Despite advances in modern medicine and imaging technology, a lot about how the brain functions remain a mystery. Each person has unique neurology that can make treating traumatic brain injury TBIs particularly complicated.
Those living with a TBI may need medication, surgery, physical therapy, or even life support. The costs involved with providing care for someone with a brain injury can easily exceed insurance coverage after a car crash in Nevada.
With possibly as little as $25,000 worth of medical coverage, the average motor vehicle policy can leave your family with uncovered losses, especially if you take a settlement below the maximum coverage amount. Understanding how much a TBI can cost can help you better negotiate with the insurance company.
How much does a brain injury cost?
Every brain injury is inherently unique, as each person’s brain is different. The cause of the brain injury, the location of the damage to the brain, and even how quickly someone gets treatments can affect how serious the condition is and what symptoms they exhibit. The costs associated with the TBI are often a combination of medical expenses, increase living expenses, and lost wages.
Depending on the age of the victim, the severity of their injury, and their earning potential, a brain injury could cost the family anywhere from $85,000 to $3 million. Medical expenses lost earnings and even the loss of a second income if a family member must serve as a caregiver could all push a family’s losses into the seven-figure range.
What happens when a settlement offer is too low?
The sad truth is that you won’t be able to get more insurance coverage than the amount of liability protection the other driver carried prior to the crash. Those hurt by a commercial driver will likely have access to more medical coverage than those hurt by someone in a standard passenger vehicle.
If the settlement offer is already at the maximum coverage amount for the policy, your only option may be to pursue civil action against the driver involved. If the settlement offer is below the maximum medical benefits available, showing the costs your family has incurred and will likely incur in the future through documentation can help you counter their claim to request a more reasonable settlement amount for a brain injury.