When a spinal cord injury changes everything in an instant, the financial pressure follows quickly. Medical bills arrive before the dust has settled, insurers begin building their defense, and the lifetime cost of care begins to climb. If someone else's negligence caused your injury, you have the right to pursue full compensation. Contact our Phoenix spinal cord injury attorney for a free, confidential consultation and find out whether you have a claim worth pursuing.
We have been representing people injured by other people's careless choices since 1978. As the seventh-largest law firm in Arizona, we have handled some of the most significant catastrophic injury cases in the country. Spinal cord claims require a different level of preparation than most other injury matters, and we bring the medical experts, vocational specialists, and litigation experience these cases demand.
Connect With Our Spinal Cord Attorneys
Key Takeaways
- A spinal cord injury can result in permanent paralysis, partial loss of motor function, or total paralysis in severe cases involving severe spinal cord injuries.
- The first step after a spinal cord injury is to seek immediate medical attention and begin appropriate medical treatment.
- Identifying the cause of the spinal injury is critical for determining what legal rights you have and identifying the at-fault party.
- Spinal cord injuries require detailed projections for lifelong medical care, assistive devices, occupational therapy, and vehicle modifications.
- Hiring a Phoenix spinal cord injury attorney can prevent insurance companies from taking advantage of victims in personal injury matters.
Schedule Your Consultation Today
Why Spinal Cord Cases Require Specialized Representation
A spinal cord injury claim is not a standard personal injury case. The damages are larger, the medical complexity is far greater, and insurance companies assign their most experienced adjusters to minimize exposure from the start.
Our spinal cord injury attorneys handle these claims regularly, and we understand what that means in practice. We know how to build projections for lifetime care costs, how to retain the right medical and vocational experts, and how to negotiate with carriers who want to settle for far less than a case is actually worth. Our familiarity with Phoenix courts and Arizona law adds a layer of value that an out-of-state or generalist firm cannot offer.
What We Know That Others May Not
Arizona follows a pure comparative fault system. You can still recover damages even if you share some responsibility for the accident, though your compensation is reduced in proportion to your share of fault. We also understand how Arizona Department of Transportation reporting requirements affect the evidentiary record in Phoenix-area crashes, and we litigate regularly in the courts where these cases are decided.
Twenty-two of our attorneys have been recognized as 2026 Southwest Super Lawyers or Rising Stars. That depth allows us to assign the right spinal cord injury attorney to your case and to support that attorney with resources that smaller firms simply cannot provide.
Understanding Spinal Cord Injuries
The spinal cord runs through a column of hollow vertebrae and acts as the primary communication channel between the brain and body. When that cord is damaged, signals are disrupted. The result depends on where along the spine the injury occurs and how severe the damage is.
Complete vs. Incomplete Injuries
Spinal cord injuries fall into two broad categories. A complete injury results in total loss of motor function and sensation below the injury site. An incomplete injury leaves some signals intact, which may allow partial movement or feeling.
Location on the spine matters significantly:
- Cervical spine (neck): The highest-consequence injuries. Damage here can cause quadriplegia, respiratory problems, and loss of bladder and bowel control.
- Thoracic spine (mid-back): Injuries typically result in paraplegia affecting the lower body while leaving the hands and arms functional.
- Lumbar and sacral spine (lower back): Injuries here may cause impaired mobility, chronic pain, and partial loss of lower body function.
According to the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center, approximately 18,000 new traumatic spinal cord injuries occur in the United States each year. Vehicle crashes have become the leading cause, surpassing falls in recent national data. Our Phoenix spinal cord lawyers handle cases arising from all of these causes.
Traumatic vs. Nontraumatic Causes
Traumatic spinal cord injuries stem from external force: crashes, falls, acts of violence, and high-impact accidents. Nontraumatic causes include degenerative disc disease, autoimmune conditions, and infections. The legal path forward differs between these categories, and our spinal cord injury attorneys can help you determine which applies to your situation and whether another party bears legal responsibility.
Common Causes of Spinal Cord Injuries in Phoenix
Phoenix's highway system, including I-10, I-17, and Loop 101, sees some of the highest traffic volumes in the Southwest. High speeds and distracted driving make these corridors particularly dangerous for the kind of high-impact collisions that cause spinal damage. Beyond the freeways, Phoenix's urban sprawl creates significant pedestrian and cyclist risk on roads that weren't always designed with them in mind.
The spinal cord injury cases we handle in Phoenix most often arise from:
- Car accidents, including distracted and impaired driving crashes
- Truck and commercial vehicle collisions, where the forces involved are far more destructive
- Motorcycle accidents, where riders have no structural protection in a crash
- Pedestrian accidents at intersections and crosswalks throughout the metro area
- Falls on defective or poorly maintained property
- Construction accidents
- Surgical errors involving the spine, which may give rise to a separate medical malpractice claim
The cause of the injury determines who may be held legally responsible. We will investigate the circumstances, identify all at-fault parties, and build the legal strategy that gives your case the best chance at full recovery.
Contact Gallagher & Kennedy Today
The Real Cost of a Spinal Cord Injury
The financial burden of a spinal cord injury is difficult to fully grasp until the numbers are laid out. Average lifetime costs reach up to $5 million, depending on severity. Even for injuries classified at the lowest level of disability, total lifetime expenses can exceed $1 million.
Those numbers cover only direct costs. They do not fully capture:
| Category | Examples |
| Medical care | Acute hospitalization, surgery, rehabilitation, ongoing specialist visits |
| Assistive equipment | Wheelchairs, respiratory devices, modified vehicles |
| Home modifications | Ramps, lifts, accessible bathrooms, widened doorways |
| Attendant care | Daily personal assistance, skilled nursing |
| Lost earnings | Current income loss and permanent reduction in earning capacity |
| Non-economic damages | Pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, emotional distress |
Our spinal cord injury attorneys build every case around what you will actually need over a lifetime, not what an insurer is willing to offer on the first call.
