Physical Injuries
Physical
injuries in accidents tend to be complex - medical experts refer to two
types of collision that a victim suffers. The first is a collision
between the victim and the external environment (e.g. a driver's head
hitting the door window). The second type of collision occurs inside
a person's body as their internal organs move about due to the sudden
increases in forces being placed upon the body. Due to the nature of
their injuries victims often require lengthy recovery times.
As a result of the complex nature of injuries sustained in road traffic accidents there is a considerable drain on the National Health Service. For a victim in a high-speed serious road traffic accident your local hospital can expect to spend about £100,000.
How this large sum of
money is arrived at is outlined in the table below (Department of Health
Reference Costs, 2001):
|
Accident
and Emergency *In
Patient Care *Theatre Procedures *Treatment
*Resources |
£76,000 |
|
Intensive
Care Unit *Treatment
*Resources |
£16,000 |
|
Out-Patient
Care *X-rays
and scans *Neurosurgery *Treatment
*Occupational Therapy *Physiotherapy |
£8,000 |
The
next table shows how this money could have been spent elsewhere in
hospital:
|
Lung
Transplant |
£20,000 |
|
Heart
Transplant |
£16,500 |
|
5
x Primary Hip Replacement |
£20,800 |
|
24
normal baby deliveries |
£18,000 |
|
50
days funding for special care baby unit |
£15,150 |
|
11
varicose vein procedures |
£9,250 |
|
Total |
£100,000 |