A spinal cord injury (SCI) is damage to any part of the spinal cord or the nerves at the end of the spinal canal, often resulting in permanent changes in strength, sensation, and bodily function below the site of the injury. The spinal cord is the body’s information highway between the brain and everything below the neck, so when it is damaged, the consequences extend far beyond the back itself.

It is important to distinguish between a spinal cord injury and a spinal column injury. A herniated disc, fractured vertebra, or muscle strain is a back or spine injury, but it may not damage the cord itself. A true spinal cord injury involves trauma to the nerve tissue inside the spinal canal, and it is almost always considered a catastrophic injury under Texas law.

For detailed medical information on the anatomy, types, and treatment of spinal cord injuries, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) is a leading public resource.

Complete vs. Incomplete Spinal Cord Injuries

Doctors classify spinal cord injuries as either complete or incomplete based on how much function is preserved below the injury site.

• Complete spinal cord injury: No motor or sensory function remains below the level of the injury. Total paralysis on both sides of the body at that level is typical.
• Incomplete spinal cord injury: Some motor or sensory function is preserved below the injury. Recovery potential is generally greater, but the long-term effects can still be severe.

The completeness of an injury heavily influences future medical needs, life expectancy, and the value of a legal claim. Defense attorneys often try to characterize incomplete injuries as “minor”—an argument experienced spinal cord injury counsel knows how to dismantle with proper expert testimony.

The ASIA Impairment Scale Used in Spinal Cord Injury Cases

The American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) Impairment Scale is the medical standard used to grade the severity of an SCI from A (most severe) to E (least severe). This grading often becomes central evidence in litigation:

• ASIA A: Complete injury. No motor or sensory function preserved in the sacral segments S4–S5.
• ASIA B: Incomplete sensory injury. Sensory function preserved but no motor function below the neurologic level.
• ASIA C: Incomplete motor injury. More than half of key muscles below the injury function at less than grade 3 (cannot move against gravity).
• ASIA D: Incomplete motor injury. At least half of key muscles below the injury function at grade 3 or higher.
• ASIA E: Sensation and motor function are intact, although the victim may still have neurological deficits.

Levels of Spinal Cord Injury and Associated Paralysis

The higher on the spine an injury occurs, the more of the body is affected. Doctors identify the level of injury by the lowest functional segment of the cord. The four main regions are:

Cervical Injuries (C1–C8) – The Neck

Cervical injuries are the most severe spinal cord injuries and typically cause quadriplegia (also called tetraplegia), meaning paralysis of both arms and both legs. The highest cervical injuries (C1–C4) can require permanent ventilator support because they impair the ability to breathe independently. Crashes, falls, and diving incidents are the most common causes.

Thoracic Injuries (T1–T12) – The Upper and Mid Back

Thoracic injuries typically cause paraplegia—paralysis of the legs and lower body—while sparing arm and hand function. Many victims regain significant independence with wheelchair use, but they may face ongoing challenges with respiratory function, trunk stability, and bowel and bladder control.

Lumbar Injuries (L1–L5) – The Lower Back

Lumbar spinal cord injuries usually result in paralysis or weakness in the legs and hips. Victims may retain some leg function and, with intensive rehabilitation, may walk with braces or assistive devices. Loss of bowel and bladder control is common.

Sacral Injuries (S1–S5) – The Tailbone Region

Sacral injuries typically cause some loss of function in the hips and legs and may impair sexual function, bowel control, and bladder control. Many sacral SCI victims can walk, although ongoing complications often require lifelong medical management.

Common Forms of Paralysis After a Spinal Cord Injury

• Quadriplegia (tetraplegia): Paralysis affecting all four limbs and the trunk, typically from cervical injuries.
• Paraplegia: Paralysis affecting both legs and sometimes the lower trunk, typically from thoracic, lumbar, or sacral injuries.
• Hemiplegia: Paralysis on one side of the body, more commonly associated with brain injury but possible after partial cord damage.
• Monoplegia: Paralysis of a single limb.
• Triplegia: Paralysis of three limbs, usually following an incomplete cervical injury.

Long-Term Complications That Drive Lifetime Costs

Insurance companies often focus on the initial hospital bill and ignore decades of ongoing care. A complete spinal cord injury case must account for the secondary medical complications that follow most SCI patients for life:

• Recurring pressure ulcers (decubitus ulcers) requiring wound care and sometimes surgery
• Autonomic dysreflexia, a potentially life-threatening blood pressure response
• Chronic urinary tract infections and bladder dysfunction
• Respiratory complications, including pneumonia and ventilator dependence
• Chronic neuropathic and musculoskeletal pain
• Spasticity and contractures requiring medication and therapy
• Deep vein thrombosis and cardiovascular disease
• Osteoporosis and fragility fractures below the level of injury
• Depression, anxiety, and adjustment disorders
• Reduced life expectancy compared to the general population

Each of these complications is foreseeable, well documented in the medical literature, and recoverable as future damages when properly proven.

