How Much Is a Spinal Cord Injury Worth?

• March 03, 2025
• Personal Injury

How much a spinal cord injury is worth is different in every case. What such an injury is worth in a lawsuit depends on the severity of the injury, the costs of medical treatment, whether the injury causes wage loss, and other general damages.

According to the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center (NSCISC), which reports that approximately 18,000 spinal injuries occur in the country annually, the first year of health care treatment and living expenses for people with spinal damage ranges from approximately $400,000 to over $1.2 million, depending on the severity.

Lifetime costs range from nearly $1.3 million to $5.4 million based on injury severity and the person’s age at the time of injury. These costs do not take into account other losses that a person with a spinal cord injury experiences — the NSCISC estimates these “indirect costs” such as lost wages, loss of productivity, and others, can average over $82,000 every year.

What Is The Average Settlement for A Spinal Injury?

If your spinal injury was due to another person’s negligence, you may be able to get money through an insurance settlement or lawsuit to help pay for your injuries.

While there is no average settlement amount for a spinal injury because every case is fact specific, generally, the more severe the injuries, the higher the dollar amount of a settlement. For example, a person who suffers tetraplegia (also called quadriplegia), which is paralysis below the neck and of all the limbs, would potentially receive a higher settlement than someone with paraplegia, which is paralysis of the legs.  Some who suffers an spinal cord injury but who still has the ability to walk and use their arms would probably receive a lesser settlement than someone with paraplegia.  But as previously mentioned, severity if injury is not the only factor in determining the value of a settlement.

How Much Can You Get for A Spinal Cord Injury?

How much you could get for a spinal cord injury depends on your specific injuries, damages, and other factors. Damages are the losses you’ve suffered because of the injury. Types of damages you may be able to claim for spinal cord injuries depending upon their severity include payment for:

• Emergency medical care, hospitalization, surgeries, rehabilitation, medications, prosthetic equipment, and all other current and future healthcare treatment
• Nursing home care or in-home care to assist with the tasks of daily living
• Lost income when you can no longer work or cannot work at the same level
• Pain and suffering from physical pain and emotional trauma

If the opposing party can show that you shared any responsibility for the accident that caused your injuries, your compensation will be reduced by your percentage of fault.  The amount of insurance coverage and/or assets the at-fault party has will also factor into how much you could get.

In some cases, more than one party may be named in a lawsuit, which could potentially increase the settlement or award amount, because additional defendants may have additional insurance coverage and/or assets. Additionally, and very importantly, the skill of your personal injury attorney in representing your rights and interests can have a great impact on how much money you get.

What Will an Attorney Do to Help Me after A Spinal Cord Injury?

If your injury was due to the negligence of another party, a skilled spinal cord injury lawyer may be able to help you get significant compensation for your damages. If you work with our law firm, we will:

• Investigate how the accident or other incident happened and collect evidence to establish the fault.
• Examine all of your damages to help determine the value of your claim.
• Prepare all insurance paperwork and other documentation.
• Advise you about what to say and not say to insurance adjusters.
• Communicate with insurers and negotiate with at-fault parties and their insurers for damages.
• Discuss with you the possibility of taking your case to trial if it makes sense for your circumstances if the at fault party’s insurer will not offer a fair settlement agreement.

When you have a serious spinal cord injury, the last thing you should have to worry about is fighting with insurance companies. We will take that stressful responsibility off of you so that you can focus on your physical and emotional needs and well-being during this difficult time in your life.

