Motor vehicles offer a lot of convenience, but they also create risk for the people traveling in them and anyone near by. Pedestrians, cyclists, passengers and drivers are all at risk for a collision that could results in severe injuries. Crashes can cause many different kinds of injury, but traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) are some of the worst.
TBIs can occur after rough shaking, blunt-force trauma to the head or penetrating injuries that damage or pierce the skull during a crash. They range from mild to so severe that people die or remain in a comatose state for the rest of their lives.
When a person is hurt by another driver, whether they are a pedestrian or a motorcyclist, they can potentially file an insurance claim against the driver and also a personal injury lawsuit if they have significant medical costs. How much does the average traumatic brain injury cost?
A brain injury will cost tens of thousands of dollars or more
Given that brain injuries differ substantially and considering that people have different life expediencies and earning potentials that a brain injury could affect, the financial impact for each family will be different.
A brain injury affects your finances in two ways. It could limit income opportunities, as roughly 60% of people with TBI are unemployed two years after diagnosis. Beyond that, a TBI will likely mean ongoing medical costs. One person’s lifetime care needs could be anywhere from $85,000 to $3 million.
In addition to medical costs, the victim and their family will need to consider a lifetime of earning potential and possibly even the lost wages of a family member who stays home to provide care for someone with a TBI.
Be ready to ask for what your family needs
Hopefully, you will never have to worry about how much of brain injury could affect your family’s finances. However, if you do find yourself in a situation where you or a loved one is in need of medical care and may not be able to continue working because of a crash-related brain injury, you will need to stand up for yourself.
Insurance companies or lawyers representing someone who caused the crash may try to offer you far less than the impact will be for your family. Determining the likely financial costs your family will have is often a first step in handling a compensation claim after a crash.