Common Causes of Spinal Cord Injuries in Austin

Most spinal cord injuries are the result of preventable conduct by another driver, employer, property owner, or manufacturer. Kelley Wolff Injury Attorneys regularly handles SCI cases arising from:

• Car accidents: High-impact collisions on I-35, MoPac, US-183, and SH-130 are a leading cause of spinal cord trauma. See our Austin car accident attorney page for how we approach motor vehicle cases.
• Truck and 18-wheeler crashes: A loaded commercial truck delivers enormous force. Learn about our 18-wheeler accident representation for the unique evidence and federal regulations involved.
• Motorcycle accidents: Riders are exposed to direct spinal trauma in even moderate crashes. Visit our Austin motorcycle accident page to learn more.
• Pedestrian and bicycle collisions: Spinal injuries are common when a vehicle strikes an unprotected pedestrian or bicyclist.
• Falls from heights and slip-and-falls: Falls are the leading non-vehicle cause of SCI, especially among older adults. See our Austin slip-and-fall page.
• Construction and workplace incidents: Falls from scaffolding, trench collapses, and falling objects cause many SCIs on Austin job sites. Read more about our construction accident and workplace injury practice.
• Medical malpractice: Surgical errors, misdiagnosed cord compression, and anesthesia mistakes can cause or worsen a spinal cord injury.
• Defective products: Faulty airbags, seatbelts, helmets, and industrial equipment can be the direct cause of an SCI.
• Acts of violence: Assaults and gunshot wounds account for a significant share of SCIs and may give rise to claims against negligent property owners under premises liability law.

The Lifetime Cost of a Spinal Cord Injury

According to data tracked by the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center (NSCISC), the lifetime cost of a spinal cord injury can range from approximately $1.2 million for an incomplete injury at older ages to well over $5 million for high cervical injuries occurring in younger victims. These figures do not include lost wages or reduced earning capacity—they are direct medical and care costs alone.

A properly valued Austin spinal cord injury claim must account for:

• Acute hospitalization and ICU care
• Inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation
• Surgeries, hardware, and revision procedures
• Medications and ongoing physician care for life
• Attendant care—often 8 to 24 hours per day for the most severe cases
• Adaptive equipment, including power wheelchairs replaced every 5 to 7 years
• Home modifications such as ramps, widened doorways, and accessible bathrooms
• Accessible vehicle purchase and replacement
• Lost wages and diminished earning capacity over a full working lifetime
• Vocational retraining when returning to the prior career is impossible
• Mental health treatment
• Caregiver compensation when a family member must leave employment

Compensation Available in an Austin Spinal Cord Injury Case

Texas law allows spinal cord injury victims to pursue two main categories of damages, with a third available in cases of egregious conduct.

Economic Damages

Economic damages compensate the financial losses tied to the injury—past, present, and future. They include medical bills, future medical care, lost earnings, lost earning capacity, home and vehicle modifications, and attendant care costs.

Non-Economic Damages

Non-economic damages address the human cost of paralysis: physical pain, mental anguish, loss of enjoyment of life, disfigurement, loss of consortium, and loss of independence. These damages are not capped in most Texas spinal cord injury cases.

Punitive (Exemplary) Damages

When the at-fault party acted with gross negligence, malice, or fraud—such as a drunk driver or a trucking company that knowingly ignored safety regulations—punitive damages may be available to punish the conduct and deter similar behavior.

Statute of Limitations for Spinal Cord Injury Claims in Texas

Under Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code § 16.003, spinal cord injury victims generally have two years from the date of the injury to file a lawsuit. Wrongful death claims arising from a fatal SCI must be filed within two years of the date of death. Missing these deadlines almost always means losing the right to recover.

If the responsible party is a state or local government entity, the Texas Tort Claims Act imposes much shorter notice deadlines (often six months or less) and caps damages at $250,000 per person and $500,000 per occurrence for most claims. These deadlines and caps make early legal action essential whenever a government vehicle, agency, or employee may have caused the injury.

Narrow exceptions may apply. The discovery rule can delay the start of the two-year clock when an injury or its cause could not reasonably have been known. For minors, the statute is generally tolled until age 18. For victims rendered legally incapacitated, the clock may be paused until capacity is restored.

