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Paralysis & Spinal Trauma
Has A Spinal Cord Injury Changed Your Mobility, Independence, or Daily Life?
This Is One of the Most Serious Injuries a Human Being Can Sustain. Your Legal Fight Should Reflect That.
A spinal cord injury does not just change the day it happens. It changes every morning that follows. The way you get out of bed or even the ability to do so. The way you move through your home. The way you work, care for your yourself, your family, and imagine what the next decade looks like.
It changes everything.
And the legal case that follows — the fight to secure full accountability for what a spinal cord injury actually costs over a lifetime — requires an attorney who understands both the medical reality of what happened to your body and the full economic, emotional, and vocational dimensions of what it took from your future.
At Cohn & Swartzon LLP we have represented spinal cord injury victims and their families across California for more than 90 combined years. We know how insurance companies approach these cases. We know how they argue that spinal issues are pre-existing or degenerative. And we know exactly how to dismantle those arguments with evidence, experts, and a case built around the complete truth of what this injury cost you.
What You Can Expect When You Work With Cohn & Swartzon LLP
From the moment you call us, you speak directly with an attorney. Not a case manager. Not an intake coordinator. An attorney who will listen to what happened, evaluate your situation honestly, and tell you exactly where things stand.
A full evaluation of your lifetime damages — not just your current bills.
Spinal cord injury cases are not about what you paid in medical expenses last month. They are about what this injury will cost over the rest of your life. Future surgeries. Lifetime rehabilitation. Attendant care needs. Adaptive equipment and vehicle modifications. Home modifications. Vocational retraining if your ability to work has been affected or eliminated.
We take over all communication with insurance companies.
The insurance company representing the responsible party is not working for you. Their adjusters are specifically trained to challenge the severity and permanence of spinal injuries. From the moment we are retained, every communication goes through us. You stop dealing with them entirely.
We know how to fight the pre-existing condition argument.
Insurance companies routinely attempt to attribute spinal cord injuries to pre-existing degenerative conditions rather than the accident that caused them. We know this argument because some of our attorneys have built it on the defense side. We dismantle it with biomechanical experts, spine specialists, and the medical imaging documentation that shows exactly what the accident did.
We bring in the expert team your case requires.
Life care planners who calculate the full future cost of spinal injury management. Vocational experts who assess the economic impact on your earning capacity. Neurologists and spine specialists who explain the injury and its permanent consequences in terms that neither an insurer nor a jury can dismiss. The expert team is built at the beginning — not assembled at the end.
Help navigating medical treatment when you do not have health insurance or your coverage is limited.
Not everyone has great health insurance. Some clients have none at all. We can help connect you with paths to obtain the medical treatment you need — including providers who work on a lien basis.
Claim paperwork handled completely.
From accident reports to medical record requests to insurance submissions — we manage the paperwork so you can focus on your life. Every document that leaves this office related to your case goes through our highly trained team first.
You will always know who is handling your case and what the next step is.
You have direct access to your attorney from the first conversation through the final resolution. That is not a promise we make for marketing purposes. It is the standard this firm was built on in 2008 and it has not changed. We cannot guarantee the outcome of any case. What we can guarantee is how we handle yours.
Common outcomes
Understanding Spinal Cord Injuries
| Injury Type | Description |
| Complete Spinal Cord Injury | A complete injury means total loss of motor function and sensation below the level of the injury. There is no movement and no feeling in the affected areas. Complete injuries typically result from severe trauma and produce permanent disability requiring lifetime medical management and personal care support. |
| Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury | An incomplete injury means some function or sensation is preserved below the injury level. The degree of preserved function varies widely and can include partial movement, some sensation, and varying degrees of independence. Incomplete injuries can improve with intensive rehabilitation — which itself represents a significant and calculable future cost. |
| Cervical Injuries | Injuries to the cervical spine — the neck region — can also affect the arms, hands, and fingers, and respiratory function depending on the level. High cervical injuries can affect the ability to breathe independently. These are among the most severe spinal cord injuries and produce the highest lifetime care costs. |
| Thoracic Injuries | Injuries to the thoracic spine — the mid-back region — affect the trunk, , and bladder and bowel function while typically preserving arm and hand function. Paraplegia resulting from thoracic injuries can allow significant independence with the right adaptive equipment and support. |
| Lumbar and Sacral Injuries | Injuries at the lower levels of the spine affect the hips, legs, feet, and bladder and bowel function. Depending on the severity, individuals may walk with assistance or use a wheelchair and may regain significant function with rehabilitation. |
| Herniated Discs from Trauma | While not always classified as spinal cord injuries, severe disc herniations caused by accident trauma can produce nerve compression, radiating pain, numbness, and weakness that significantly affect function and quality of life. These injuries are frequently minimized by insurers as pre-existing — a claim we know how to challenge. |
| Chronic Pain Syndromes | Spinal cord injury frequently produces chronic pain syndromes that are as debilitating as the motor and sensory deficits. Central pain, neuropathic pain, and musculoskeletal pain following spinal cord injury require long-term management and are compensable damages that must be fully documented. |
How it Works
What the Insurance Company Will Argue — And How We Respond
They will argue the injury is pre-existing or degenerative.
