Injuries that permanently impair motor/sensory function or autonomic control, require major surgery or long‑term assistive care, and significantly limit independence (e.g., injuries resulting in quadriplegia or paraplegia).

A complete SCI eliminates motor and sensory function below the level of injury; an incomplete SCI preserves some function. The classification informs rehabilitation options and damages analysis.

Often, yes. Spinal injuries can be delayed, evolve with swelling/bleeding, or be missed initially. If negligence caused the incident and medical proof links your deterioration, you may have a viable claim.

By linking liability to lifelong needs—surgeries and follow‑up care, medications and supplies, inpatient/outpatient rehab, attendant care, mobility devices and technology, home/vehicle modifications, lost earnings/benefits, and non‑economic harms. Every case is fact‑specific.

Pre‑existing conditions do not invalidate a claim. The question is whether negligent conduct aggravated or accelerated your condition. We use comparative imaging and expert analysis to establish causation and incremental harm.

We look for all coverage sources: multiple defendants, commercial policies, employer liability, product liability, and your own UM/UIM and med‑pay benefits. We also address hospital and insurer liens early to protect your net recovery.

A spinal cord injury is damage to the spinal cord that often results in a loss of function, mobility, or even paralysis. Damage to the vertebra (the bones protecting the spinal cord) can occur without there being a spinal cord injury. The outcome of any injury to the spinal cord depends upon the level at which the injury occurs in the neck or back, and the amount of axons (nerve fiber that protects a nerve cell) and cells that survive in the injured region. The more axons and cells that survive in the injured region, the greater the amount of function recovery.

A sudden blow to the spine can fracture or dislocate a vertebrae in a manner that can displace bone fragments, disc material, or ligaments, and bruise or tear spinal cord tissue.

People who survive a spinal cord injury often have medical complications resulting in bladder, bowel, and sexual dysfunction. They may also develop chronic pain, autonomic dysfunction, and spasticity (increased tone in and contractions of muscles of the arms and legs). Higher levels of injury (in the upper back and neck) may have an increased susceptibility to respiratory and heart problems. Here are a few common symptoms seen in spinal cord injuries:

• Spasticity and muscle tone
• Autonomic dysreflexia
• Bladder and bowel problems
• Breathing
• Circulatory problems
• Depression
• Neurogenic pain
• Pneumonia
• Pressure sores/ulcers
• Sexual function

• Neuroprotection – protecting surviving nerve cells from further damage
• Regeneration – stimulating the regrowth of axons and targeting their connections appropriately
• Cell replacement – replacing damaged nerve cells
• Retraining central nervous system circuits to restore body functions

The average lifetime cost of treating a spinal cord injury is more than $1 million in health care costs and living expenses. The first year of treatment alone can range from $300,000 to $1 million depending on the severity of the injury. Each subsequent year of treatment ranges in cost from $40,000 to $200,000. These figures do not include indirect costs, such as lost wages, that average approximately $70,000 per year.