Though many modern vehicles have dozens of safety features, car accidents regularly cause serious injuries to both drivers and passengers. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that approximately 3 million Americans suffer nonfatal injuries in car crashes every year.
Following a major car accident, you may expect medical bills to arrive in your mailbox. These often include the costs of ambulance services, hospital stays, diagnostic testing, medication and surgery. Unfortunately, the bills do not always stop there. You may have to pay some unexpected expenses after a car crash. Here are four common ones.
- Occupational rehabilitation
If you suffer a serious injury in a car accident, you probably recognize the need for physical therapy. In particular, if you plan to return to work, you may need extensive occupational rehabilitation. Alternatively, if your injury prevents you from performing your existing job duties, you may need to pay to learn new skills.
- Home care
You must eventually leave the hospital. If you cannot care for yourself in your home, you may need to bring in outside help. While home care aides can assist with virtually anything, their services are usually not cheap.
- Medical devices
You may need crutches, a walker or a wheelchair after your accident. While you may save some cash by renting these medical devices, you may need to purchase them for long-term usage. If your injury requires amputation, you may have to pay thousands of dollars for a prosthetic limb.
- Home retrofits
While your home may meet your needs when you are healthy, it may be grossly inadequate after a serious injury. Therefore, you may have to pay to install a ramp, grab bars, new flooring or other home retrofits.
Because every car accident unfolds differently, it can be difficult to budget for the aftermath of a collision. Nevertheless, to pursue reasonable compensation from whoever caused the accident, you should try to account for both expected and unexpected expenses.
