If you’ve sustained a catastrophic injury, such as a spinal cord or traumatic head injury, you may need additional, long-term care once you’re medically stable and released from the hospital. The costs for this can be devastating and unless you have disability coverage and strong medical insurance, you may be left paying a significant portion yourself—unless you can make a claim.
Whether you’ve been injured in a store, in the workplace, or in a sport, it can be useful to talk to a Hollywood injury attorney to find out whether you may have a claim. Seeking compensation can make a big difference in your financial future and your ability to get quality care. After your injury, find out more about your rights to compensation by contacting Flaxman Law Group. Our boutique law firm is happy to provide a free consultation with a Hollywood injury attorney if you’ve been injured.
What Kind of Care Do I Need After a Catastrophic Injury?
Chances are, you will spend some time recovering in a hospital at first. Once you’re ready to be medically discharged, your doctor will likely explain what kinds of care you will need after the hospital. Depending on your situation, you may need:
- Ongoing outpatient care. This will involve visiting doctors, specialists, therapists, or other professionals who can help with rehabilitation, therapy, and ongoing treatment. In addition to the costs of the treatment, you may need to pay for transportation to these appointments and time away from work, too.
- 24-hour nursing care. In some cases, you may need a nurse to care for you at your home, around the clock. This will generally involve nurses working in shifts to provide continuing support with medication and pain management as well as other medical needs. This can be an expensive option, sometimes requiring payments of tens of thousands of dollars a month.
- Personal at-home support. Depending on your injuries, you may not need medical care at home, but you may need a personal support worker coming in a few times a week to help with personal tasks, such as cleaning, grooming, and other supports.
- Support at an assisted living facility. In the case of a serious injury that leaves you unable to care for yourself and leaves you with ongoing, serious, medical needs you may need to live in an assisted living facility, where there are professionals who can help you 24/7. In some cases, you may live in this facility for a while, until you recover further and can care for yourself, potentially with some in-home support. In severe injury cases, you may need to live in an assisted living facility for the rest of your life to get the care you need.
How to Pay for Care
Whether you need wound and burn care, amputation care, care for a serious brain or spinal cord injury, or support for another life-changing injury, the costs can be significant. A serious head injury or spinal cord injury, for example, can mean care and support costs of millions of dollars.
Even with excellent insurance, it’s not uncommon for patients to find that their insurance company balks at the costs. Insurance companies may try to deny a claim or try to cover a less-expensive care option, even if that option doesn’t leave the patient with the best care.
The good news is that you may have a few options. You may be able to work with a Hollywood personal injury attorney to negotiate with your insurer. An attorney can review your policy and ensure that your insurance company acts in good faith.
Another option you may have is to file a claim. For example, if you slip and fall in a restaurant and you sustain a catastrophic head injury as a result, you may have a claim against the restaurant if they were negligent in keeping their premises clean or failed to maintain their floors.
This is just one example. If your injury was caused by someone’s negligence, you could have a claim and may be able to seek compensation for your lost wages, medical bills, long-term care, and other losses.
To find out whether you qualify, schedule a consultation with a Hollywood personal injury attorney at Flaxman Law Group. You can reach us at 866-352-9626 or contact us online. Our boutique, family-run law firm is here for those who have been injured in the Hollywood, Miami, Homestead, and surrounding areas.