It goes without saying that the nature of spinal cord injury is such that the amount of damages that may be recovered against a party responsible for causing such injury is substantial. The average out-of-pocket cost of coping with a spinal cord injury in the first year can be as high as $572,000 for the most severe injuries. For each year after that, the average cost is approximately $102,000. The average spinal cord injury costs approximately $250,000 in the first year and $30,000 for each year after that. The figures below do not include any indirect damages such as lost in wages, pain and suffering, loss of consortium, loss of enjoyment of life, and mental anguish. All of these damages continue throughout the life of a victim.
| Average
Yearly Expenses (in 1999 dollars) |
||
| Severity of Injury | First Yr | Each Subsequent Yr |
| High Tetraplegia (C1-C4) | $572,178 | $102,491 |
| Low Tetraplegia (C5-C8) | $369,488 | $41,983 |
| Paraplegia | $209,074 | $21,274 |
| Incomplete Motor Function at any Level | $168,627 | $11,817 |
| Estimated
lifetime costs by Age at Injury (discounted at 2%) |
||
| Severity of Injury | 25 yrs old | 50 yrs old |
| High Tetraplegia (C1-C4) | $2,185,667 | $1,286,714 |
| Low Tetraplegia (C5-C8) | $1,235,841 | $782,628 |
| Paraplegia | $730,277 | $498,095 |
| Incomplete Motor Function at any Level | $487,150 | $353,047 |
In spinal cord injury cases it is essential that measures be taken promptly
to preserve evidence, review the medical procedures in question, and to
enable physicians or other expert witnesses to thoroughly evaluate the
accident record and injuries.