Causes And Symptoms of Spinal Cord Injuries

Traumatic spinal cord injuries are typically caused by blows to the spine or something penetrating the spine. The most common causes of spinal cord injuries include the following:

• Motor vehicle accidents involving cars, trucks, motorcycles, and pedestrians
• Recreational vehicle and boating accidents
• Falls from heights and slipping and falling
• Sports-related accidents
• Gunshots and other violent acts
• Medical errors

If you have experienced serious trauma to your head, neck, or back in an accident or other incident, get medical attention immediately so you can be checked out for a spinal cord injury. Symptoms of serious spinal injuries following an accident include:

• Paralysis
• Incoordination or loss of balance
• Difficulty walking
• Loss of bowel and/or bladder control
• Extreme head, neck, or back pain
• Twisted back or neck
• Trouble breathing
• Numbness or tingling in the extremities

Spinal injuries do not always show up immediately, so it is critical for your well-being to get medical care. If you do have an spinal cord injury and don’t know it, you risk making it much worse.

According to medical experts such as the Mayo Clinic, “the time between injury and treatment can be critical in determining the extent and severity of complications and the possible extent of expected recovery” for spinal injuries. Doctor reports will also be crucial evidence in your spinal cord injury lawsuit.

Types of Spinal Cord Injuries

Spinal cord injuries can be considered catastrophic and life-changing, and may require extensive and costly medical treatment. Serious damage to the spine cannot be reversed, but injuries can sometimes be managed to prevent worsening.

Spinal injuries can include severing the spinal cord, fractures, compression, or other damage to disks, vertebrae, and ligaments of the spine, resulting in paralysis.

Complete And Incomplete Spinal Injuries

Spinal cord injuries are classified as complete or incomplete. If an injury is complete, which is the most severe of spinal injury types, it means that the person has no sensation or motor function at all below the injury site. An incomplete injury means that there is still some sensation of function below the injury site.

Paralysis from Spinal Cord Injury

The type of paralysis you may have from a spinal injury is called tetraplegia or paraplegia:

• When the cervical spine (the section of the spine in the neck) is injured, it results in tetraplegia, which affects the entire body from the neck or shoulders down. Tetraplegia can be complete or incomplete.
• Paraplegia is when the injury affects the legs and lower body. These injuries are also classified as complete or incomplete.

How high up on the spinal cord an injury occurs determines how well the body will function. For example, people who are injured on the upper vertebrae of the cervical spine may need help breathing, while those with lower cervical spine injuries may be able to breathe on their own.

No matter what type of paralysis a person suffers from a spinal cord injury, the medical expenses and other costs, and the lost ability to work, can be financially devastating. The more severe the injury, the more potentially financially ruinous. If your injuries were due to the negligence of another party, you are entitled to seek compensation. Beginning the process at your earliest opportunity is important for a number of reasons, including ensuring that your claims for damages do not lapse because of the Statute of Limitations.

Statute of Limitations for Suing for a Spinal Cord Injury Caused by Negligence

Under RCW 4.16.080 a person who suffers a spinal cord injury as a result of another person’s negligence generally has a three-year deadline to file a lawsuit. You could lose your right to sue if you miss this filing deadline, so it is important to take action and speak to an attorney about your rights as soon as possible.

Getting legal help quickly will also help ensure that the accident that caused your injuries is fresh in your mind, and that critical evidence for your claim is not lost. There are some exceptions to the statute of limitations and how long you have to sue. A Yakima attorney who knows how to handle spinal cord injury cases, like the attorneys at Montoya Hinckley, can explain whether there exceptions to the three-year statute of limitations applies in your case, based on your circumstances.

Contact an Effective Yakima Spinal Injury Attorney for Help

A spinal cord injury can have an enormous impact on your life and the lives of your loved ones. You may no longer be able to work or enjoy the activities and hobbies you used to take part in. Your relationships with family and friends may have been negatively affected. Your stress level is probably very high, which is understandable when you have experienced such a catastrophic injury.

As attorneys, we cannot change your physical injuries or relieve your emotional burdens, but we can help reduce your financial worries by fighting for compensation on your behalf.

The attorneys at Montoya Hinckley have a combined 50+ years of experience helping people with spinal cord injuries and other injuries caused by negligence to pursue damages from at-fault parties.

Call us at 509-895-7373 to schedule a free initial consultation. We look forward to learning how we can help you.