If the injury prevents you from returning to your previous work, you should know that lost earning capacity is recoverable as part of a personal injury claim, including the difference between what you earned before and what you can realistically earn after the injury.
If you or a family member is dealing with these costs right now, request a free consultation with a spinal cord injury attorney at Gallagher & Kennedy to talk through what a fair recovery might look like in your specific situation.
How We Build a Spinal Cord Injury Claim
A strong spinal cord injury claim rests on documentation, expert testimony, and a thorough projection of future needs. We approach every case with the same depth of preparation we would use for a trial, even when the case ultimately resolves before a courtroom is involved.
Investigation and Liability
We start by determining exactly what happened and who bears legal responsibility. That means reviewing accident reports, gathering surveillance or dashcam footage, obtaining records from the Arizona Department of Transportation where relevant, and consulting accident reconstruction specialists when the facts are contested.
If a medical professional's error contributed to the injury, that creates a separate layer of liability requiring different legal standards and procedures. We handle both personal injury and medical malpractice claims and can evaluate both tracks simultaneously from the start.
Medical Review and Expert Support
Our Phoenix spinal cord injury attorneys review all medical records and work with physicians to understand the full nature and extent of your injury. For spinal cord cases, that typically includes neurologists, physiatrists, and rehabilitation specialists who can explain the long-term prognosis in plain terms that a jury or claims adjuster can understand.
Future Damages Projection
We bring in vocational experts to assess how the injury affects your earning capacity, life care planners to project what ongoing care will actually cost over your expected lifetime, and economists to calculate the present value of future losses. These projections form the foundation of our settlement demand or our courtroom presentation.
Negotiation and Litigation
Insurance companies routinely undervalue catastrophic injury claims. Our preparation and our litigation reputation in Arizona courts give us real leverage at the negotiating table. When an insurer refuses to offer fair value, we are prepared to take the case to trial.
Arizona’s Statute of Limitations for Spinal Cord Injury Claims
Under A.R.S. § 12-542, Arizona personal injury victims generally have two years from the date of injury to file a lawsuit. If the injury was not immediately apparent, the clock may start from the date of discovery. Medical malpractice claims follow a separate timeline under A.R.S. § 12-542.01.
Waiting creates real risk. Evidence degrades, witnesses become harder to locate, and the opposing party's legal team gains time to build its defense. Reaching out to a spinal cord injury law firm early preserves options that may otherwise close.
If a loved one cannot make legal decisions because of the severity of the injury, a family member can often act on their behalf through guardianship, conservatorship, or power of attorney. We will walk your family through that process from the beginning.
What to Look for in a Phoenix Spinal Cord Injury Law Firm
Not every personal injury firm is equipped to handle a catastrophic injury case. We are. Here is what separates firms that can truly pursue the full value of a spinal cord injury claim from those that cannot, and where we stand on each point.
- Experience with catastrophic injury cases specifically. We handle serious injury claims regularly. We understand how spinal cord injuries affect every part of your life, and we build cases around the long-term reality you are facing, not just the immediate medical bills.
- A documented track record. Our results are public and verifiable. We do not deal in vague references to "significant recoveries" — we can show you what we have actually achieved for clients in catastrophic injury cases.
- Access to the right experts. We work with medical specialists, accident reconstruction experts, life care planners, and financial professionals whose analysis establishes the true value of your claim.
- Clear communication about who handles your case. You will know which attorney is managing your claim, who to contact with questions, and how your legal strategy is progressing. Communication is part of how we represent our clients.
- Contingency fee representation. You pay nothing up front. We only get paid if we recover compensation on your behalf.
We also handle traumatic brain injury cases, which frequently accompany spinal cord damage in high-impact crashes. Having one team manage both aspects of a catastrophic injury claim means a more coordinated strategy and a more consistent push for full compensation.
Results in Serious Injury Cases
We have pursued some of the largest personal injury recoveries in Arizona. The results below reflect what serious preparation and sustained advocacy produce when we take a catastrophic injury case from intake through resolution.
- $11,000,000 — Settlement for a client seriously and permanently injured in a car crash. The defense contested the case throughout, but our preparation led the defendants to pay policy limits before trial.
- $10,000,000 — Settlement for a child struck by an inattentive driver.
- $6,000,000 — Recovery for a client paralyzed during elective surgery as a result of medical negligence.
- $4,500,000 — Recovery for a pedestrian hit and dragged by a truck while crossing a parking lot.
Past results do not guarantee a specific outcome in any individual case. They do reflect our commitment to pursuing full compensation rather than accepting what an insurer offers early in the process. A full view of our case history is available on the results page.
Get The Representation You Deserve For Your Spinal Cord Injury Claim
A spinal cord injury puts everything at stake: your health, your finances, your independence, and your family's future. The legal window to act is limited, and the decisions made in the weeks after an injury can affect the entire outcome of your claim. You do not have to navigate that alone.
We have represented Phoenix-area injury victims since 1978. Our office is located at 2575 E. Camelback Road, minutes from the trauma centers at Banner Thunderbird Medical Center and St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center, and we appear regularly in Arizona courts. You pay nothing up front, and you owe us nothing unless we recover compensation on your behalf.
If you are ready to understand your options, request a free, confidential consultation with a Phoenix spinal cord injury attorney. The conversation costs nothing. The right representation can make all the difference.