Imagine leaving your home for work with plans to get through the day and enjoy a relaxing weekend with the family, only to get into a horrific car accident that leaves you unable to walk.
That’s a nightmare scenario that anyone who has suffered from a spinal cord injury will deal with. This type of injury is life-altering and extremely expensive. When a patient and their family are faced with the mounting medical bills that are associated with a spinal cord injury, it could wipe out their savings and force them to make drastic life changes. That is why it is vital to seek compensation when someone’s negligence caused the injury.
The attorneys at Forbes Law Offices have helped many clients in these circumstances find a remedy for their financial losses. We are a team of dedicated Charleston spinal cord injury attorneys who can discuss options for seeking a remedy for an accident caused by someone’s negligence.
We can help review the associated expenses related to your injury.
Understanding Spinal Cord Injuries
Every voluntary and involuntary action your body takes happens because of a signal sent from the brain. That signal is transmitted down your spinal cord and dispersed to the rest of your body.
If you want to stand, your brain tells your legs to stand. If that signal is disrupted, you can’t stand.
The Mayo Clinic provides details on how spinal cord injuries (SCIs) can impact a patient’s life. Here’s what they describe:
Loss of Movement
Depending on the severity of the spinal cord injury, a patient could experience partial or complete paralysis in their arms, legs, or torso. If permanent, that paralysis will require a lifetime of assistance to carry out daily routines like eating, dressing, and hygiene.
Loss of Sensation
An SCI patient can experience an inability to feel touch, pain, or temperature below the injury level.
This can lead to complicated injuries they might not feel, such as pressure wounds, sprains, or fractures.
Autonomic Dysfunction
Autonomic dysfunction involves the loss of control over body functions like bladder and bowel control, sweating, and sexual function.
A patient can also suffer from chronic pain and experience respiratory problems that make them susceptible to lung illness.
Further Complications of Spinal Cord Injuries
Spinal cord injuries are dangerous and complex for several reasons. There are hidden dangers, like the increased risk of developing blood clots and internal and external infections. There is also the psychological impact to consider. The emotional toll of an SCI can lead to the patient suffering from depression, anxiety, and social isolation.
Once damaged, the spinal cord can’t repair itself like a broken bone. As a result, an SCI can require lifelong management, creating a significant financial and logistical burden that will impact the entire family.
The Cost of a Spinal Cord Injury
The cost of a spinal cord injury (SCI) can be considered insurmountable and easily reach into the millions of dollars over a lifetime. Here is an estimate of what a spinal cord patient can anticipate paying for their care:
Initial Costs
In the first year of a spinal cord injury, the patient could go through extensive surgical procedures, hospitalization, and intensive rehabilitation. Depending on the severity of the injury, a patient could be billed anywhere from $500,000 to over $1 million.
Ongoing Medical Treatment
Once efforts have been made to mitigate the impact of an SCI, the patient will need to plan for a lifetime of ongoing medications, doctor visits, and physical therapy. Conditions could arise that require additional surgical procedures.
These ongoing costs could range from $40,000 to $200,000 annually.
Assistive Technology and Home Modifications
A SCI patient might be confined to a wheelchair. This will require specialized equipment and modifications to the home and mode of transportation, which can cost tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Loss of Income
As a result of the injury, the patient might not be able to return to work. The loss of that income can be devastating for a family.
Long-term Care Needs
The family will step in with some patients and become the primary caregiver. However, there might be an occasional need for in-home assistance. There could also be a situation where the patient needs to transition to a long-term care facility because that is the only feasible option.
That can mean several thousand dollars a month.
Bottom line: The financial burden of an SCI can be overwhelming. Thankfully, Forbes Law Offices attorneys can help find a remedy. That can include helping file the initial claim, negotiating with the insurance companies, and filing a civil complaint, if necessary.
If you or someone in your family has suffered a spinal cord injury due to someone’s negligence, you are entitled to seek a remedy. Let’s talk about what happened.
