The medical changes following a catastrophic injury like a spinal cord injury or brain injury are relatively predictable. People understand they will need to undergo emergency trauma care and will require rehabilitative support as well following a serious injury. They may realize that they need to take a leave of absence from work or start preparing for a new profession because of their new physical limitations.
Other challenges may be harder to predict ahead of time. For example, your home life will change substantially when you or a member of your immediate family suffers a catastrophic injury. There are significant financial implications for the changes your household will undergo after someone suffers a permanent injury that alters their daily life.
How will your living space and the way you use it change after a major injury?
You will need to change the house itself
Making a home accessible is a complex process that requires thorough planning. The accommodations one person requires will differ significantly from what another person needs, and the challenges that a living space poses will also very drastically from home to home.
Moving a bedroom down onto the first floor, adding a more accessible bathtub or toilet and adding ramps are among the many expensive adjustments your family may need to make to the space where you live when a family member has a catastrophic injury. It will likely cost you thousands of dollars to update your home and make it more safe and accessible, especially if you must rely on professionals to complete these renovations.
You may need to bring in outside help
Depending on the injury someone suffered and the role they previously filled in the household, your family may need to outsource child care, home repairs, vehicle maintenance and other unpaid household services. The work someone contributes to your family and can no longer perform could drastically alter your household budget or reduce your standard of living.
You need to recognize these likely costs if you hope to ask for compensation following a catastrophic injury. Having a realistic idea of what major injuries will cost you and your family will make it easier for you to negotiate an appropriate settlement or pursue compensation in civil court.