San Mateo Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer
Your Recovery May Take Years. Your Settlement Has to Last as Long.
A spinal cord injury can mean long-term or permanent loss of mobility. Our San Mateo spinal cord injury attorneys hold the careless party responsible and put a real value on everything the injury has taken, now and in the years ahead.
$75+ million
recovered for injured clients
800+ five-star reviews
on Google and Yelp
No fee
unless we win
Available 24/7
Hablamos español · 한국어 상담 가능
Someone's Carelessness Caused This. They Should Pay for What Comes Next.
Spinal cord injuries happen in many ways: a crushing impact in a car crash or other roadway collision, an accident on an industrial worksite, a serious slip and fall. All too often, they trace back to someone else’s recklessness or carelessness.
What follows can reshape a whole life. Paralysis, loss of sensation, chronic pain, and difficulty with everyday tasks are common, and most people with a spinal cord injury need treatment for years: surgeries, physical and occupational therapy, and help with daily activities. An insurance company will want to settle long before anyone knows what that care will cost.
You may have a spinal cord injury claim if:
Your injury happened in a vehicle crash, a worksite accident, a fall, or because of a defective product
Another person or company failed to act with reasonable care
You face long-term treatment, lost income, or lasting limits on what you can do
The injury happened within roughly the last two years
A free conversation is the best place to start. You pay nothing unless we win.
First Moves After a Spinal Cord Injury in San Mateo
Get emergency care, even if the injury seems minor.
Spinal injuries can worsen over time. Immediate treatment protects your health and starts the medical record your claim depends on.
Make sure your diagnosis is written down precisely.
Which part of the spine was injured, and whether the injury is complete or incomplete, shapes your prognosis and the value of your claim.
Identify everyone who played a part.
The other driver, a property owner, an employer or contractor on a worksite, or the maker of a failed product may each share responsibility.
Preserve the evidence.
Keep the vehicle, the equipment, or the product involved, and ask a family member to photograph the scene and collect witness names while you’re in care.
Let a family member step in.
If you can’t manage the claim yourself right now, a family member or representative can contact us and act on your behalf.
Don't settle before your prognosis is clear.
Early offers are built on what your injury costs today, not on what it will cost over a lifetime.
Putting a Real Value on a Spinal Cord Injury
The hardest part of a spinal cord injury case is rarely proving the accident happened. It is proving what the injury will cost over the rest of your life, and making the insurer pay that figure. We know how to put a monetary value on these losses.
Where and how the spine was injured. The spine has four main regions: the cervical, thoracic, lumbar, and sacral spine. An injury to the cervical spine, in the neck, tends to cause the gravest outcomes, in some cases paralysis of all four limbs and the torso. An injury to the sacral spine may impair movement in the legs or certain bodily functions. A complete injury leaves the affected area irreparably harmed; an incomplete one damages only part of it. We build your claim around your specific diagnosis.
What care you’ll need. Past, ongoing, and future medical treatment, therapy, and help at home, documented with your medical providers.
Who is responsible. We pursue every liable party, not only the most obvious one, so your recovery isn’t limited to a single insurance policy.
If the insurer won’t pay what the evidence supports, we prepare your case for trial.
What Your Claim Should Account For
The damages in a spinal cord injury case depend on the extent of your losses. A complete claim can include:
Medical bills, past, present, and future
Emergency care, surgeries, hospital stays, physical and occupational therapy, and the treatment you’ll need for years to come.
Lost wages and earning capacity
Income you’ve missed while recovering, and what you won’t be able to earn if the injury keeps you from your work.
Pain, suffering, and disability
Chronic pain, the loss of mobility or sensation, and the emotional distress that often follows, including depression, anxiety, and PTSD.
Loss of consortium
The effect of the injury on your closest relationship, which can be part of the compensation.
California Law and Your Spinal Injury Claim
Negligence means a failure of reasonable care
To recover, you must show the responsible party failed to exercise reasonable care and that this failure caused your injury. We gather the evidence to prove it.