Imaging that shows disc degeneration or prior spinal changes becomes their evidence that the accident did not cause the injury. We respond with respected spine specialists and biomechanical experts who can demonstrate exactly what the accident forces did and how they differ from the natural progression of any prior condition. The eggshell plaintiff doctrine — California law that holds a defendant responsible for the full extent of injury regardless of a victim’s pre-existing vulnerability — is a powerful legal tool in these cases.
They will argue the injury is less severe than claimed.
Defense medical experts will be retained to minimize the prognosis and argue that the victim’s limitations are exaggerated. We respond by building our own medical expert team — neurospine or orthospine specialists, physical medicine and rehabilitation physicians — who can document the injury’s true severity and its permanent consequences.
They will make an early offer before the full picture is clear.
Early settlement offers in spinal cord cases are almost always made before the lifetime cost of the injury is fully understood. Once a settlement is accepted and a release is signed, the right to pursue additional compensation is permanently gone. We do not negotiate until the full picture is built.
FAQ
Your Questions Answered
Motor vehicle collisions are the leading cause of traumatic spinal cord injuries in California. Commercial truck accidents, motorcycle crashes, and pedestrian accidents produce spinal cord injuries at particularly high rates due to the forces involved. Falls from height — including construction site accidents and slip and fall incidents — are also a significant cause.
A spinal cord injury case must be valued to reflect the full lifetime cost of the injury including future surgeries— not just current medical expenses. That calculation requires life care planners who project future medical needs over a lifetime, vocational experts who assess the economic impact on earning capacity, and medical specialists who document the permanence and progression of the injury.
This is one of the most common defense strategies in spinal cord injury cases. California’s eggshell plaintiff doctrine holds that a defendant must take the victim as they find them — meaning pre-existing vulnerability does not reduce the defendant’s responsibility for the injury the accident caused. We dismantle the pre-existing condition argument with biomechanical evidence, spine specialists, and the medical record that documents exactly what the accident changed.
Yes. California law recognizes claims by spouses for loss of consortium — the loss of companionship, support, and the full dimensions of a family relationship — when a spinal cord injury fundamentally changes that relationship. These claims belong in every comprehensive spinal cord injury case and we include them from the beginning.
The window varies significantly depending on the type of case, who the defendant is, and the age of the person injured. In some situations that window can be as short as six months. The sooner an attorney is involved the more options are available. Call us as soon as possible. The consultation is free.
Cohn & Swartzon LLP Gets Results
Thousands
of clients served throughout California
$150M+
in verdicts, judgments, and settlements over their combined careers
90+ years
of combined legal experience
Direct access
to your attorney from the first call through resolution
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Make the call
The consultation is always free. You speak directly with an attorney — not a coordinator, not a case manager. Our team is available by phone 24 hours a day 7 days a week. There are no upfront fees and no fee unless we recover for you. Services are available in English and Spanish.
Your job is to recover. Our job is to get you justice.
Cohn & Swartzon LLP · legalhelp123.com
2 Park Plaza, Suite 1050, Irvine, CA 92614
131 East Kern Ave, Suite H, Tulare, CA 93274
“Approximately 18,000 new spinal cord injuries occur each year in the U.S.”
— National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center
“Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of spinal cord injuries.”
— NSCISC
Cohn & Swartzon LLP Gets Results in Spinal Cord Injuries
1000s of clients served throughout California
$150 million+ in verdicts, judgments, & settlements
90+ years of combined legal experience
