People classify injuries as catastrophic based on their practical implications. Financial consequences and functional limitations are common concerns that may make an injury seem particularly severe.
Spinal cord injuries are among the most expensive and debilitating injuries people might sustain in a car crash or similar scenario. Spinal cord injuries have a strong association with financial devastation.
Why do injuries to the spinal cord cost so much?
The lifetime medical expenses
One of the main reasons a spinal cord injury is costly is that it may produce substantial medical expenses. Even incomplete spinal cord injuries generally require more than $300,000 in medical care the first year after the injury.
Complete injuries can potentially cause more than a million dollars in medical expenses in the first year. People can also expect to have substantially higher annual medical expenses for the rest of their lives.
The income impact
A spinal cord injury may affect a person’s ability to perform job functions. Blue-collar professionals, for example, may have to leave their positions with their employers and seek less-demanding jobs elsewhere.
Some people cannot work at all because of the impact of their injuries. Even those who can work may not be able to develop their careers the way they may have previously hoped. The loss of income or reduction of wages caused by a spinal cord injury can diminish a person’s standard of living and ability to support their family.
Evaluating the practical implications of a spinal cord injury can help people seek compensation afterward. Catastrophic injuries often make personal injury litigation necessary, as insurance may not be enough to cover related major medical expenses and lost wages.
