Spinal Cord Injuries

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of spinal cord injury in the United States, according to the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center. A spinal cord injury damages the nerve tissue inside the spinal canal, interrupting signals between the brain and the body below the level of injury. The consequences—paralysis, loss of sensation, loss of bladder, bowel and sexual function, breathing difficulties in high cervical injuries—are permanent in most cases, and the lifetime costs are measured in millions of dollars.

Types and levels of injury

• Tetraplegia (quadriplegia): injury in the cervical spine (C1–C8) affecting arms, trunk, legs and pelvic organs. High cervical injuries (C1–C4) may require ventilator support.
• Paraplegia: injury in the thoracic, lumbar or sacral spine affecting the trunk, legs and pelvic organs while sparing the arms.
• Complete injury: no motor or sensory function below the level of injury.
• Incomplete injury: some function preserved; the degree varies widely and may improve with rehabilitation. Central cord syndrome, common in older adults with cervical spondylosis after hyperextension injuries such as rear-end crashes, disproportionately affects the arms.

The American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) Impairment Scale (A–E) is the standard classification and appears throughout medical and legal records.

Acute care and rehabilitation in California

Suspected spinal cord injuries are immobilized at the scene and transported to trauma centers, where imaging, stabilization and, often, decompression surgery follow. Rehabilitation at a specialized center is where long-term function is determined. The region has nationally recognized programs, including Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center in Downey, Casa Colina in Pomona, Sharp Rehabilitation in San Diego and Cedars-Sinai and UCLA programs. Rehabilitation records, the ASIA classification over time and the discharge care plan are foundational to a claim.

Lifetime costs

The National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center publishes estimated lifetime costs by injury level and age at injury. For a 25-year-old, estimates range from roughly $1.7 million for incomplete motor function at any level to more than $5 million for high tetraplegia, in recent-year dollars and excluding lost wages. Costs include attendant care, wheelchairs and equipment replacement, home and vehicle modification, medications, supplies, and treatment of secondary complications such as pressure injuries, urinary infections and respiratory illness.

What a spinal cord injury claim requires

• A life-care plan prepared by a qualified planner, itemizing future medical, attendant care, equipment and housing needs over the person’s life expectancy.
• An economist to present value those costs and lost earning capacity.
• Treating physicians and rehabilitation specialists to establish prognosis.
• Identification of every source of recovery: the at-fault driver’s policy and umbrella, underinsured motorist coverage, employer liability if the driver was working, commercial and trucking policies, public entity liability for dangerous roads, and product liability where a seat belt, airbag or roof failed.
• Consideration of Medi-Cal, Medicare and special needs trusts so that a settlement does not eliminate eligibility for public benefits the person will need.

Collisions that cause spinal cord injury

Rollovers, head-on collisions, T-bone crashes, motorcycle and pedestrian collisions and truck crashes are the most common mechanisms. See also San Diego spinal cord injury claims.

Local guides

City-specific pages for spinal cord injuries in California.

Common questions

The other driver has a $100,000 policy. Is that all we can recover?

Not necessarily. Underinsured motorist coverage on your own or a household policy, the driver’s umbrella policy, an employer if the driver was working, and other responsible parties may add to the recovery. A thorough search for coverage is essential in catastrophic cases.

Will a settlement affect Medi-Cal or SSI eligibility?

It can. A special needs trust or similar arrangement is typically used to preserve eligibility for means-tested benefits. Medi-Cal and Medicare also have reimbursement rights that must be resolved from the settlement.

How long does a spinal cord injury claim take?

Longer than most, because prognosis must stabilize before future needs can be estimated, and because the amounts involved lead insurers to contest liability and damages. Two years or more is not unusual when litigation is required.

Sources and official resources

• California DHCS — Personal Injury (Medi-Cal recovery)
• Medicare Secondary Payer recovery (liens on settlements)
• National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center — facts and figures

Links go to official government, court and public-health sources. Laws change; verify current text before relying on it.