March 14, 2013 | By Greene Broillet & Wheeler
When people are injured in a car accident or other serious accident, they often worry about their current medical bills and other financial challenges. They may decide to bring a personal injury lawsuit just so they can get their finances back on track. Yet, what they don’t realize is that they can also recover compensation for future medical expenses, such as rehabilitation costs.
Rehabilitation for brain injuries and spinal cord injuries can cost millions of dollars over a person’s lifetime. According to the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, a 25-year-old with paraplegia will pay more than $2 million during his or her lifetime, including hospitalization, rehabilitation, medicine, physical therapy, and nursing home costs. Even a seemingly small injury such as a soft tissue injury can lead to years of chiropractic costs.
That is one of the reasons it is important to discuss your case with an experienced personal injury lawyer before entering into conversations with the insurance companies involved in your accident. A team of medical doctors and legal professionals can help you estimate the cost of rehabilitation and present evidence in your favor to the insurance company, judge or jury.
We all know that insurance companies low-ball settlements. One of the ways they do this is to convince injured individuals that they will not need extensive rehabilitation or compensation for the emotional damages they have suffered. A $100,000 settlement offer may pay today’s medical bills, but what about tomorrow’s? An effective attorney will fight against low-ball settlements and for just compensation that covers all of your injuries (physical and emotional) and medical costs.