Calculating the Costs of Paralysis from an Accident
A significant spinal cord injury can change almost every aspect of your life. Beyond paralysis, many spinal cord injury sufferers deal with emotional trauma and financial instability. When a careless individual causes an accident and a spinal cord injury is the result, you may seek compensation for your financial losses. Yet, how do you calculate the costs of a paralysis accident?
The legal team at the Mandel Law Firm understands the devastating consequences surrounding spinal cord injuries and paralysis. Putting a price on the physical, emotional, and financial repercussions of paralysis is challenging. Insurance companies often lowball accident victims, offering settlements that don’t come close to covering current and future medical expenses associated with a paralysis diagnosis. How do you know you are getting the money you deserve? We want to help you understand how to calculate the costs associated with paralysis from a New York accident.
Pursuing Compensation Following an Accident
Pursuing compensation following an accident in New York can be challenging, depending on the type of accident. For example, suppose an individual is involved in a car accident. In that case, the New York no-fault car insurance system dictates that they pursue compensation by filing a claim with their insurance company, not the at-fault driver’s. The costs associated with a paralysis diagnosis often outpace the policy limits of most motorists, leaving the individual to foot the bill for their remaining medical expenses, rehabilitation costs, and future medical care.
Accident victims can step outside of the no-fault system and file a personal injury lawsuit to recover maximum compensation when their injuries involve the permanent loss of the use of a body part or bodily system. Often, this may be the best way to recover meaningful compensation for a person’s medical expenses, rehabilitation costs, lost wages, and emotional distress when the injury is as severe as paralysis.
A personal injury lawsuit may also be viable for individuals injured in construction, transportation, and slip-and-fall accidents. An attorney can review your case and help determine the best avenues for pursuing the compensation you deserve.
Calculating the Costs of Paralysis from an Accident
Calculating the costs associated with paralysis from an accident is difficult. There are numerous factors to consider, all of which contribute to a person’s quality of life. Medical expenses are typically only part of the equation, although they are a large part of the equation.
Data from the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation suggests the average medical costs associated with paraplegia in the first year of diagnosis are $518,904. Subsequent medical costs can total $68,739 or more annually. Individuals diagnosed with the most severe form of quadriplegia, an injury impacting the spinal cord anywhere protected by the first four vertebrae of the spine, can see that medical expenses in the first year of diagnosis reach $1,064,716.
Depending on the victim’s age and the severity of their injuries, medical costs associated with paralysis can reach multi-millions. These estimates do not factor in lost wages, the loss of a person’s earning capacity, and quality of life changes.
An attorney pursuing compensation on behalf of an individual with paralysis must evaluate the situation from all angles to calculate the fair value of the case. In New York, an individual can seek compensation for the following:
- Current medical expenses
- Future medical expenses
- Lost wages
- Loss of earning capacity
- Disability
- Loss of consortium
- Emotional distress
- Pain and suffering
- Loss of enjoyment of life
An experienced attorney understands how to calculate the value of these individual items. A New York accident attorney also knows how the circumstances of the accident may impact compensation and an individual’s ability to recover the money they need.
Contact a New York Personal Injury Attorney for Help
A paralysis diagnosis following an accident can be traumatic. Your life may change in profound ways you may not fully understand. Before you accept a settlement from anyone, discuss the circumstances of your case with a skilled New York personal injury attorney. At the Mandel Law Firm, we offer compassionate service and effective legal representation. Our goal is to help you navigate this challenging time.
For more information on how we may be able to help you, contact our office at (646) 779-1441 for a free initial consultation.
