Brain Injury Lawyer
If your spouse has suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI), even a supposedly mild one, you know how quickly his or her medical and rehabilitation expenses can skyrocket. Experts predict that in the first six months alone after the injury, costs can total half a million dollars or more. And this is just the beginning of what could be a lifetime of costs arising from and associated with a severe TBI.
If your spouse sustained the TBI while in his or her 20s, these same experts warn that ongoing annual costs of $500,000 are not uncommon, resulting in lifetime costs of between $15-$20 million or more depending on how long he or she lives.
Family Costs
The above figures represent only the direct costs a TBI can cause. What about the cost to you and the family? If your spouse requires ongoing in-home care for his or her TBI, you likely will have to quit your job in order to stay home and provide that care to him or her. Obviously, this means that neither you nor he or she will have a source of income with which to provide for your children and maintain your home.
In addition, full-time caregivers are known to be at high risk for developing their own medical and emotional problems, resulting in even more costs.
Unfortunately, health care insurance policies soon max out. What do you do then?
Obtaining Legal Help
Your most viable option for obtaining the financial help you need is to contact an experienced local brain injury lawyer like one from Hall Justice Law Firm as soon as possible after the injury. He or she can help you determine whose negligence or wrongdoing caused your spouse’s TBI and, therefore, who you can sue for personal injury, in this case a catastrophic one.
Keep in mind that even if your spouse sustained his or her TBI while at work, you may still be able to file a personal injury lawsuit against the employer in addition to applying for workers’ compensation benefits. Also keep in mind that while workers’ compensation covers your spouse’s direct medical costs and a percentage of his or her lost wages, it does not cover his or her noneconomic damages, such as for pain and suffering. Neither does it cover your own loss of income if you have to give up your job to care for him or her.
A personal injury lawsuit covers these losses, as well as your spouse’s direct medical and rehabilitation costs. In addition, winning your personal injury lawsuit will ensure that you have the funds necessary to pay for not only your spouse’s medical expenses to date, but also in the future. The same applies to loss of income for both of you. A lawsuit can be quite complex and hard to navigate. For more personalized legal assistance, schedule a consultation with a top brain injury lawyer.
