You Only Get One Shot: The Long-Term Costs of Serious Injuries Insurance Companies Don’t Want to Pay

When most people think about a car crash, they think about the immediate chaos — broken bones, totaled vehicles, ambulances, hospital stays. And once the dust settles, they expect to put the accident behind them.

But here’s the truth: not every injury heals. Not every story has a clean ending. And when it comes to serious injuries, the long-term impact can follow you for life — physically, emotionally, and financially.

This is something I see all the time as a personal injury attorney here in Florida. And it’s a lesson actor and comedian Adam Devine knows well.

A Childhood Accident That Still Hurts Today

Adam Devine may be known for making people laugh on shows like Workaholics or in films like Pitch Perfect, but his real-life story starts with a terrifying accident. When he was just 11 years old, Devine was hit by a 42-ton cement truck while crossing the street. The accident left him with both legs shattered, internal injuries, and a long, painful recovery.

Doctors weren’t sure he’d walk again. Some even feared he might lose his legs. He ended up needing multiple surgeries and spent two years in physical rehab.

Fast-forward to today: Adam made a full recovery by most people’s standards. He’s walking, working, and thriving. But beneath the surface, he still lives with the damage from that one moment. His leg remains visibly different. The strength isn’t the same. And he’s been told he might face more surgeries in the future.

That’s the part insurance companies tend to ignore.

The Real Cost of a Serious Injury

When an insurance company offers you a settlement after an accident, they usually look at what’s immediately in front of them:

• What did the ambulance cost?
• How long were you in the hospital?
• Did you miss a few weeks of work?
• Are you doing physical therapy?

What they rarely take into account are the things that don’t show up on the first X-ray:

• Lingering nerve pain
• Future joint problems
• Permanent weakness or limited mobility
• Need for future surgeries or medical equipment
• Emotional trauma or mental health struggles
• Loss of earning potential down the road

For someone like Adam Devine, who went on to work in a physically demanding career, those limitations could have changed the entire trajectory of his life. For many of my clients, they do.

That’s why I always remind people: you only get one chance to settle your injury case. Once you accept that check, the door closes. You don’t get to come back a year later and ask for more because your injury flared up or you needed another surgery. It’s final.

So it better reflect the whole picture.

Future Damages: What Are They and Why Do They Matter?

When we talk about future damages in a personal injury case, we’re referring to all the losses you’ll experience after the case is over — and potentially for the rest of your life.

That includes:

• Medical expenses that haven’t happened yet (surgeries, injections, rehab)
• Ongoing care (like physical therapy or at-home assistance)
• Lost income if your injury prevents you from returning to your job, or limits what kind of work you can do
• Pain and suffering that isn’t temporary but becomes a permanent part of your daily life
• Diminished quality of life, which can affect everything from relationships to hobbies to independence

Insurance companies often try to downplay these future costs, or pretend they don’t exist. They’ll say things like, “You seem to be healing fine” or “You should be back to work soon.” But that’s because they’re not thinking about what life will look like for you in five, ten, or twenty years. We are.

How We Prove Long-Term Impact

Getting full and fair compensation means showing more than what happened — it means showing how it’s going to affect you long term. That’s where we come in.

When we take on a case involving a serious injury, we don’t stop at just collecting hospital bills and doctor’s notes. We build a roadmap of what your future is likely to hold, based on expert input and real-world costs.

• Medical experts explain what your injury means long-term — will you need a knee replacement? Will that spinal surgery last, or will another one be needed?
• Life-care planners put together detailed projections of your future care — what will it cost to maintain your health, comfort, and mobility?
• Vocational experts can explain how your injury affects your ability to work, now and in the future.
• Economists calculate how much income you may lose over your lifetime — especially if you can’t go back to the career you had.

We also make sure your story is front and center. We want the adjuster — or the jury — to understand what it’s like to wake up every morning in pain. To know you can’t pick up your kids the way you used to. To have to turn down a job opportunity because your body won’t keep up anymore.

That’s not a spreadsheet. That’s real life. And you deserve to be compensated for it.

Don’t Let an Insurance Company Decide Your Future

One of the biggest mistakes we see is people accepting lowball offers because they want to “move on.” That’s understandable. Nobody wants to deal with paperwork, phone calls, and court dates when they’re already dealing with pain.

But a fast settlement isn’t always a fair settlement — and in many cases, it’s not even close.

Insurance companies know this. In fact, they rely on it. They know you’re vulnerable, overwhelmed, and looking for peace. That’s why they move fast, before the full scope of your injuries is clear. Once you cash that check, they’re off the hook. You’re the one left holding the bag if something flares up later.

This is why you need a strong advocate who will slow the process down and make sure every aspect of your future is considered — not just your present pain. Because the truth is, you don’t bounce back from every accident. And you shouldn’t have to carry the weight of someone else’s mistake for the rest of your life.

If you’ve been injured in an accident, call Jaime “Mr. 786Abogado” Suarez today to Get You Paid!