Spinal Cord Injury LawyerYour Trusted Spinal Cord Injury Attorney
Spinal cord injuries are among the most serious and life-changing injuries a person can suffer. These injuries often result in permanent disability, paralysis, and lifelong medical care. Our attorneys represent spinal cord injury victims across Redding, and Northern California.
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Spinal InjuriesSpinal Cord Injuries Demand Legal Representation
Spinal cord injuries are among the most financially and personally devastating injuries a person can sustain. Unlike soft-tissue injuries that heal over weeks or months, damage to the spinal cord, whether partial or complete, often produces permanent consequences: paralysis, loss of sensation, chronic pain, and the inability to work, live independently, or enjoy the life you had before.
This means your case is not about what you've already spent. It's about what you will need for the rest of your life. Projecting lifetime medical costs, lost earnings, in-home care requirements, home modification expenses, assistive technology, and quality-of-life losses requires expert testimony that most general injury cases never need. We build these cases from the ground up with the specialists required to present their true value.
Insurance companies know the stakes in spinal cord cases. They assign experienced defense teams immediately. Our attorneys match that investment with equal preparation and a willingness to go to trial if the insurer refuses to offer fair compensation.
Estimated Lifetime Costs by Injury Severity
High Tetraplegia (C1–C4) — $5.5M
Low Tetraplegia (C5–C8) — $3.8M+
Paraplegia — $2.5M+
Incomplete Motor Function — $1.7M+
Herniated Disc / Serious SCI — $500K+
Indirect costs like lost wages — $95K+/yr
Sources: National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center (NSCISC), 2025 Facts and Figures. Costs reflect U.S. lifetime healthcare and living expenses. Individual costs vary by age at injury, injury level, and pre-injury employment. These figures exclude indirect costs.
Common Causes of Spinal Cord Injuries
Spinal cord injuries can result from many traumatic events, often tied to negligence. The cause of the injury helps determine liability, and California personal injury law allows victims to seek compensation when another party is at fault.
Motor Vehicle Accidents
The leading cause of traumatic spinal cord injuries in the United States. Car, truck, and motorcycle crashes produce high-force impacts that fracture vertebrae and damage the cord, often instantly and permanently.
Slip, Trip & Falls
The second leading cause of SCI. Falls from heights, down stairways, or on defective surfaces can cause vertebral fractures and cord damage. Premises liability law holds negligent property owners accountable.
Boating & Water Accidents
Diving into shallow water, watercraft collisions, and being struck by propellers are significant causes of cervical spinal cord injuries on North State waterways including Shasta Lake and the Sacramento River.
What to do after an AccidentSteps That Protect Your Claim
The actions you take in the hours and days after a spinal cord injury can significantly affect what you recover. Follow these steps to protect your injury claim.
01
Seek Immediate Care
Spinal cord injuries are medical emergencies. Immediate treatment is critical to prevent further damage and document the injury.
02
Document the Injury
Photograph the accident scene, vehicles, property conditions, equipment, or anything that caused the injury.
03
Follow Medical Treatment
Follow all doctor recommendations, therapy, and rehabilitation treatment plans to document the severity of the injury.
04
Contact an Attorney
Spinal injury cases often involve large insurance policies and long-term damages, so it is important to contact an attorney early.
Never give a recorded statement to an insurance company without legal counsel. Spinal cord injury cases often involve significant damages and insurance companies will try to minimize payouts. Contact Landsem Law Office first, at no cost to you.
Your CompensationTypes of Compensation in Spinal Cord Injury Cases
California law allows spinal cord injury victims to recover a broad range of economic and non-economic damages from the at-fault party.
Emergency care, surgery and hospitalization
Spinal rehabilitation and physical therapy
Future surgeries & ongoing medical treatment
In-home care and personal assistance services
Durable medical equipment (wheelchairs, lifts)
Home and vehicle accessibility modifications
Lost wages during recovery
Lifetime lost earning capacity
Vocational retraining costs
Future lost Social Security and retirement benefits
Non-economic damages are often the largest component
California law allows full recovery for pain and suffering, emotional distress, loss of enjoyment of life, loss of consortium, and permanent disability. For a person paralyzed in their 30s or 40s, these non-economic losses, calculated over a lifetime, can represent a far larger figure than all medical bills combined.
California does not cap non-economic damages in personal injury cases. This means there is no legal ceiling on what you may recover for the pain, loss of independence, and quality-of-life destruction a spinal cord injury causes.
