Our KY Injury Lawyers Discuss Why Compensation Is Critical When an Accident Leaves You With a Spinal Injury
If you suffer a spinal cord injury in a car or truck crash, your entire life changes. This type of injury is one of the most catastrophic and often leaves you partially or permanently paralyzed. Nothing can restore what you’ve lost, but obtaining compensation for damages provides you the opportunity to afford cutting-edge medical care and deal with financial hardships. 
The experienced personal injury lawyers at Skeeters, Bennett, Wilson & Humphrey advocate for victims of catastrophic spinal cord injuries throughout Central Kentucky. By pursuing compensation on your behalf, we can help ease the adjustment to your new normal.
Life-Altering Spinal Injuries Due to Car and Truck Accidents
As serious injury attorneys, we know any major accident can have life-altering consequences, especially if you suffer a spinal cord injury. This type of injury is usually catastrophic and brings with it serious and overwhelming financial and emotional stress.
Spinal cord injuries can include damage at the cervical, thoracic, lumbar, or sacral level of the spinal cord and can cause the following four major types of paralysis:
- Incomplete Paraplegia. Paraplegia refers to paralysis and loss of function of the lower limbs due to an injury below the cervical region of the spine. With partial paraplegia, you have some motor function and sensation in your lower body. You retain function in your upper body.
- Complete Paraplegia. If your paraplegia is complete, you suffer total paralysis of the lower body. You retain function and sensation in your upper body.
- Incomplete Tetraplegia. Tetraplegia, also known as quadriplegia, affects all four limbs. With incomplete or partial tetraplegia, you retain some sensory or motor function below the level of your injury.
- Complete Tetraplegia. The total paralysis of all four limbs is the most severely life-altering form of paralysis.
The Costs of Spinal Injuries
The loss of mobility and sensation of a spinal cord injury often means a loss of freedom, independence, and quality of life. It also means you’ll likely be faced with an enormous financial burden. The cost of treating a spinal cord injury is expensive, and the ongoing care needed can be life-changing.
According to The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, the average cost of the first year of treating incomplete motor function injuries is nearly $350,000. First-year costs for treating paraplegia average over $500,000. Your first year of treatment for tetraplegia will likely cost you between $769,351 and more than $1,000,000.
While the first year is the most expensive, these injuries impose a lifelong financial hardship. Even for incomplete motor function injuries, average costs exceed $42,000 per year. Paraplegia costs upwards of $68,000 annually. Treating tetraplegia injuries costs, on average, between $113,000 and nearly $185,000 per year.
Between these lifelong medical costs and the possibility that you may never be able to work again, the impact of a spinal cord injury is extremely significant.
Seeking Monetary Damages for Spinal Injuries
If you suffered a spinal cord injury in a truck or car accident, you have the right to seek compensation from the negligent driver who caused the crash. You may recover compensation for the following types of damages:
- Medical expenses so you can receive cutting-edge medical care and make the best physical recovery possible
- Future medical expenses related to the spinal cord injury
- Mobility devices and other medical aids you may need
- Home health care services or facilities that provide around-the-clock care
- Accessibility-related home renovations necessary to accommodate your injury and limitations
- Lost wages and, if you can’t return to work due to your injuries, loss of your future earning capacity
- Pain and suffering and loss of quality of life due to paralysis
Contact Skeeters, Bennett, Wilson & Humphrey When You Suffer a Spinal Cord Injury
When you suffer a catastrophic spinal cord injury after an accident, it’s important that all of your losses are included when calculating fair compensation. Skeeters, Bennett, Wilson & Humphrey helps injury victims obtain all the necessary compensation to help them now and in the future. Count on our car and truck accident lawyers to offer honest answers to your questions and the common sense advice our firm is known for. We’re here to give you peace of mind during a stressful time.