The average injury-related hospital stay costs over $10,000 per day. This figure does not include follow-up care, physical therapy, and ancillary expenses, such as medical devices, transportation expenses like ambulance costs, and prescription drugs. When all these costs are added up, they could easily exceed $100,000. Many of these expenses are related to one of the five fall injuries listed below.
Most families cannot possibly afford to pay these bills out of their own pockets. So, they rely on a Marietta personal injury attorney to obtain necessary compensation in court. A lawyer also obtains compensation for emotional distress and other noneconomic losses. Injury victims shouldn’t have to suffer in silence. These damages normally prompt nursing home owners and other property owners to change the way they do business and make the personal safety of their guests a higher priority.
Traumatic Brain Injury
Most fall victims sustain TBIs before they hit the ground. The brain does not fit snugly inside the skull, like a head in a helmet. In fact, the human brain is not much bigger than two clenched fists. As a result, when victims fall, their brains slam against the insides of their skulls.
The resulting brain injuries are difficult to treat and normally permanent. Many TBI victims do not immediately get the help they need, mostly because doctors misdiagnose their injuries. Additionally, once brain cells die, they never regenerate.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
PTSD is not a random processing disorder. Instead, it is a specific kind of brain injury that creates a chemical imbalance in the brain. This imbalance leads to symptoms like hypervigilance, anger, and depression.
Very few PTSD medications have hit the market since the early 2000s. So, medication alone may not be enough to treat this brain injury effectively. These victims usually also require extensive and ongoing individual and group therapy.
Broken Bones
These injuries normally are not life-threatening. However, injury-related broken bones are much worse than accidental fall-related broken bones. Hard falls usually shatter bones instead of simply breaking them. As a result, doctors must use more aggressive means to set these bones, such as metal screws and plates. The more aggressive medical treatment requires longer and more expensive physical therapy.
Internal Bleeding
These injuries are difficult to detect. Since internal organs have no protective skin layer, the slightest abrasion usually causes gradual bleeding. The slow bleeding goes unchecked, so by the time fall victims reach hospitals, they are generally on the edge of hypovolemic shock.
Severe Lacerations
Much like broken bones, these injuries are not normally life-threatening, but they usually are permanent. Most lacerations leave permanent scars. These scars often make it difficult for these victims to function in social situations. Furthermore, the scars are a permanent reminder of the fall, which causes lasting emotional injuries.