Extremely serious car accidents can change someone’s life in a second, causing major, life-altering consequences.

A collision that causes serious injury affects a person physically, mentally, emotionally, and financially. In cases like this, compensation for a severe crash injury is not just financial help; it restores stability and independence for the person dealing with the consequences of the crash.

The U.S. suffers approx. $75 billion (USD) in medical care and productivity losses each year due to motor vehicle crash injuries. – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Being familiar with the entire process (the way compensation works, filing claims, what to expect, etc.) makes all the difference.

 

Severe Crash Injuries

Severe crash injuries usually include spinal cord injuries, traumatic injuries to the brain, paralysis, amputations, and other nearly fatal conditions. Most of these conditions require constant medical care, specialized equipment such as wheelchairs, accommodation adjustments, and, in some cases, surgery.

Because of the critical nature of the injury, legal and financial help are crucial in the aftercare of the patient.

Compensation for all the losses listed above is intended to help the victims rebuild their lives, sometimes immediately and in some particular cases, years later.

➔    In the U.S., the avg. recovery cost for a spinal cord injury can range anywhere from $375,196 to $1.2 million (USD). – National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center (NSCISC), University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) ➔    The cost of full recovery for a single severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) in the U.S. can exceed $3 million (USD). – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

 

How Compensation Affects Different Types of Losses

The damages caused by the crash can be economic and non-economic.

Economic damages are, of course, all the medical bills, such as rehabilitation, pain medication, the cost of hiring a long-term caregiver, hospitalization costs, etc. Moreover, economic damages include the income lost due to the inability to work as a result of the injury.

In addition, if the injury is so severe, some individuals have to stay in a nursing home because they are incapable of living alone, which also represents an economic burden as well as transportational costs, wheelchairs if it’s a spinal cord injury, and many others.

In the U.S., the avg. cost for a semi-private room in a recovery/rehabilitation facility is $7,908 (USD) per month, while a private room is $9,034 (a 14.23% increase). – Administration for Community Living (HSS)

On the other hand, non-economic losses represent significantly greater concern. Coping with this type of loss on a psychological level is an enormous challenge.

Most people never encounter such loss in their lifetime, and the process of adjustment is extremely difficult, requiring a huge amount of effort, time, and patience.

First comes anxiety and depression, and in extreme cases, post-traumatic stress that comes with nightmares and outbursts of anger and rage. Besides the heavy emotions, the accident can reflect on relationships with family and friends who may not understand (or don’t know) how to help.

Because of the profound emotional and psychological impact, victims should be entitled to compensation that acknowledges the personal loss.

 

Range of Standard Compensation

➔    Trauma patients who’ve suffered crush injuries are four times more likely to require amputation compared to patients who have suffered limb trauma. – Hopkins Medicine ➔    Crush injuries are the leading cause of acute compartment syndrome (ACS); they’re responsible for up to 75% of fasciotomy cases. – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ➔    Severe crush injuries have a mortality rate of 20-40% (especially in car crash injuries, structural collapses, industrial accidents, etc.). – National Library of Medicine ➔    Crush injuries to the legs or pelvis are very likely to lead to permanent mobility impairment or disability, with over 65% of patients requiring assistive devices. – University of California San Francisco (UCSF), Department of Orthopedic Surgery

Severe crush injury compensation depends on the level of negligence involved (e.g., unsafe work conditions, improper equipment handling, lack of supervision/permits/licenses, etc.) and the extent of damage suffered.

Your age and the quality of evidence that you can provide are also paramount to what the compensation could be, as well as the type of injury/outcome (e.g., spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, amputation, loss of vision or hearing, loss of or impaired mobility, etc.).

That’s why having a lawyer who specializes in this field is key to getting the maximum possible compensation – they know what to do and how to do it.

And since the recovery can be extremely expensive, it’s important to aim for what you deserve.

The compensation could range anywhere from $ 100,000- $ 500,000 (USD) for moderate to severe cases, and it can skyrocket up $ 50,000,000 (USD) in catastrophic and extreme cases.

 

Obstacles in Filing a Claim for a Severe Crash Injury

• Victims of catastrophic car accidents have to face different challenges every day.
• Anticipating the cost of all the medical expenses and living on a budget because of the unfortunate circumstances
• Negotiating with the insurance company on the amount of compensation you’re getting or paying for a legal advocate who’ll do the negotiation and represent your case in court (or would aim for a settlement deal).
• Proving your innocence in court and showing vulnerability by talking about your personal life and private matters, especially if you’re a shy, introverted person

Despite everything, even if you’re proven innocent and deserve the compensation, there’ll always be disagreements on whose fault it was. Regardless of a great legal company representing you and all the odds in your favor, sometimes there’s nothing you can do about it, and you can’t force someone to rule in your favor.

If the blame is shared, unfortunately, the amount of compensation will be reduced.

 

Conclusion

People who have endured a serious crash injury have to deal with a lot more than just financial problems and the amount of compensation they will be getting from an insurance company.

Loss of income due to the inability to work, dealing with anxiety and depression or PTSD, losing your close friends and family as a result of lifestyle changes, are all elements of hard, long-term personal adjustments that the injury caused. Regardless of the irreversible losses, compensation gives the person a better quality of life and the ability to improve the other mentioned factors over time.

If ever dealing with these circumstances, you should do everything in your power to gather all the evidence in order to get the full compensation that can make a serious difference in rebuilding your life after the crash.