Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer Serving Tempe, Arizona

Levels of Spinal Cord Injury After a Car Accident

Doctors describe a spinal cord injury by where it sits on the spine. Cervical injuries, in the neck, are the most severe. Damage there can affect the arms, legs, torso, and even breathing, and many cervical injuries result in quadriplegia.

Thoracic injuries strike the mid-back. They usually spare the arms but can paralyze the legs and weaken the trunk muscles that control balance. Lumbar injuries sit in the lower back and often affect the hips and legs while leaving some movement intact.

Doctors also grade each injury as complete or incomplete. A complete injury cuts off all sensation and movement below the damage. An incomplete injury leaves some function, and the long-term outcome can stay uncertain for months.

High-energy crashes cause most of these injuries. Rollover accidents and freeway collisions on I-10, US-60, and Loop 101 produce many of the spinal cord cases in the Tempe area. Motorcycle and commercial truck crashes account for much of the rest.

The Lifetime Cost of a Spinal Cord Injury

The first hospital bill is only the beginning. Most spinal cord injury victims need emergency surgery, weeks of inpatient rehabilitation, and years of outpatient therapy. Wheelchairs, transfer equipment, and pressure-relief gear wear out and must be replaced for life.

Then come the costs that never appear on a hospital invoice. Homes need ramps, widened doorways, and accessible bathrooms. Vehicles need hand controls or lifts. Many victims lose part or all of their earning capacity across a full working life.

Secondary complications add more treatment on top. Pressure sores, infections, and chronic pain send many spinal cord patients back to the hospital repeatedly.

The injury reaches the whole household. A spouse may cut work hours to provide care, and children adjust to a parent who cannot drive or lift. A claim can account for these losses, not just the invoices.

A settlement has to fund all of it, because a claim cannot be reopened after you sign a release. Attorneys who handle these cases project lifetime needs before settlement talks ever start.

Proving a Spinal Cord Injury Claim

Insurers do not pay lifetime damages on a diagnosis alone. The claim needs objective proof. MRI and CT imaging document the injury level and severity. A spine surgeon or physiatrist connects the damage to the crash and rates the permanent impairment.

A life-care planner then converts the medical record into a lifetime needs projection, covering future surgeries, therapy schedules, attendant care, and equipment replacement. An economist prices the lost earning capacity. Together they support a demand that reflects the full injury.

Document everything from day one. Keep discharge papers, therapy notes, mileage to appointments, and a symptom journal. Small records fill gaps that insurers otherwise use to question the claim.

Timing matters as much as proof. Arizona gives you two years from the crash date to file a lawsuit under A.R.S. § 12-542. A catastrophic injury case takes months to build, so early attorney involvement protects both the deadline and the evidence.

Arizona Puts No Cap on Spinal Cord Injury Damages

Some states limit what a jury can award an injury victim. Arizona does not. The Arizona Constitution prohibits laws that cap compensatory damages in injury cases (Ariz. Const. art. 2, § 31).

For a spinal cord injury victim, that protection matters. Your recovery can reflect the full scale of medical costs, lost income, and the daily reality of living with the injury. No statute trims the number down.

Comparative fault still applies. Under A.R.S. § 12-2505, your recovery is reduced by your percentage of fault but never barred. A victim who shares some blame can still recover the remainder, which is significant when the damages are this large.

Why a Spinal Cord Injury Case Demands an Attorney

The gap between an early insurance offer and the lifetime value of a spinal cord claim can be enormous. Adjusters often make offers before the prognosis is clear. Once you accept, the claim closes for good.

Representation also changes how the insurer values the file. Adjusters track which claimants can credibly take a case to trial. A represented catastrophic claim gets reserved and negotiated differently from the start.

An attorney can identify every source of coverage, including the at-fault driver's policy, umbrella policies, and your own underinsured motorist coverage. A minimum Arizona policy carries only $25,000 per person in bodily injury coverage (A.R.S. § 28-4009), which rarely touches a spinal cord case.

Some spinal injuries progress to partial or complete paralysis, which adds attendant care and home modification claims. Others start with symptoms that appear days after the crash. A lawyer builds the claim around where the injury is heading, not just where it stands today.

To see how valuation works step by step, read our Tempe car accident settlement guide and our guide to back and neck injury settlement value in Arizona. Then call for a free case review.

Frequently Asked Questions