In cases where the defendant acted with extreme recklessness or malice (a drunk driver, a negligent employer who deliberately ignored safety violations), punitive damages under Civil Code § 3294 may also be available, which can dramatically increase total case value.
Frequently Asked QuestionsSpinal Cord Injury Questions
This FAQ offers general guidance under California law and is not a substitute for advice about your specific situation. Before signing anything, speak with a spinal cord injury lawyer in Redding who can protect your rights and fight for full compensation you deserve.
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A spinal cord injury is much more serious than a typical back injury because it involves damage to the spinal cord or nerves that control movement and sensation. Spinal cord injuries can result in paralysis, loss of sensation, chronic pain, and lifelong medical care, while many back injuries involve muscles, discs, or ligaments that may heal over time. Spinal cord injury cases often involve long-term medical treatment, rehabilitation, and life care planning, which makes these cases much more complex and higher value than standard back injury claims. A spinal cord injury lawyer in Redding can help evaluate whether your injury involves nerve damage, spinal cord trauma, or permanent disability and pursue compensation for long-term medical care and lost earning capacity.
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In California, you generally have two years from the date of the accident or injury to file a spinal cord injury personal injury claim. This deadline is known as the statute of limitations, and if you miss this deadline, you may lose your right to recover compensation. However, if the spinal cord injury was caused by a government entity, dangerous public property, or a government vehicle, a government claim may need to be filed within six months. Because spinal cord injury cases often involve serious injuries, long-term medical care, and large insurance claims, it is important to contact a spinal cord injury lawyer in Redding as soon as possible to investigate the accident, preserve evidence, and protect your spinal injury claim.
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Spinal cord injury cases are often high-value personal injury cases because they frequently involve permanent disability, paralysis, long-term medical care, and loss of earning capacity. The value of a spinal cord injury case depends on medical expenses, future medical treatment, rehabilitation costs, lost income, reduced earning capacity, pain and suffering, and whether the injury results in paraplegia or quadriplegia. Many spinal cord injury cases involve life care plans and medical experts to calculate future costs over a lifetime. A spinal cord injury attorney in Redding can evaluate your case and pursue full compensation for medical care, lost wages, disability, and long-term care needs.
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Spinal cord injury victims may recover compensation for both economic and non-economic damages under California personal injury law. These damages may include medical bills, future medical treatment, rehabilitation costs, lost wages, reduced earning capacity, pain and suffering, emotional distress, disability, home modifications, wheelchairs, medical equipment, and long-term care costs. Because spinal cord injuries often result in permanent disability or paralysis, these cases frequently involve significant compensation to cover lifelong medical expenses and loss of income. A spinal cord injury lawyer in Redding can help calculate the full value of your spinal injury claim.
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Many spinal cord injury cases settle before trial, but these cases often involve large settlements because spinal cord injuries are permanent and require long-term medical care and rehabilitation. Insurance companies often fight these cases because the damages are high, which is why spinal cord injury claims often involve extensive medical records, expert witnesses, and life care planning. A spinal cord injury attorney in Shasta County can negotiate with insurance companies and pursue full compensation for spinal cord injury victims.
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Workers' compensation is generally the exclusive remedy against your employer for workplace injuries. However, if a third party like a contractor, equipment manufacturer, property owner, or another driver contributed to your spinal injury, you may file a separate personal injury lawsuit against them in addition to your workers' comp claim. Third-party claims are not capped the way workers' comp is and can recover pain and suffering, full lost earning capacity, and other damages unavailable through the workers' comp system. These cases require careful coordination. Contact us to evaluate whether you have both types of claims.
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Spinal cord injury lawsuits often take longer than typical personal injury cases because these cases involve serious injuries, long-term medical treatment, and future care cost calculations. Many spinal cord injury cases take one to two years or longer depending on the severity of the injury, the amount of medical treatment, and whether the case settles or goes to trial. A spinal cord injury attorney can guide you through the process and handle insurance companies while you focus on recovery.
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Spinal cord injury cases are complex and often involve large insurance policies, medical experts, life care planners, and long-term damages. Insurance companies often try to minimize payouts in spinal cord injury cases because the financial exposure is high. Hiring a spinal cord injury lawyer in Redding significantly increases the chances of recovering full compensation for medical bills, lost wages, disability, and future care costs after a spinal cord injury.