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Physical therapy can drive up car crash expenses quickly

On Behalf of | Apr 7, 2023 | Car Accidents

The expenses resulting from a car crash vary from case to case. A broken bone generally costs less to treat than a brain injury, for example, and the treatment required for whiplash is vastly different than the care necessitated by a spinal cord injury.

However, there are certain expenses that are commonly part of car crash injury claims. Many people have to pay for ambulance transportation to the hospital before they receive care, and quite a few people injured in car crashes also have to attend physical therapy after their initial treatment. Those physical therapy sessions can potentially add up to drastically increase the overall cost of medical care after a crash.

Every physical therapy session is a bit different

The cost will be a bit higher at a standalone office than it will be to see a specialist while already receiving inpatient care at a hospital in many cases. The treatments administered will also influence how much therapy sessions costs. Special services that involve medication or equipment, like iontophoresis or ultrasound treatments, may increase the total cost of a session.

Often, patients recovering from debilitating injuries will need to attend physical therapy multiple times a week over the course of six to eight weeks, sometimes even longer than that. The total price tag could add up to $10,000 or possibly even more when someone has serious lingering symptoms after their injury.

Although people sometimes plan to use their health insurance for major costs, like physical therapy, they would have to pay a deductible and likely a co-pay at every visit, which would quickly add up to hundreds of dollars.

Future care costs influence claims

Those who are negotiating an insurance claim or considering a civil lawsuit after a car crash should think about their future care expenses, not just their current bills. A patient who talks to a doctor about the likely physical therapy regimen required during recovery will better understand how much that aspect of their recovery will cost. Having a realistic understanding of the expenses generated by a car wreck will help the affected parties to better secure full compensation for their losses with the assistance of a legal professional.