When you suffer a spinal cord injury because of negligence, you need to pursue compensation for the damages you have sustained. There are significant costs associated with this type of damage, which makes it necessary to take legal action against the responsibility party.
The amount of compensation you require varies on numerous factors, including your age and severity of your injury. Aside from potential income you may lose out on, compensation should focus on your medical care, therapy costs, and more. Here are some things to consider.
The Potential Costs
Paralysis can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars upwards to a few million dollars depending on the type of injury and at which age your damages may occur. These are some of the things to consider:
- Quadriplegia injuries can cost over $1 million in the first year following the damage, with upwards of $180,000 in yearly costs after that.
- Injuries to the C5 through C8 spinal cord area can result in over $770,000 in the first year and $110,000+ each subsequent year after that.
- Paraplegia can cost upward of $520,000 in the first year and over $70,000 each subsequent year.
- Incomplete motor function damage is still upwards of $350,000 in the first year and over $42,000 each subsequent year.
Lifetime costs can include the following:
- High quadriplegia: Nearly $5 million for someone who is 25 years old and over $2.5 million for someone who is 50 years old at the time of the injury.
- Low quadriplegia: Nearly $3.5 million for someone who is 25 years old at the time of the injury, and $2.1 million for someone 50 years of age.
- Paraplegia: A 25-year-old can expect to pay over $2.3 million for this type of injury, with a 50-year-old paying over $1.5 million.
- Incomplete motor function: This type of injury can cost $1.5 million for a 25-year-old and over $1.1 million for someone who is over 50 years of age.
At Briggle & Polan, PLLC, we know that there are significant costs that may follow negligence. Our Austin spine injury lawyers are here to help you. We’ll pursue the compensation you need moving forward.