Injuries and disabilities are unfortunately common, and they can both develop from a wide range of circumstances. This includes car accidents, workplace injuries and more. While both injuries and disabilities can affect your life in tremendous ways, they are also both rather different in significant ways. With a closer look at the differences between injuries and disabilities, you can better determine how to manage your situation.
The Length of Time
One of the key differences between an injury and a disability is the length of time that you are affected by the event. An injury may be minor, and you may recover within a couple of weeks or less. A permanent disability, on the other hand will impact you for the rest of your life. For example, it may affect your physical abilities or mental cognition. There is also some gray area between a serious injury and a temporary disability. A serious injury generally describes the extent of the damage to your body. For example, you may have multiple broken bones that require months to heal and extensive physical therapy efforts. However, you may be recovered within a few months. A temporary disability may take a year or longer to recover from, but it does not have lifelong implications.
The Impact on Your Finances
As you might imagine both injuries and disabilities can result in expensive medical bills as well as lost wages. With a typical injury, you may need hospitalization, therapy, medication and even surgery. You may also need to take a few weeks off of work to recover. A disability, on the other hand, may require you to stop working entirely. You could potentially find another job that is better-suited for your abilities, but it may not pay enough to support your previous lifestyle. Some disabilities require lifelong medical attention or even in-home care. As you can see, the financial implications of a disability can be much more significant and may cause your entire life to change drastically.
When an injury or disability is caused by intentional actions or negligent actions of another party, you could potentially obtain compensation in different ways. Workplace injuries may be paid for by workers’ compensation insurance. Disabilities may be compensated by a disability insurance claim or by filing for disability compensation through the Social Security Administration. Remember that you can also seek legal advice and representation from a personal injury or disability attorney group like Parmele Law Firm, PC if you want to explore legal options for obtaining compensation for the event.
This article is from Brooke Chaplan, a freelance writer, and blogger. She lives and works out of her home in Los Lunas, New Mexico. She loves the outdoors and spends most her time hiking, biking and gardening. For more information contact Brooke via Twitter @BrookeChaplan.
