January 10, 2023

Home Modifications After a Life-Changing Injury

By Jonathan Damashek

Posted in Personal Injury

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Despite suffering a debilitating injury, you may hope to continue your life as usual as possible. However, when your injuries are severe, you may require home modifications.

These modifications allow you to adapt your home to your medical condition and make it a more comfortable environment. You might require minor or significant changes depending on your circumstances.

Here are some common home modifications that could help you rebuild your life.

What Injuries Require You to Modify Your Home?

Virtually any injury that has significantly impacted your life could require home modifications if your home is not equipped to handle your injuries. Injuries that may require home modifications include:

Types of Home Modifications

There are a variety of home modifications you might require depending on your condition, including:

Temporary Modifications

In some personal injury claims, injuries could ultimately resolve and may not require the use of temporary home modifications. You may have to rent specific types of medical equipment while you recuperate from your injuries.

Some examples of temporary home modifications could include:

  • Shower seats
  • Wheelchair ramps
  • Specialized toilet seats or handholds
  • Hand holes for the bathtub

Widening Doorways and Hallways

When your injuries require using a wheelchair, it may become necessary to widen the hallways and doorways of your home. This is partly because many wheelchairs have a wider turning radius, making it difficult or impossible for them to navigate sharp turns or homes with multiple doorways.

Kitchen Modifications

Preparing and cooking your own meals helps you regain independence following an injury. Making accommodations to your kitchen could be necessary if you are currently in a wheelchair.

You might need to make the microwaves, counter space, freezer, and sink more accessible by dropping the kitchen space down to a more manageable level.

Bathroom Modifications

Many bathrooms are narrow and not wide enough to accommodate wheelchairs. You should also consider the fall risk in bathtubs and the danger that it poses to recovering individuals.

Common bathroom modifications include:

  • Raised toilet seats
  • Handrails or grab bars
  • Other assistive devices
  • A separate thermostat for the shower

Do You Need to Have a Home Evaluated After a Life-Changing Injury?

Before you move forward with a modification to your home for your life-changing injury, you should have it evaluated. This helps identify potential safety concerns and hazards and provides an opportunity to obtain evidence that could be used to prove the value of your personal injury claim with the insurance company or at trial.

How Much Do Home Modifications Cost?

Home modifications vary in cost widely, depending on the type of modifications you need and the amount that is covered under insurance or Medicare. Home modifications could cost thousands of dollars or more.

Could These Costs Factor into a Settlement?

Even though home modifications could get pricey, you could seek compensation for the costs of your home modifications when you pursue your personal injury claim against the liable party.

Here, you have the greatest opportunity to recover all your damages, medical expenses, home accommodations, and every single loss.

Get Help From a New York Personal Injury Attorney Today

When your injuries are so severe your home requires modification to accommodate them, you should not be stuck covering the costs. Get help making reliable party pay.

Reach out to a dedicated New York personal injury lawyer at Hecht, Kleeger & Damashek, P.C. for a no-cost, risk-free consultation today. You can reach us through our quick contact form or by (212) 490-5700 to claim yours.