Spinal cord injuries (SCIs) are among the most devastating injuries a person can experience. Depending on the location and severity, an SCI can result in partial or total paralysis, affecting mobility, independence, and nearly every aspect of daily life.
Beyond the physical limitations, these injuries can lead to emotional trauma, strained relationships, and a complete upheaval of one’s financial future. In this article, we will highlight the key facts you need to know when navigating the challenges of a spinal cord injury.
1. Immediate Medical Expenses
These costs begin to accumulate from the very moment the injury occurs.
Emergency Care and Hospitalization
The moments immediately following a spinal cord injury are critical. Victims typically require emergency transportation, advanced diagnostic imaging, life-saving surgeries, and prolonged stays in intensive care units.
These services alone can generate staggering medical bills in the first few days or weeks after the injury. Even with insurance, patients may face high deductibles, co-pays, and out-of-network charges that add to the financial burden.
Rehabilitation Costs
Once the patient is stabilized, the journey to recovery begins. Rehabilitation for spinal cord injuries is intensive and ongoing, often requiring months or even years of physical therapy, occupational therapy, and specialized care.
Inpatient rehabilitation facilities and outpatient programs are essential for improving mobility, regaining independence, and adjusting to new physical limitations. These services are expensive, and insurance coverage is often limited in duration or scope, leaving families to cover a significant portion of the cost out-of-pocket.
2. Long-Term Medical and Caregiving Costs
As the recovery journey continues, so do the expenses. Often for life.
Ongoing Medical Treatments
Spinal cord injuries require continuous medical management. After the initial recovery period, victims often face an ongoing cycle of doctor visits, diagnostic testing, pain management, and potential future surgeries.
Infections, pressure sores, respiratory issues, and other complications are common and can require frequent intervention. These cumulative costs can quickly escalate, especially when insurance coverage is limited or does not cover certain specialized treatments.
Assistive Devices and Home Modifications
To regain a measure of independence and maintain quality of life, most spinal cord injury survivors rely heavily on assistive devices. This can include motorized wheelchairs, pressure-relieving mattresses, transfer boards, and adaptive technology.
In many cases, homes must be modified extensively with ramps installed, doorways widened, bathrooms reconfigured, and even lifts or elevators added. These modifications are essential but expensive, and insurance providers often consider them non-essential or elective, leaving families to shoulder the burden themselves.
Personal Care Assistance
For individuals living with moderate to severe spinal cord injuries, everyday tasks such as bathing, dressing, eating, and using the restroom may require the help of a personal care assistant. Whether this care is provided by a trained nurse, a home health aide, or a family member, the costs can be overwhelming.
Many families must hire full-time assistance or adjust their work patterns to become caregivers, which can significantly affect household income and stability. Yet, many insurance policies fail to fully account for these long-term caregiving needs.
3. Hidden Financial Impacts
While the medical bills and rehabilitation costs associated with a spinal cord injury are substantial, the financial burden doesn’t stop there. Many of the most financially draining consequences are not immediately obvious and are often overlooked by insurance companies during settlement negotiations. These include:
Loss of Income and Earning Capacity
One of the most significant long-term consequences of a spinal cord injury is the disruption to a person’s career. Whether the injury prevents a full return to work or limits the types of employment a person can pursue, the result is often a drastic reduction in income.
In some cases, SCI survivors may never work again. This loss of earning potential can create lasting financial instability for both the injured individual and their family. Yet, insurance companies rarely offer settlements that truly reflect this long-term economic loss without aggressive legal advocacy.
Transportation Costs
Many SCI survivors must rely on accessible vehicles, which can require costly modifications such as wheelchair lifts, hand controls, and lowered flooring. In some cases, individuals must purchase entirely new vehicles to accommodate these needs. Public transportation is rarely a viable option due to accessibility limitations, making private, specialized transport services another ongoing expense.
Psychological Counseling
The emotional toll of a spinal cord injury is just as real as the physical one. Depression, anxiety, PTSD, and grief are common among those adjusting to life with paralysis or significant mobility loss. Ongoing psychological counseling and therapy can be critical to long-term well-being and adjustment, but mental health services are frequently under-covered or excluded altogether by insurance providers.
4. Insurance Company Tactics
Despite the life-changing nature of spinal cord injuries, many insurance companies are more focused on minimizing payouts than providing adequate support for victims. Unfortunately, this often means employing tactics that leave injured individuals with far less than they need – or deserve – for long-term care and stability.
Underestimating Future Costs
One of the most common tactics is undervaluing the future financial impact of a spinal cord injury. While initial medical bills may be covered, insurers often overlook or deliberately ignore the lifetime costs of care, including in-home assistance, recurring medical procedures, assistive technologies, and the long-term loss of income. Settlement offers from insurance companies are often calculated using outdated or overly optimistic projections, which fail to reflect the lifelong burden that an SCI imposes.
Disputing the Necessity of Treatments
Insurance providers may also dispute the necessity of specific medical treatments, therapies, or equipment, claiming they are “non-essential” or “experimental.” These denials often include critical services such as mental health counseling, advanced rehabilitation programs, and certain assistive devices that significantly improve a patient’s quality of life. Their goal is simple: reduce their financial responsibility, even if it comes at the expense of the patient’s recovery and well-being.
5. Legal Considerations in Illinois
Navigating the legal system after a spinal cord injury can be challenging, which is why it is critical to seek out experienced Illinois personal injury lawyers and to get to grips with some of the legal framework that governs personal injury claims in the state.
Statute of Limitations
Illinois has a strict deadline for filing a personal injury lawsuit. In general, you have two years from the date of the injury to file your claim. Missing this deadline could mean forfeiting your right to pursue compensation entirely, regardless of how strong your case may be.
There are some exceptions to this rule, depending on the circumstances (such as injuries to minors), but these are limited. This is why it is essential to speak with an experienced personal injury lawyer as soon as possible after an injury occurs.
Pullano & Siporin: Your Advocates in Personal Injury Law
A spinal cord injury changes everything – from your ability to work and care for yourself to how you experience daily life. An experienced personal injury attorney who understands the full scope of your needs will ensure that every current and future cost is accounted for in any settlement or judgment.
Advocacy for Full Compensation
At Pullano & Siporin, we don’t just fight for compensation. We fight for justice. Our role is to hold insurance companies accountable and demand the resources necessary for spinal cord injury survivors to rebuild their lives with dignity, independence, and peace of mind. That includes ensuring access to quality medical care, adaptive equipment, psychological support, and the financial security you need to plan for the future.
Why Choose Pullano & Siporin?
With more than 50 years of combined personal injury experience, our team of highly skilled trial lawyers works decisively to support victims and their families because we have witnessed firsthand the profound impact a spinal cord injury (SCI) can have on every aspect of their lives.
We bring legal expertise, compassion, and determination to every case we take on. You can be assured that when you choose Pullano & Siporin, you are choosing a team that will stand by your side, advocate relentlessly, and never settle for less than what you truly deserve.
If you or a loved one has suffered a spinal cord injury, contact us today for a free initial consultation. Let us help you take the first step toward recovery and justice.
