You can hurt your brain in several different ways during a car crash. You can suffer blunt-force trauma to the head, have penetrating injuries caused by flying glass or even hurt yourself because of your brain shaking around inside your skull. Regardless of how you hurt your brain, the consequences can be long-lasting.
You may actually discover that the insurance carried by the driver who is at fault for the crash is not enough to pay even your medical costs, let alone the secondary expenses that a brain injury can generate. How much will a brain injury affect your family financially?
Medical care alone is often more than insurance will pay
For those with mild to moderate brain injuries, the symptoms that they develop may not be that problematic, and the treatment that they require may be minimal. For those who only require moderate medical support, the lifetime costs associated with traumatic brain injury (TBI) treatment could be as low as $85,000.
However, more severe brain injuries cause much more expensive medical issues. Those who require life support and other forms of medical care could require more than three million dollars worth of treatment because of a TBI.
Some people will have other expenses related to a brain injury. For example, they may lose a significant amount of income because of time off of work for care or because of the lingering symptoms of their injury. Some individuals will also have to invest in making their home or their vehicle more accessible following a brain injury, which can also cost thousands of dollars.
What are your options for covering those costs?
Many drivers have very little insurance protection, especially when you compare the coverage available to the average expenses caused by severe injuries. Some drivers may have extra coverage on their own insurance policies that will help them after a crash leaves them with a TBI.
Others may need to look into a personal injury claim against the other driver or a third party with partial liability for the crash. Otherwise, you and your family will have to absorb those costs that are ultimately the fault of the other driver.
Having a realistic idea of what a traumatic brain injury will cost can help you better negotiate an insurance settlement and decide what compensation you require.
