Spinal Cord Injuries
Austin Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer
Spinal cord injuries, often caused by motor vehicle accidents, can lead to lifelong disability — not just loss of mobility, but disruption of the signals that travel between the brain and the rest of the body. If you’ve sustained a spinal cord injury because of someone else’s negligence, partnering with an experienced attorney is critical to securing the compensation you’ll need, both now and for the rest of your life.
How Spinal Cord Injuries Affect Your Life
Spinal cord injuries range from paraplegia (partial paralysis) to quadriplegia (full paralysis), and the effects depend heavily on where along the spine the damage occurs. Damage to the cervical region often causes quadriplegia — paralysis of the arms, legs, and torso, requiring extensive daily assistance. Injuries to the thoracic or lumbar regions typically cause paraplegia, affecting the lower body, with many people retaining some independence but still needing help with mobility and personal care.
Beyond the physical limitations, spinal injuries frequently bring respiratory issues, bladder dysfunction, and psychological challenges like depression and anxiety. Ongoing medical care, lifestyle adjustments, and costly treatments like nerve stimulation or bone fusion are common — the long-term impact goes far beyond the initial hospital stay.
The Real Cost of a Spinal Cord Injury
According to the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center’s Facts and Figures report, the average acute-care hospital stay after a spinal cord injury is 19 days, followed by an average 37-day stay in inpatient rehabilitation. First-year expenses vary enormously by severity — from roughly $460,000 for a motor-functional injury up to $1.41 million for high tetraplegia (paralysis affecting the arms, legs, and torso from a cervical-level injury). Lifetime costs vary just as much by age at injury: someone injured at 50 can expect $1.5 million to $3.4 million in lifetime costs depending on severity, while someone injured at 25 — who will simply live with the condition far longer — can expect $2.1 million to over $6.2 million. Roughly two-thirds of spinal cord injuries are classified as “incomplete,” meaning some sensory or motor function is retained below the level of injury, which generally carries a better prognosis for recovery than a complete injury.
These numbers are exactly why a fair settlement has to account for the future, not just today’s medical bills. Life care planners are often brought in specifically to calculate the long-term cost of care and future lost wages, and we work with medical professionals and specialists throughout your case to make sure nothing gets left out.
Settlement vs. Trial
A settlement is quicker, less stressful, and avoids court entirely — and it can still cover your medical costs, lost wages, and future needs. A trial takes longer, costs more, and carries real uncertainty, but it can also lead to a higher recovery when a fair settlement isn’t on the table. We’ll help you understand which path makes sense for your specific case rather than pushing you toward whichever is faster for us.
Building Your Case
We build your case by gathering police reports, medical records, photos, and witness statements, and we bring in experts — doctors and accident reconstruction specialists — to analyze what happened and identify every responsible party. Strong documentation matters here more than almost anywhere else: medical records, specialist evaluations, and a life care plan for future needs, along with pay stubs and tax records to establish lost wages, and journals or witness statements showing the real daily impact of the injury.
In Texas, you generally have two years from the date of injury to file a lawsuit — and if a government entity is involved, that deadline can be much shorter. Speak with a lawyer early to protect your right to compensation.
Why The Traub Law Office?
We’ve represented clients with spinal cord injuries from motor vehicle accidents to workplace incidents, and we understand what you need both right now and years from now. If you or a loved one has suffered a spinal cord injury in Austin, call the Traub Law Office at (512) 246-9191 or fill in the form — the sooner you call, the sooner we can start helping.