Suffering a spinal cord injury is one of the most devastating and expensive injuries you could experience. Spinal cord injuries vary in location and severity.
Spinal cord injuries are among the most expensive kinds of injuries as well. Injuries higher on the spine generally have higher costs than those lower on the back because of how much of the body the injury will affect. This type of injury can affect your finances in numerous different ways. Why do spinal cord injuries cost so much?
Medical care for a spinal injury isn’t cheap
Depending on the location and severity of the injury, the trauma care required for the injury alone might be tens of thousands of dollars. After that, you may require surgery, physical therapy, occupational therapy or experimental treatments to handle the ongoing consequences of a spinal cord injury.
You’ll need to change your house and vehicle
A spinal cord injury might mean that you require a wheelchair, a cane or crutches if you have an incomplete injury. Navigating your house and the world around you will require different support after a spinal cord injury.
You may need to add to your house, move a bedroom and bathroom down to the first floor or even expand rooms to make them accessible. You may need to add a wheelchair lift to your vehicle or special equipment so that you can drive with just your hand.
Assistive technology and home changes can cost tens of thousands of dollars but can be as important as trauma care for your quality of life.
Spinal cord injuries often affect earnings
Unless you work in a remote position that does not require any sort of physical labor, then the chances are good that your job performance will be affected after a spinal cord injury. Those who work blue-collar jobs are at particularly high risk of losing a substantial portion of their income and future earning potential because of an injury.
Identifying the different expenses you will incur will make it easier for you to ask for an appropriate amount of compensation after your spinal cord injury.