Several factors lead to the classification of an injury as a catastrophic medical issue. The severity of the symptoms that the condition produces and how long those consequences persist both influence the classification of medical conditions. Some injuries can forever change a person’s abilities. They may need to change jobs, make adjustments to their homes and secure support for day-to-day life.
Spinal cord injuries are typically categorized as catastrophic medical issues because of how expensive they are and their permanent impact on the human body. The loss of function caused by a spinal cord injury can change someone’s earning potential and lifestyle.
While some people do partially recover from incomplete spinal cord injuries, medical challenges typically persist for life even with incomplete injuries. Those adjusting to life after acquiring a spinal cord injury often need to seek compensation by taking legal action. Particularly when spinal cord injuries are the result of car crashes, people may find that the insurance coverage available to them is not adequate to cover their expenses.
Insurance falls short of average cost
Minnesota requires that all drivers carry liability coverage for both property damage and injury in case they cause crashes. However, the driver at fault for a crash that causes a spinal cord injury could have as little as $30,000 in bodily injury liability coverage.
Even if they have more than that, the medical care someone requires is likely far higher than the policy limits of a standard car insurance policy. In fact, the lifetime medical costs could exceed the insurance on commercial vehicles, like semi-trucks.
Someone with an incomplete injury can expect an average of $347,484 or more in first-year medical expenses and significant costs annually afterward. Those with complete injuries face average care costs for the first year that could range from more than $500,000 to more than a million dollars. The individual with the spinal cord injury may also have tens of thousands of dollars in medical expenses for the rest of their life. Those figures only factor in medical expenses. They do not include lost wages or the cost of special accommodations in housing and transportation.
People adjusting to life with catastrophic injuries after a car crash often need help pursuing compensation to cover the cost generated by their injuries. Understanding the shortcomings of basic insurance coverage may help people understand the need to take legal action after developing a serious injury as a result of another’s negligence.