One of the most catastrophic injuries a person can sustain is a spinal cord injury. Spinal cord injuries can cause partial to total paralysis, forever changing the life of the spinal cord injury victim. Not only are there physical challenges spinal cord injury victims in Fayetteville must work to adjust to but living with a spinal cord injury can be incredibly expensive.
The costs of a spinal cord injury
The costs of medical care for those with a spinal cord injury are astronomic. In the first year of the injury, a person with high tetraplegia may spend approximately $1 million in medical care. A person with low tetraplegia may spend approximately $769,000 in medical care the first year of their injury. A person with paraplegia may spend approximately $518,000 in medical care the first year of their injury. Finally, a person with an injury that produces incomplete motor function at any level can expect to pay approximately $347,000 the first year of their injury.
Other expenses incurred from a spinal cord injury
There are other expenses other than medical expenses a spinal cord injury victim can expect to incur. After the first year of the injury, only around 11.7% of spinal cord injury victims are employed. Twenty years following the injury, only around 35.2% of spinal cord injury victims are employed. As this shows, there are significant amounts of lost wages and lost earning potential a spinal cord injury victim may incur.
Learn more about catastrophic injuries
As this shows, there are many expenses that follow a spinal cord injury. Spinal cord injuries can be difficult to live with, especially if they were caused by another person’s negligence, such as in a car crash. Our firm’s webpage on catastrophic injuries may be of interest to those who have suffered a spinal cord injury.