Calculating the Cost of a Long-Term Disability Caused By a Traumatic Injury

If you’ve been diagnosed with a long-term disability after an accident in Pennsylvania, you could be facing substantial financial and non-financial costs over the years to come. Living with a long-term disability can impact you (and your family) in many ways, and it can prove to be extremely costly if you don’t recover the financial compensation you deserve.

Fortunately, accident victims in Pennsylvania are entitled to financial compensation in many cases. If a negligent driver, property owner or business is responsible for what happened, you may be entitled to full compensation for all of the financial and non-financial costs of your long-term disability. An experienced personal injury lawyer will be able to calculate these costs for you and fight to recover just compensation on your behalf.

7 Costs of Long-Term Disabilities from Traumatic Accidents

When faced with the financial and non-financial costs of a long-term disability, it is critical to work with your personal injury lawyer to seek just compensation for all of these costs. These costs fall into several categories, and overlooking just one of these categories can make your life much more difficult than it needs to be. With this in mind, here is a look at the main costs that a personal injury lawyer may be able to help you recover:

1. Medical Care

The first category of costs is medical care. If you have been diagnosed with a long-term disability, not only might you have a mountain of medical bills from after your accident, but you might be facing substantial medical costs in the future as well. When living with an accident-related disability, taking care of yourself is important, and this means that it is important to make sure you have the financial resources you need to cover your medical needs long-term.

2. Physical and Occupational Therapy

Along with medical care, you may also need physical or occupational therapy (or both) in order to manage day-to-day life with your disability. With individual sessions potentially costing hundreds of dollars, the costs of physical and occupational therapy can add up very quickly. However, this should not prevent you from getting the care that you need. If you have a personal injury claim, your lawyer can help you seek the funds you will need to cover these long-term care costs as well.

3. Psychological or Psychiatric Therapy

Accepting that your life has changed because someone else made a mistake isn’t easy. For many accident victims, learning to cope with their long-term disabilities takes time. If you need psychological or psychiatric therapy in order to cope with your disability, the costs of this care should be covered under your personal injury claim as well.

4. In-Home Support Services

Depending on the nature of your long-term disability, you may need various support services at home. For example, you might need someone who can help you get around your house or perform your tasks of daily living, or you may need someone to clean your house or mow your lawn. Under Pennsylvania law, if you have a personal injury claim, you are entitled to compensation for all of your injury-related costs—including your costs for these types of in-home support services.

5. Prescriptions, Medical Supplies and Other Out-of-Pocket Costs

While medical care and related services are usually the most significant costs that accident victims incur, these are far from the only costs involved with recovering from an accident and living with a long-term disability. In addition to the costs discussed above, your personal injury lawyer will also be able to help you seek just compensation for out-of-pocket costs like:

• Prescription medications
• Medical equipment and supplies
• Transportation
• Home and vehicle modifications

6. Loss of Income and Benefits

Accident victims in Pennsylvania who have personal injury claims can also recover just compensation for their loss of income and benefits. If you have been diagnosed with a long-term disability that prevents you from working (or that restricts your ability to work), you are entitled to compensation not only for your loss of income and benefits to date, but also your loss of future earnings. This portion of your claim will be determined based primarily on your income history, your ability to work (if any), and how much longer you would have worked before retiring.

7. The Non-Financial Costs of Your Long-Term Disability

Finally, along with financial costs, accident victims who suffer long-term disabilities can recover just compensation for their non-financial costs as well. When you hire an experienced personal injury lawyer to represent you, your lawyer will help ensure that you are seeking just compensation for your present and future:

• Pain, Suffering and Emotional Distress – These damages address the physical pain and psychological trauma you endure as a result of the accident and your long-term disability.
• Scarring and Disfigurement – If your injuries left you permanently scarred or disfigured in addition to leaving you disabled, you are entitled to damages for your scarring and disfigurement as well.
• Loss of Consortium and Companionship – Long-term disabilities can negatively impact accident victims’ relationships with their partners, children, and other family and friends, and these are also losses for which financial compensation is generally available.
• Loss of Enjoyment of Life – As an accident victim who has been diagnosed with a long-term disability, you are also entitled to just compensation for any loss of enjoyment of life you experience as a result of adjusting to life with your disability.

All of these financial and non-financial costs are unique to you. To find out how much you may be entitled to recover for your long-term disability, you should discuss your case with an experienced personal injury lawyer promptly.

Discuss Your Legal Rights with an Experienced Pennsylvania Personal Injury Lawyer for Free

Have you been diagnosed with a long-term disability after a serious accident in Pennsylvania? If so, we can help, and we strongly encourage you to contact us to learn more. For a free, no-obligation consultation with an experienced personal injury lawyer in Allentown, Bethlehem, Doylestown, Easton or Stroudsburg, please call 888-777-7098 or tell us how we can reach you online today.