We want to bring you the story of Marcus Thomas, a man who spends his days painting. He is wonderful at it, and his paintings sell well, especially the calendars.
Here’s the thing – Thomas uses his mouth to control the paintbrush. He has no other choice, as he is paralyzed from the neck down.
Thomas is a quadriplegic, and we bring you his story to highlight a few things:
- After a traumatic accident, you can still have a decent life.
- Quadriplegia requires lifelong care.
Many people, when they hear a story about someone being paralyzed, they think of the initial incident and the immediate aftermath. What people do not realize is just how many lives an injury like this can change.
At Hiden, Rott & Oertle , LLP, we understand and we want to help you get your life back to normal. When you need an experienced spinal cord injury attorney in San Diego, you can count on us.
The Numbers
The National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center gives us a good look at just how many people in this country deal with spinal cord injuries. In the US, there are around 282,000 people who have spinal cord injuries and there are approximately 17,000 new cases each year.
How do they happen?
- 38 percent from vehicle accidents
- 30.5 percent from falls
- 13.5 percent from violence
- 9 percent from sports incidents
- 5 percent from medical errors
- 4 percent from other causes
When it comes to levels of paralysis, there are four kinds that break down into two basic categories: tetraplegia (paraplegia) and quadriplegia.
For quadriplegia, the cost of treatment in the first year alone can range from $770,000 to over $1 million, with each subsequent year of medical costs ranging from $113,000 to $185,000.
And those are just the medical costs.
This does not factor in that lost income for the person who is injured, as they will never be able to significantly contribute to household expenses again. Also, if a family member has to leave their job to become a permanent caregiver, their lost income will affect the entire family.
Most of the time, major accommodations must be made to the house and vehicle for wheelchair accessibility. This often involves construction and new purchase costs that run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Who will pay for all of this?
What You Can Do
If you or a loved one have been severely injured because of someone else’s negligence, we know you are going through so much. If you need a San Diego spinal cord injury attorney, you can count on Hiden, Rott & Oertle , LLP. We are experienced in this area of law and we want to make sure you get the compensation you need to handle all of your accident-related expenses.
We realize that this is a major life change for everyone involved, from the victim to the family members. We want to help. You can contact us for a free consultation by clicking here or calling our office.