The financial toll of a brain injury: Higher than you probably realize

Suffering from a brain injury is one of the most devastating things that can happen to you. It changes what you can do physically and the way you function cognitively. It may also have a large impact on your finances. 

Did you know that around 2.5 million emergency room visits happen annually as a result of traumatic brain injuries? Around 288,000 people end up having to be hospitalized, and around 57,000 die as a result of their injuries.  It’s hard to imagine that a single injury could do so much to change your life, but the brain is a sensitive organ. Damage can lead to serious societal and economic costs for you and your family, as well.

With a severe brain injury, rehabilitation alone can cost as much as $1,000 a day. The Brain Association of Missouri reports that an average patient with a traumatic brain injury will have costs amounting to $151,000 in the first year following the injury. Those who do not survive their injuries tend to have much greater expenses since intensive care is more likely to be used.

Those amounts only consider the cost of medical care following a traumatic injury. That doesn’t include lost wages, changes that have to be made to a person’s home, the impact of their injury on the family or other financial losses. As someone who has a loved one who suffered a severe brain injury or as someone who has one yourself, it’s important that you know that you can ask the person who harmed you to compensate you. If you were in a traffic collision, suffered from a medical error or were hurt as a result of other negligent or reckless situations, you may have a claim.