A defective product can be the cause
If a defective product caused or contributed to your injury, such as an unsafe vehicle, a defective medical device, or poorly designed machinery, you may have a product liability claim against its maker.
Family members can act for you
If the injury leaves you unable to represent yourself, a family member or representative can file a claim on your behalf.
Two years to file, and sometimes less
In California, you generally have two years from the date of the injury to file. If a government entity caused the injury, the time limit can be much shorter.
Protect the Value of Your Spinal Injury Claim
A lifetime claim needs a lifetime record. California law expects you to follow your doctors’ orders and keep up with rehabilitation; missed appointments give the insurer an opening to argue your limitations are partly your own doing.
Build the record as you go:
- Keep a daily log, or have a family member keep one. Pain, strength, sensation, setbacks, and each task you now need help with.
- Collect the cost of adapting. Mobility equipment, home changes, transportation, and the hours family members spend caring for you.
- Get help for the emotional side, too. Depression and anxiety are common after a spinal injury, and treating them is part of your recovery and your claim.
- Route every insurer contact through us. A casual “I’m doing better” can be used to cut a claim that has to cover decades.
We coordinate with your medical providers so billing can wait until your case settles.
Adjusters offer more when they know a firm can prove its case — and take it to trial. Recent recoveries for our clients:
$525,000
Highway 25 passenger injury
Spine fractures, air ambulance transfer
Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. Every case is different.
See More Case Results →What Our Clients Say
I met with lawyers at other law offices, but after talking to Jimin, I decided to go with her because she was not only smart, honest, but also super caring.…
Annie Y.
Jimin Oh is not only an excellent and professional lawyer but she is also very kind, understanding and easy to talk to. Jimin was very helpful and patient in answering…
Katie J.
From start to finish Jimin has been on my case and very informative about where they are in the process of things... every time it seems like I thought about…
Dominick M.
Your San Mateo Legal Team
Founding attorney Jimin Oh has handled thousands of auto accident cases and is a member of Million Dollar Trial Lawyers. She built this firm after her own husband was seriously injured in a car accident, so she understands how a serious injury changes life for everyone in a household. That’s why every case gets an attorney, a case manager, and a treatment coordinator: one team tracking your care, your costs, and your claim. San Mateo cases are handled from our San Jose office at 1253 Park Ave.
San Mateo Spinal Cord Injury FAQs
What are the long-term effects of a spinal cord injury?
They can include paralysis, loss of sensation, chronic pain, and difficulty with daily activities. How severe they are depends on where the spine was injured and whether the injury is complete or incomplete.
What should I do first after a spinal cord injury?
Get medical attention right away, even if the injury seems minor, because it may worsen over time. Then talk to a lawyer before you speak with any insurer about the accident.
Will I need ongoing treatment?
Most people with a spinal cord injury do: surgeries, physical and occupational therapy, and help with daily activities, sometimes for life. Your claim should account for all of it, which is why we don’t value a case before your doctors can describe your future care.
How do I prove negligence?
Your attorney must show the responsible party failed to exercise reasonable care and that this caused your injury. That means accident reports, witness statements, footage, and your medical records, gathered early.
What if a defective product caused my injury?
You may have a product liability claim. That can include defective vehicles, medical devices, or poorly designed machinery. Keep the product and let us arrange for it to be examined.
Can I be compensated for emotional distress?
Yes. Emotional distress is a recognized part of your damages in California. Depression, anxiety, and PTSD are common after a spinal cord injury.
Can a family member file a claim for me?
Yes. If you’re unable to represent yourself because of the severity of your injury, a family member or representative can file on your behalf.
How long do I have to file, and what does it cost?
Generally two years from the date of the injury, and less if a government entity was responsible. We work on contingency: you don’t owe us a penny unless we win for you.
Get Your Free, Confidential Case Review, 24/7
You should be focused on rehabilitation, not on an insurance adjuster. Let us take that on. 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
Hablamos español · 한국어 상담 가능
