Usually, the person who gets injured in a car crash or at a dangerous property is the one who suffers all of the consequences. They have a physical injury to cope with and medical bills to cover. They are the ones who miss work and who have to handle insurance claims.
However, the situation is quite different when children get hurt. Whether they get attacked by a dog in a park or suffer broken bones in a car crash, children’s injuries will affect not only their health and their quality of life but also their entire family. Injuries to children can often cost a lot more than similar injuries suffered by adults.
Why is the impact of an injury to a child more serious than injuries to adults?
Children require more support to recover
An adult coping with a serious injury will find ways to continue their independent lifestyle. They will use assistive technology, bring in paid professionals and otherwise find ways to work around the consequences of their injury.
When a child gets seriously hurt, the whole family may need to accommodate them. One parent may need to take time off of work to oversee their treatment at the hospital or take care of the child while they are recovering at home. In extreme cases with permanent injuries, a parent may need to leave the workforce permanently to provide adequate care for the injured child. The whole family will suffer the economic shock of having a parent need to take a leave of absence from work or quit their job.
Medical care for kids can cost more
The same injuries suffered by an adult and a child can cause vastly different medical expenses. The care professionals who treat children often charge more for their expertise, and children may require more extensive interventions for the same injuries.
A broken bone in an adult may just require setting, while a broken bone in a child may require frequent medical visits to ensure the growth plate didn’t suffer damage. Children who require surgery may have to have revision procedures as they continue growing to prevent disfiguring scars or lasting limitations on physical functions. Overall, this means their injuries can cost much more to treat.
Understanding how expensive injuries to children can be can help your family file an insurance claim or evaluate the usefulness of a personal injury lawsuit.