Types of Spinal Cord Injuries in San Jose
Where and How Badly Your Spine Was Hurt Shapes Your Whole Claim.
The location and degree of a spinal cord injury decide what it takes from you and what care you’ll need. Our San Jose attorneys turn that diagnosis into a claim that covers all of it.
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Two Questions Define a Spinal Cord Injury
Most of us never think about the spine until something goes wrong. It supports much of the body, and the spinal cord inside it relays nerve signals to and from the brain. When a powerful, sudden impact, such as a car crash or a hard fall, damages or severs those nerves, the body below the injury can stop working the way it should.
Doctors describe a spinal cord injury by two things: where along the spine the damage happened, and how complete it is. Together they determine which parts of your body are affected, what medical care you’ll need, and how much of your life the injury changes. They also shape what your claim has to prove and what it should be worth.
If your spinal cord injury came from an accident someone else caused, you may have a claim if:
Another driver's or party's unreasonable actions caused the accident, even if they didn't mean to hurt anyone
You've been diagnosed with a spinal cord injury, complete or incomplete
You need ongoing care, rehabilitation, or time away from work
The accident happened within the last two years
Whatever type of injury you have, we’ll explain what it means for your claim. The consultation is free, and you pay nothing unless we win.
Turning Your Diagnosis Into Evidence
Get the level and degree of your injury in writing.
Ask your care team to explain where your injury is and whether it is complete or incomplete, and keep a copy of the diagnosis. It becomes the backbone of your claim.
Keep every record of your care.
Emergency treatment, surgery, long-term care, and rehabilitation all belong in one unbroken record, from the first day onward.
Write down what you've lost below the injury.
Movement, sensation, and daily tasks you can no longer do, or can do only with help. Small changes matter, especially with an incomplete injury.
Lock down evidence of fault early.
Your medical records explain the injury, not who caused it. Witness names, surveillance footage, and photos of the scene prove fault, and they disappear quickly.
Don't let the insurer define your injury.
Adjusters may call before your prognosis is clear. Don’t give a recorded statement or accept an offer until we’ve reviewed your case.
Mind the two-year clock.
California’s statute of limitations keeps running while you’re in the hospital and in rehab. Call early so your right to sue stays open.
How the Type of Injury Affects What Your Claim Is Worth
Location: the higher the injury, the more it affects
The spine is classified in four regions: cervical (neck and head), thoracic (upper chest, back, and abdomen), lumbar (legs, hips, and walking ability), and sacral (back of the legs, hips, and buttocks). An injury affects the body below that point. A cervical injury can cause quadriplegia, paralysis of everything below the neck, while a similar lumbar injury might affect only the legs and hips.
Degree: complete or incomplete
A complete injury can destroy function below the injury entirely. An incomplete injury may affect only some function, impairing your mobility rather than ending it. Both can support a significant claim.
The care your injury demands
From emergency treatment to long-term care and rehabilitation, depending on the type and severity of the injury.
Everything else it takes
Lost wages, pain and suffering, and the other losses your injury causes, each clearly documented.
How We Build a Claim Around Your Type of Injury
A spinal cord injury claim can begin as an insurance claim or as a lawsuit. Either way, it depends on three things you have to show clearly: who was negligent, how their conduct caused your injury, and what the injury has cost you.
Your medical records and the accident scene explain what type of spinal cord injury you have and how it happened. Proving fault usually takes more work. While you recover, we interview eyewitnesses, obtain surveillance footage, and put the pieces of the claim together.
Then we connect your diagnosis to your losses. A cervical injury and a lumbar injury don’t cost the same, and an incomplete injury can still take away your mobility and your job. We document the care your injury requires, including long-term care and rehabilitation, and our lawyers’ insurance-industry experience helps us anticipate how an adjuster will try to minimize it.
California Law for Spinal Cord Injury Claims
Negligence doesn't require intent
People are legally responsible when their unreasonable actions injure others, even if they never meant to cause harm. Most spinal cord injury claims from accidents rest on negligence.
An insurance claim still needs proof
Even if your claim never reaches a courtroom, you must show who was at fault and how, and spell out the damages you’re claiming.
Two years to file
Personal injury lawsuits must generally be filed within two years (California Code of Civil Procedure § 335.1). Even while an insurer is handling your claim, an early consultation keeps that option open. Claims involving a government entity can be due within six months.
Partly at fault? You can still recover
California follows pure comparative negligence: your compensation is reduced by your share of fault, never eliminated.
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Spinal Cord Injury Types: Common Questions
What are the main types of spinal cord injuries?
Spinal cord injuries are described by location and degree. Location refers to the region of the spine: cervical, thoracic, lumbar, or sacral. Degree refers to whether the injury is complete or incomplete.
Why does the location of the injury matter so much?
An injury affects the parts of the body below it. That’s why a cervical (neck) injury can cause quadriplegia, while a lumbar injury might affect only the legs and hips, leaving the chest and arms working.
What's the difference between a complete and an incomplete injury?
A complete injury can destroy function below the injury entirely. An incomplete injury affects only some function; it may impair your mobility rather than end it.
Is an incomplete injury still worth a claim?
Yes. Impaired mobility, ongoing care, and time away from work are real losses. The claim should reflect what your particular injury has taken from you, not a label.
What kinds of accidents cause spinal cord injuries?
Powerful, sudden impacts, such as motor vehicle crashes, can damage or sever the nerves of the spinal cord. Even a slip and fall can cause one if the impact is hard enough.
Do I need to file a lawsuit, or can this be an insurance claim?
Either is possible. Many claims start with an insurance company. Whichever route yours takes, you’ll need to show who was at fault and what your injury has cost, and a lawsuit must generally be filed within two years to stay available.
What does hiring you cost?
Nothing upfront. We work on contingency and get paid only if we win, as a percentage of your recovery.
Get Your Free, Confidential Case Review, 24/7
The weeks after a spinal cord injury bring intense medical care, confusion, and worry about the future. Let us carry the claim while you focus on recovery. Call now or send the form; we respond fast, 24/7, in English, Spanish, or Korean. Your consultation is free and confidential. No fee unless we win.
Call (408) 256-2871Free Case Review
Solution Now Law Firm
1253 Park Ave
San Jose, CA 95126
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