What are the costs of living with a spinal cord injury?

Perhaps one of the most devastating injuries a person in Raleigh can suffer in a car accident is a spinal cord injury. In fact, the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center reports that each year 12,500 individuals survive spinal cord injuries, and 38% of these injuries are caused by motor vehicle accidents. Spinal cord injuries can lead to extensive medical bills, among other expenses. The following is an overview of the costs associated with a spinal cord injury.

Medical expenses

The medical expenses associated with a spinal cord injury are astounding. In the first year of a spinal cord injury, a person with high tetraplegia may incur approximately $1 million in medical expenses. A person with low tetraplegia may incur approximately $769,000 in medical expenses in the first year of their injury. A person with paraplegia can expect to incur approximately $518,000 in medical expenses in the first year of their injury. Finally, if a person suffers an injury that causes incomplete motor function, they may incur approximately $347,000 in the first year following their injury. Given this, it is easy to see why a spinal cord injury can result in severe financial hardship.

Lost wages

Medical expenses are not the only expenses one incurs if they suffer a spinal cord injury. Lost wages and lost earning potential will also cause a significant hit to their pocketbook. One year following a spinal cord injury, only 11.7% of injury victims are employed. Even 20 years post-injury, only 35.2% of spinal cord injury victims are employed. The loss of earning potential is one of the most calamitous damages spinal cord injury victims can suffer.

Learn more about spinal cord injuries

Spinal cord injuries can be catastrophic, physically, emotionally and financially. For this reason, many of those who suffer spinal cord injuries following a car accident choose to pursue compensation for the damages they suffered. Our firm's website has further information on spinal cord injuries that readers of this blog may be interested in.