Brain injuries create some of the worst outcomes after car crashes. In severe cases, people may suffer injuries so extreme that they become dependent on life support. Brain injuries can also affect someone’s sense of balance, their personality, sensory perception and memory.
Seeing a doctor shortly after a crash can help you get diagnosed quickly and may improve your overall prognosis, but the consequences of a brain injury can be significant even with the best treatment available. Before you settle an insurance claim, you need to have an idea of what the brain injury will cost you.
Brain injuries create medical bills
Traumatic brain injuries may require surgery. Some people need medication or occupational therapy. Often, people require Imaging tests and intensive care shortly after the injury, followed by ongoing support, sometimes for the rest of their life. Experts estimate that medical care alone will cost somewhere between $85,000 and $3 million.
Those costs alone will be more than what insurance will cover, and some people will have even more expenses in the form of lost income.
Your symptoms will affect what you earn
Whether you worked as a professional and now struggle to recall information crucial to your job performance or you develop motor control issues that affect your ability to perform your job, a brain injury could easily reduce your earning potential. Even personality changes can be harmful to your earning potential.
You need to consider not just your current medical bills but also your likely future medical cost and what your injury may mean for your job opportunities. Insurance companies often try to offer the least that they can to compensate someone for a crash, so you may need to come up with your own estimate regarding the impact of the wreck to better negotiate a settlement.
If the other driver doesn’t have much insurance or if the brain injury is serious enough to require hospitalization and rehabilitative care, then you may need to look into your right to file a lawsuit, including a personal injury claim against and third-party claims against others who may be partially responsible for the crash. Learning more about the lasting consequences of brain injuries can help you handle the process of getting compensation for your losses.