Compensation Options for Spinal Cord Injury Victims
A spinal cord injury doesn’t just impact your body—it reshapes your entire life. The costs add up quickly, from lengthy hospital stays and ongoing rehabilitation to buying assistive devices and modifying your home. But the challenges go deeper than finances. Adjusting to a new way of living can be emotionally overwhelming, leaving many injured survivors and families feeling frustrated, anxious, or unsure about the future.
One of the most critical steps in recovery is ensuring that financial resources are available to cover these expenses. Whether the injury was caused by an accident, medical malpractice, or another incident, victims often have legal avenues to seek compensation. But what types of compensation are available to spinal cord injury victims?
At William D. Shapiro Law, Inc., our San Bernardino spinal cord injury lawyers can help you explore all your legal options after suffering a spinal cord injury. We know how to evaluate your injury, the effects on your life, and your future to get you full and complete compensation after an accident.
The True Costs of Spinal Cord Injuries
Compensation isn’t just about covering bills—it’s about addressing the true costs of a spinal cord injury. These costs can vary based on the severity of the injury, but even with basic care, the expenses often last a lifetime.:
- Medical Bills: Emergency treatment, surgeries, and long-term care often run into hundreds of thousands of dollars.
- Rehabilitation Costs: Ongoing physical and occupational therapy is essential for recovery but expensive over time.
- Assistive Devices: Wheelchairs, mobility aids, and even cutting-edge technology like exoskeletons can cost tens of thousands of dollars.
- Home Modifications: Making a home wheelchair-accessible requires structural changes, such as installing ramps or widening doorways.
- Lost Income: Many victims are unable to return to work, either temporarily or permanently, leading to a significant loss of income.
- Mental Health Support: Counseling and therapy are vital for coping with the emotional impact of an injury but are often overlooked in financial planning.
If you suffered a spinal cord injury, you may need compensation that accounts for all of these expenses and costs.
Compensation Options for Spinal Cord Injury Victims
When seeking compensation, spinal cord injury victims typically pursue claims through personal injury lawsuits, workers’ compensation, or insurance settlements.
1. Personal Injury Lawsuits
If someone else’s carelessness led to your spinal cord injury, you may be able to file a personal injury lawsuit. This type of claim holds the other party accountable, whether it was a driver who ran a red light, a landlord who failed to fix dangerous stairs or a doctor who made a serious error.
Personal injury lawsuits compensate victims for all aspects of their injury—not just immediate medical bills. This type of claim also sends a powerful message about accountability, discouraging negligent behavior in the future.
2. Workers’ Compensation
If the injury occurred on the job, workers’ compensation benefits are an essential source of financial relief. Employers typically provide this coverage for injuries sustained while performing work-related tasks.
While workers’ compensation can help with immediate financial needs, it’s often limited in scope. Unlike personal injury claims, however, workers’ compensation does not cover pain and suffering or punitive damages. For this reason, victims may need to explore other legal avenues if a third party (such as a contractor or equipment manufacturer) contributed to the injury.
3. Insurance Settlements
Insurance may help cover some of the costs related to your injury, but dealing with insurance companies isn’t always straightforward. Policies often have confusing terms, and it’s not uncommon for insurers to delay or undervalue claims.
Types of Insurance That May Apply:
- Auto Insurance: If the injury resulted from a car accident, the at-fault driver’s insurance policy should cover medical expenses, lost income, and property damage.
- Health Insurance: Helps offset medical bills but often falls short when it comes to long-term care or experimental treatments.
- Disability Insurance: Short-term or long-term disability policies can replace a portion of
What Spinal Cord Injury Victims Truly Need
Compensation isn’t just about paying off bills—it’s about restoring a sense of independence and security. Victims of spinal cord injuries often require a combination of financial support to cover:
- Lifelong Medical Care: Spinal cord injuries don’t stop at mobility challenges—they often come with complications like infections, pressure sores, or breathing problems that need constant attention. Ongoing treatment is critical to avoid these issues and maintain your health.
- Mental Health Support: Let’s face it—adjusting to a new way of life is tough. Many people feel frustrated, anxious, or even depressed after a spinal cord injury. Counseling and therapy aren’t just helpful—they’re essential to finding emotional balance.
- Assistive Technology: Wheelchairs are just the beginning. Robotic exoskeletons, voice-activated tools, or devices that let you control a computer with your eyes can open up a world of independence.
- Community Integration: Getting back to work or engaging with your community shouldn’t feel out of reach. Getting the right amount of compensation can help you pay for things like job training, making your home accessible, or getting mobility aids that let you live your life fully.
When seeking compensation, it’s vital to focus on more than immediate costs. Spinal cord injuries affect every aspect of a victim’s life, and settlements or awards should reflect this reality.
Contact Our San Bernardino Spinal Cord Injury Lawyers
Compensation for a spinal cord injury isn’t about “winning a lawsuit”—it’s about securing the resources you need to live with dignity and independence. From medical care to mental health support and financial stability, spinal cord injury victims deserve a settlement or award that fully addresses the long-term impact of their injury.
At William D. Shapiro Law, Inc., our San Bernardino spinal cord injury attorneys, will be here to help you along the way. No matter what your future holds, we can help you secure the money you need to tackle it. Contact us at (909) 890-1000 or fill out our confidential contact form today, and we’ll call you back.
William Shapiro has handled catastrophic injury/wrongful death actions for over 4 decades obtaining numerous seven and eight-figure verdicts and settlements. Honors include: 2022, 2016 and 2013 OCTLA “Top Gun” TLY; 2022 CAOC TLY Finalist; 2018 “Lifetime Achievement Award” Western State College of Law, 2021 & 2017 Best Lawyers, Lawyer of the Year; 2016 WSBCBA “TLY”; 2015 CAL-ABOTA “TLY”; 2014 “TLY” Consumer Attorneys of CAOIE; 2011 “Hall of Fame,” Western State College of Law; Fellow, American College of Trial Lawyers; International Academy of Trial Lawyers; International Society of Barristers; Diplomat, American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA); National Board of Trial Advocacy; specialist in Trial Advocacy, State Bar of California; “Best Lawyers in America” and “Tier 1 Best Law Firms” U.S. News; AV Preeminent, Martindale-Hubbell; SuperLawyers; Past President of: San Bernardino/Riverside chapter ABOTA; San Bernardino County Bar Association; Consumer Attorneys of Inland Empire; The Joseph. B. Campbell American Inn of Court; Consumer Attorneys of California; IE ; National Sec of ABOTA, Adjunct professor, Western State College of Law. Learn more here.