Texas’s Modified Comparative Negligence Rule

Texas follows a modified comparative negligence rule with a 51% bar. If you are found more than 50% responsible for your own spinal cord injury, you cannot recover anything. If you are 50% or less at fault, your compensation is reduced by your percentage of responsibility.

Example: A jury awards $4 million but finds the injured worker 20% at fault for failing to use available safety equipment. The recovery is reduced by 20%, leaving $3.2 million. Insurance companies often inflate the victim’s percentage of fault for this exact reason. Aggressive early investigation and expert reconstruction are the most effective tools against these tactics.

How We Prove Liability in a Spinal Cord Injury Case

Texas SCI cases are almost always built on negligence. To recover compensation, four elements must be proven:

1. Duty of care: The defendant owed you a legal duty to act reasonably under the circumstances.
2. Breach of duty: The defendant violated that duty by acting unsafely or failing to act.
3. Causation: The breach was a direct and proximate cause of your spinal cord injury.
4. Damages: You suffered measurable harm, including medical costs, lost income, and pain.

Our team works with accident reconstruction specialists, biomechanical engineers, neurosurgeons, neurologists, physiatrists, vocational rehabilitation experts, economists, and certified life care planners. The right combination of experts can transform a contested case into a compelling presentation that insurers settle and juries reward.

Why Spinal Cord Injury Cases Require Specialized Counsel

• Life care planning is non-negotiable. Without a credentialed life care planner projecting decades of attendant care, equipment, and medical needs, a case is almost certain to be undervalued.
• Insurance carriers escalate the fight. When SCI damages reach the millions, carriers retain elite defense firms, defense medical examiners, and surveillance teams. Your lawyer must be ready for all of it.
• Liens must be aggressively managed. Medicare, Medicaid, ERISA plans, and hospital liens can consume a recovery. Strategic lien reduction often increases net compensation by hundreds of thousands of dollars.
• Settlement structure has lifetime consequences. Lump-sum versus structured settlements can affect taxes, government benefits eligibility (such as Medicaid and SSI), and long-term financial stability. A special needs trust may be necessary.
• Reaching maximum medical improvement (MMI) takes time. Settling before MMI risks leaving permanent complications uncompensated.
• Future damages must be proven, not assumed. Texas juries award future damages only when supported by credible expert testimony—a key reason inexperienced firms leave money on the table.

What to Do After a Spinal Cord Injury in Austin

The actions taken in the first days and weeks after a spinal cord injury can shape the entire case. If you or a family member are able:

1. Accept and follow all emergency and rehabilitative medical care.
2. Preserve evidence from the scene—photos, vehicles, equipment, and clothing—before they are repaired, scrapped, or discarded.
3. Identify witnesses and capture contact information while memories are fresh.
4. Decline to give a recorded statement to the at-fault insurer.
5. Avoid signing any release, settlement offer, or medical authorization without legal review.
6. Keep a daily journal of pain, complications, and limitations.
7. Save every medical bill, prescription receipt, and out-of-pocket expense in one place.
8. Contact an Austin spinal cord injury attorney as quickly as possible so deadlines and evidence are protected.

Why Choose Kelley Wolff Injury Attorneys

Spinal cord injury cases reward law firms that prepare meticulously and refuse to settle short. That is the standard at Kelley Wolff Injury Attorneys.

• Trial-ready preparation. Every case is built as if it will be tried, which is the single most important reason insurers offer higher settlements.
• Immediate investigation. We move fast to preserve scenes, secure electronic data, and obtain surveillance video before it is overwritten.
• A network of recognized experts. From neurosurgeons and physiatrists to certified life care planners and forensic economists, we assemble the team your case demands.
• Local Austin focus. We know the Travis County courts, the local defense bar, and the insurance carriers that handle Central Texas spinal cord injury claims.
• Direct attorney access. Clients work with their attorney—not a rotating cast of case managers.
• Contingency-fee representation. You pay no attorney fees unless we recover compensation for you.

Speak with an Austin Spinal Cord Injury Attorney Today

A spinal cord injury should not also force you to fight an insurance company alone. The legal team at Kelley Wolff Injury Attorneys is ready to investigate your claim, identify every responsible party, and pursue the lifetime compensation you and your family need.

Call our Austin office today for a free, confidential case review. There is no fee unless we recover compensation for you, and the initial conversation costs nothing. The sooner you reach out, the more evidence we can preserve—and the more pressure we can apply on the insurer.

If your loved one did not survive their spinal cord injury, our Austin wrongful death attorneys can help your family pursue justice and long-term financial security.