People often fear spinal cord injuries because of the impact they have on functional capabilities. The average person has a hard time imagining what life might be like if they could not walk.
Those adjusting to life after a car crash causes a spinal cord injury may face a variety of challenges. Many people overlook the cost of accommodating their limitations when they estimate their losses.
Houses and vehicles need to change for safety’s sake
People who rely on wheelchairs or even on walkers, crutches or canes need special consideration in their living spaces. Families may need to completely adjust the use of the space to move a bedroom onto the first floor of the residence.
They may need to remodel bathrooms or kitchens to make spaces accessible to wheelchair users. They may need to add a ramp or a chair lift. The cost of renovating a house to make it wheelchair accessible can add up to tens of thousands of dollars.
Vehicle accommodations can be similarly expensive. Some people purchase wheelchair-accessible vans. Others may pay to retrofit vans or SUVs to make them safe for people in wheelchairs.
It is even possible to adjust a vehicle for hands-only control so that a person with a spinal cord injury can continue driving. Wheelchair-accessible vehicles tend to cost tens of thousands of dollars, and families may have to absorb those costs every decade or so for the rest of the injured person’s life.
Having an accurate understanding of the financial impact of major injuries can help people quantify their losses while pursuing a personal injury lawsuit. Modifications to homes and vehicles are costs people can recover if they include them in their compensation requests.