Spinal cord injuries completely change a person’s life. The injury can alter their earning potential and increase their medical support needs. Spinal cord injuries affect a person’s daily life, their independent living capabilities and even their mental health in many cases.
Unless people have lower spine, incomplete injuries that they can manage with simple interventions, such as crutches, they likely need a wheelchair. Wheelchairs are costly on their own. They cost hundreds and require regular maintenance to ensure they are safe and comfortable.
They also require that people make major renovations to their homes. Additionally, wheelchairs make it more difficult to arrange for transportation. The cost of securing safe and reliable transportation can increase total injury expenses if a person relies on a wheelchair for day-to-day life.
Wheelchair-accessible vehicles are costly
Although people can acquire travel wheelchairs that they can fold to get into a vehicle, these mobility devices are not the most robust and comfortable option. The best wheelchairs typically do not collapse for ease of transportation. As such, they require special modifications to motor vehicles.
There are a number of companies that specifically manufacture wheelchair-accessible vans. Some wheelchair-accessible vans have special lifts to allow a wheelchair to enter and exit the vehicle safely. Others may come equipped with systems that make it possible for people to drive without using their feet.
In both cases, people can expect new and used wheelchair-accessible vans to cost tens of thousands of dollars. People who already own vans can sometimes retrofit them to be wheelchair accessible or to allow for leg-free operation. That is also a very expensive undertaking.
Unlike home modifications, which families may only have to perform once, vehicle adaptations can become recurring expenses. Every time the individual who uses a wheelchair or their family members acquire a new vehicle, they may have to consider the cost of wheelchair accessibility. People pursuing compensation for spinal cord injuries may overlook the costs associated with specialized transportation when estimating the total financial impact of the injury.
Discussing current and likely future expenses with a skilled legal team can help people better estimate their losses. People who understand the likely financial impact of their injuries can then evaluate different options for seeking compensation. Spinal cord injuries are often so expensive that people need to pursue litigation instead of simply filing an insurance claim to recover their losses.
