At the end of an exceptional series of articles in the Houston Chronicle on our area’s dangerous roads, there is a piece on the rising costs of car accidents. The last article tells the story of young man named David Jacob Anzaldua while slipping in details about the staggering cumulative costs of car accidents.
Million Dollar Man
The article focuses on David Jacob (D.J.) Anzaldua. The 19-year-old has racked up over $1 million in medical expenses since falling asleep at the wheel and crashing his truck just a few months before the article was written.
A couple of helicopter rides to various hospitals cost $135,000. His caretakers bought a $41,000 van to take him home and transport him to various appointments. A couple of infections sent him back to the hospital, and that cost $24,722. Each week his caretakers pay private nurses between $450 and $600 to look after him when they are unable to do so, or need help with specific tasks. The costs keep adding up.
D.J. is not the only person in this situation. “Factoring all economic losses — deaths, years of recovery and treatment from serious injuries, insurance, property damage and police time — the National Center for Statistics and Analysis set the annual national cost of roadway crashes at $242 billion, or 1.6 percent of the nation’s 2015 GDP.”
As a firm that works almost exclusively on personal injury cases we have grown numb to these numbers. No matter the amount, we know that is what our clients need to recover, to heal, to keep living their lives.
Whatever It Takes
These numbers are why we do whatever it takes to get our clients the compensation they deserve. It is a task that is getting more and more challenging. As the article in the Chronicle notes, there has been an 86% increase in the cost of crashes since 2007.
It is our job to ensure that the insurance companies and the justice system recognize the rising cost of healthcare and provide adequate compensation. The money you may be eligible for after an accident is supposed to compensate you for your injuries and put you in the position you would have been in if the accident had never occurred. As healthcare costs increase, compensation must keep pace.
If you have been injured in an accident, and you are worried about paying all of your medical bills, you need to talk to an experienced personal injury attorney. An attorney can help you gather the evidence you need to show your actual costs, and negotiate on your behalf with your insurance company or advocate on your behalf in the courtroom.
Having someone fighting for you, who you can lean on when the torrent of paperwork and bureaucratic hoops get to be too much is what you need so you can focus on healing.