How Much Could a Spinal Cord Injury Cost You?

Vehicle accidents carry a lot of risks for injury. Many walk away from these accidents. Others are not so lucky.

Spinal cord injuries may result from a severe accident, leading to loss of motor control and even full paralysis of your limbs. As the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center reports, these SCIs can impact your life both physically and financially.

Spinal Costs by Injury Severity

SCIs have a wide-ranging impact depending on the damaged vertebrae. Generally, the higher up on the spine, the worse the results.

Any spinal injury may affect your motor function. Worse damage can result in paraplegia — paralysis from the waist down. Further up, in the C5-C8 range of vertebrae, you may suffer low tetraplegia, which can affect all four limbs to one degree or another. The most costly is high tetraplegia, vertebrae C1-C4, which can leave you with little to no control throughout your body.

The average costs start high in the first year of recovery and subsequent years are costly as well:

• Any motor function – First year: $375,000. Subsequent years: $45,000

• Paraplegia – First year: $560,000. Subsequent years: $74,000

• Low tetraplegia – First year: $830,000. Subsequent years: $122,000

• High tetraplegia – First year: $1,140,000. Subsequent years: $199,000

Compensation for Your Pain

These costs may seem overwhelming, but after an accident that leaves you paralyzed and struggling to recover, they are necessary. Surgery and rehabilitation is a long process that may take a lot of your focus in the aftermath, but knowing the numbers ahead of time can help temper your expectations. If you are the victim of an accident involving an SCI, demanding justice and compensation may help with these high price tags.