Anytime you experience an injury on the job, it has the potential of leaving you unable to do your job for days, weeks or even months. In the case of a spinal cord injury, that may mean the rest of your life.
Regardless of how permanent your SCI may be, it is important to understand its timeline and severity—and how much that costs you in the long run.
Standard recovery timelines
According to the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center, you can expect to remain in your hospital’s acute care unit for an average of 11 days. Staying in a rehabilitation center tends to take another 31 days. This does not include the potential weeks and months of physical therapy afterward to help you back on your feet.
First-year costs for SCIs
Depending on the severity, the average costs of an SCI in the first year range from $375,196 for injuries resulting in the loss of your motor control. This average cost gets as high as $1.14 million in the first year for injuries resulting in high tetraplegia.
Options for cost recovery
None of these costs include what you lose in wages as a worker and a permanent disability adds more stress to this equation. In a situation where time is of the essence to increase your chances of recovery, it might seem overwhelming to deal with legal and financial ramifications alongside that. It is important to consider your situation, understand the full compensation you may deserve and the options ahead of you for recovering these costs and taking control back of your life.