Car insurance helps cover the cost of major motor vehicle collisions. If you make a mistake at the wheel and damage someone else’s vehicle, your policy pays so that you don’t have to cover those costs directly.
When you get hurt in a crash, you can make a claim again the other driver’s bodily injury liability coverage, as well as your own no-fault personal injury protection (PIP) coverage. Unfortunately, unless one of you carries significantly more coverage than the state requires, the three costs below could add up far more than you will recover from a basic plane.
Medical expenses
Your age and profession, as well as the location and extent of your injury, will play a role in how much it costs to treat your spinal cord injury. However, even incomplete spinal cord injuries typically result in more than a million dollars in lifetime medical expenses.
Lost wages and career opportunities
When you suffer a major injury, there will be limitations on what job functions you can perform for the rest of your life. Some people have to cease working entirely. Others have to move into lower-paying professions or part-time work.
Especially if you worked in a blue-collar profession before your injury or if you suffer an injury that affects your upper body, your earning potential could significantly decrease as a result of a spinal cord injury.
The cost to accommodate your condition
If you require a wheelchair, you will have to make changes to your home. From moving your bedroom to the first floor to adding an elevator, the cost to update and improve your home will be many thousands of dollars.
The same will be true of making a vehicle wheelchair accessible or drivable for someone who cannot operate pedals. Buying a new wheelchair van or retrofitting an existing vehicle could cost tens of thousands of dollars.
When you add up the expenses, you may need more compensation than what a basic insurance policy will pay. Some people can bring a business insurance claim. Others have to look into personal injury lawsuits in the civil courts. Understanding the financial impact of a spinal cord injury will help you take the appropriate steps to secure the compensation you deserve.