal cord injury due to someone else’s negligence, for example, in a car crash, they may want to pursue legal action to recover compensation for their injuries. Attorneys in Sterling Heights area can take care of dealing with insurance companies and legal claims, so the spinal cord injury victim can focus on recovery.
