Perhaps you are one of the < cite index="3-1,6-2">approximately 18,000 people who suffer a new and life-altering spinal cord injury each year. As you come to terms with your new reality, you more than likely have concerns regarding what this means in terms of your financial situation.

Without a doubt, your injury will have a profound effect on your ability to work and support yourself and your family. If another person or persons caused your injury, you may be able to seek compensation to help with your monetary losses through the filing of a personal injury claim. First, however, it may prove useful to know some facts about your situation and the approximate lifetime costs you face.

Facts about those who suffer spinal cord injuries

The National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center keeps track of numerous factors relating to those who have suffered spinal cord injuries (SCI). < cite index="3-3">The estimated number of people with SCI living in the United States is approximately 302,000 persons, and recent data reveals important patterns:

• < cite index="4-6">About 78 percent of new SCI cases since 2015 are male, with < cite index="4-5">the average age at injury having increased from 29 years during the 1970s to 44.3 years since 2015.
• < cite index="5-5">The leading causes include motor vehicle collisions, falls, malignancies, and degenerative disorders, with medical errors also contributing to SCI incidence.
• The most frequent classification of SCI is incomplete tetraplegia followed by incomplete paraplegia, complete paraplegia and complete tetraplegia in descending order of incidence.
• Not even 1 percent of SCI victims make a full recovery prior to leaving the hospital.

Even if you do recover from your injury, it will be more of a marathon rather than a sprint. More than likely, your doctors told you that you may not fully recover.

Facts regarding the costs of an SCI

As you attempt to work out your financial matters relating to your injury, you may want to know that < cite index="4-11">your pre-injury employment status, your neurological impairment and your education level influence the costs you face. The lifetime costs for people with a spinal cord injury vary significantly depending on the severity of your injury. Recent estimates from the NSCISC provide the following breakdown:

• If your diagnosis is high tetraplegia (your injury was to C1-C4), your first-year costs could reach around $1,410,163 and $244,879 each year thereafter.
• If your diagnosis is low tetraplegia (your injury was to C5-C8), your first-year expenses will be approximately $840,676 in the first year and approximately $123,938 each subsequent year.
• If your diagnosis is paraplegia, the first year after your injury could cost approximately $519,000 to over $687,000 with each subsequent year costing significantly more when accounting for current estimates.
• If you experience any level of motor function, the first-year costs hover around $352,279 and could cost approximately $42,789 each year thereafter.

These numbers are only estimates, and your personal circumstances could cause the costs to be higher or lower. < cite index="4-12">These estimates do not include any indirect costs such as losses in wages, fringe benefits, and productivity. Understanding the full scope of medical expenses and income losses is essential when pursuing a personal injury claim.

Seeking legal support for your spinal cord injury claim

As you can see, the costs associated with your SCI are significant by nearly everyone’s standards, and they don’t even include other factors such as your lost wages and diminished earning capacity. This makes your pursuit of compensation all that more important. Fortunately, you do not have to embark on this endeavor alone. With the right legal representation from an experienced spinal cord injury attorney, you may be able to receive the compensation you need and deserve to address both your immediate medical expenses and long-term care needs.