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The Costs and Complications That Lead to Spinal Cord Injury Claims

The Costs and Complications That Lead to Spinal Cord Injury Claims
After attaining a traumatic spinal cord injury, victims may wonder if they are able to file a claim against the at-fault party. Victims of injury should never hesitate to contact a disability lawyer when a painful ordeal happens. Strong personal representation is needed to draft a strong claim. Spinal cord injury claims vary in financial retribution depending on the severity of the injury and the location of the impact on the spinal cord. The after-effects of the injury are also important to the claim, and medical examination is a pivotal factor in any potential claim.
 

What Is the Cost of Caring for a Spinal Cord Injury?

 
Depending on the location and impact of the spinal cord injury, the cost of possible rehabilitation and lifelong impact can vary. The financial impact of these injuries is not just the immediate cost of hospitalization, medication, and rehabilitation. For instance, if the spinal cord injury leads to permanent paralysis, the overall cost of the injury includes long-term care, secondary complications, medical equipment, unemployment, and various other expenses.
 
Recent studies suggest that Canadians vastly underestimate the cost of spinal cord injuries. Surveys showed that the average Canadian estimated a cost of 100 million dollars for the long-term healthcare of spinal cord injury victims, whereas the true yearly cost is close to 3 billion dollars. The true total cost of care for an average patient with a spinal cord injury was over 123 thousand dollars in 2005/2006, and the costs are sure to increase with inflation. This total cost of care includes rehabilitation and hospitalization, both significant expenses when caring for the immediate effects of a spinal cord injury.
 

Should I Still File a Claim if I Have insurance?

 
Even if you have personal health insurance along with OHIP, making a spinal cord injury claim is an important step to financial security during a time of injury. Be it a lifelong impairment or just a temporary injury, living with a spinal cord injury costs tens if not hundreds of thousands of dollars more than the cost of care for the average injured person. Health insurance premiums can help relieve some, but surely not all, of the financial burden. Even the best coverage does not account for much of the long-term, costly expenses that occur after the immediate medical expenses are taken care of.
 

Filing a Claim

 
The most important part of taking legal action after an injury is contacting a professional disability lawyer. Personal injury law firms experienced in traumatic injury cases. They understand the sensitivity of the situation; having dealt with similar situations, they’re knowledgeable when it comes to obtaining the best results. It is also important to remember that without the adequate medical documents, the most severe injury lawsuits suffer greatly. The size of the claim varies depending on many things, such as severity of injury, the necessary rehabilitation, and the lifelong consequences of the injury. There is no one right answer to how large or small the claim can be, just like there isn’t one single kind of spinal cord injury. Hesitation when claiming a spinal cord injury does no one justice. Contacting a disability lawyer is an important step to financial recovery.
 

Receiving Compensation for a Spinal Injury

 
If there is negligence involved, a spinal cord injury victim may be eligible to receive compensation for their injury. In order to do so, a lawsuit needs to be filed against the negligent person. A lawyer can help to build a case and gather evidence against the accused.
 
The insurance company will usually not debate the injury, but they will debate who was at fault. An accident Reconstructionist or Engineer might even be hired in such cases to determine exactly who was at fault.
 

What Evidence is Needed?

 
In order to build a case, evidence is used to determine who was at fault. This evidence includes:
  • Physical damage to the inside or outside of the vehicle
  • Witness interviews
  • Damage to the seats in the vehicle
  • Damage to the windows or windshield
  • Any marks on the road after the accident
  • Inspection of hazardous building structures on-site

What to do after an Accident

 
If a spinal injury is suffered after an accident, it is important to act as fast as possible to gather evidence. Evidence may deteriorate as the time passes and delaying this process will only weaken your case against the accused. A lawyer can advise you on the best practices to take after an accident and how to receive proper compensation for your spinal injury.