A spinal cord injury is life changing in a number of ways. You might not be able to do the things that you usually do for yourself. Working might be something that you once enjoyed and can’t do any longer. Even menial tasks like brushing your teeth could be impossible.
There is another area of your life that will change when you have a spinal cord injury — your finances. The impacts to your finances come in two areas. The first is that you might lose your ability to work, which means losing a paycheck. The second is that you will likely see an increase in bills, including medical bills, life care needs and modification expenses.
The injury level and type matter
Where your injury is located and what type of injury you have can make a difference with the expenses that you will incur. Higher injuries are associated with more serious symptoms, including paralysis, than lower level injuries. A high-level tetraplegia injury costs around $1,064,716 in the first year and around $184,891 each year after. A low-level tetraplegia injury would cost around $769,351 in the first year and $113,423 each subsequent year. Complete spinal cord injuries have more serious effects than incomplete injuries. An incomplete motor function injury will cost around $347,484 in the first year and $42,206 each year after
Your age can impact the cost
The age at which you are injured impacts that overall cost of living with the spinal cord injury. This is because the younger you are, the longer you are likely going to have to deal with the injury. A person with paraplegia who is 25 years old when the injury occurs will likely incur lifetime costs around $2,310,104, but if the person was 50 years old, that lifetime costs figure goes down to around $1,516,052. Of course, these are based on average life expectancy. This means that a person with a severe spinal cord injury who is injured at 25 and passes away at 30 likely wouldn’t have care costs that are as high as a person who lives until they are 80.
When you suffer a spinal cord injury, you might decide to seek compensation for the injury’s effects. This claim is filed in civil court against the parties who are liable for the damages. This could be a driver, a business, or a number of other entities who might share the blame for the accident.
