A car accident can leave a victim with any number of a wide variety of injuries. Sometimes, he or she will escape with minor bumps and bruises. Sometimes he or she will suffer from cuts. In other cases, those involved in a car wreck are able to walk away with nothing more than some property damage and a bad experience. Yet, for a large number of accident victims, the injuries they suffer are much more serious. For these individuals, the physical, emotional and financial damages can leave them reeling.
To see an example of just how damaging a serious injury can be, one need look no further than spinal cord injuries. In addition to possibly leaving victims with permanent disability, this type of injury can be extremely costly to treat. For example, to treat a spinal cord injury that results in an incomplete motor function can cost nearly $350,000 in the first year following the injury’s onset. Each subsequent year could cost as much as $42,000 in medical, rehabilitation and other care costs. On the more extreme end of the spectrum, those who suffer from high tetraplegia can face upwards of $1 million in medical expenses their first year, with subsequent years costing nearly $185,000.
Over the course of a lifetime, these expenses can be utterly unmanageable. A 25-year-old individual with incomplete motor functioning as a result of a spinal cord injury can see more than $1.5 million in costs, while a victim of high tetraplegia of the same age could wind up paying nearly $5 million to cover his or her care expenses.
Of course, those who suffer these injuries at the hands of a negligent driver may be able to recoup their losses by pursuing a personal injury lawsuit. In addition to recovering medical expenses, those who succeed on these types of claims may be able to recover compensation for lost wages and pain and suffering. The legal process can be highly contentious, though, so those considering pursuing this avenue may want to discuss their strategy with a personal injury attorney who knows the law and how to apply it to his or her clients’ advantage.
