A spinal cord injury rearranges an entire family’s life in a few seconds. Careers end. A home has to be rebuilt around a wheelchair. A spouse becomes a full-time caregiver. The costs run for decades.
In West Covina these injuries arise from high-energy collisions on I-10 and SR-60, intersection crashes on the major arterials, motorcycle collisions, falls from height on construction sites, and falls at commercial properties and apartment complexes. Djougourian Law Corp handles catastrophic injury cases with the depth of expert support they require.
Understanding Spinal Cord Injuries
The spinal cord carries every motor command and sensory signal between the brain and the body. Damage to it is permanent, because central nervous system tissue does not regenerate.
The National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center reports roughly 18,000 new traumatic spinal cord injuries in the United States each year, with several hundred thousand Americans living with the consequences. Vehicle crashes are the leading cause, followed by falls. NSCISC’s published Facts and Figures document average first-year and annual costs in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, with lifetime costs for high cervical injuries reaching several million dollars in current terms, before accounting for lost wages and productivity.
Complete injury means total loss of motor and sensory function below the level of injury. Incomplete injury means some function is preserved, which offers a better functional prognosis but rarely a return to baseline. Cervical injuries (C1-C8) affect all four limbs, and the highest levels can require ventilator support. Thoracic, lumbar and sacral injuries affect the trunk and lower extremities depending on level.
Common Causes in West Covina
Freeway collisions on I-10 and SR-60, where impact energy is highest. Intersection crashes on Azusa Avenue, Vincent Avenue, Amar Road and Sunset Avenue, where broadside impacts produce severe spinal loading. Motorcycle collisions. Falls from height on construction and work zone sites. Stairway and parking structure falls at retail centers and apartment complexes. Diving and recreational incidents. Pedestrian and bicycle collisions.
What These Cases Actually Require
A spinal cord injury case is a different discipline, not a bigger version of an ordinary claim.
Life care planning. A certified life care planner builds a year-by-year projection of medical care, attendant care, durable medical equipment replacement cycles, home and vehicle modification, medication, and management of secondary complications such as pressure injuries, urinary tract infections, autonomic dysreflexia and chronic pain.
Medical expert testimony from neurosurgeons, physiatrists and rehabilitation specialists.
Vocational assessment of residual work capacity and realistic labor market access.
Economic analysis reducing lifetime care costs and lost earning capacity to present value with medical inflation accounted for.
Insurance investigation. Primary, umbrella and excess policies, commercial policies, employer coverage and underinsured motorist benefits. In catastrophic cases the available coverage frequently sets the ceiling on recovery, and locating an overlooked excess policy changes the entire outcome. This is a particular reason commercial vehicle cases matter here, since carrier policies dwarf personal auto limits.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is recovery possible?
Rehabilitation maximizes remaining function and adaptive independence, and incomplete injuries sometimes improve meaningfully. A complete injury does not resolve. Anyone promising otherwise is not being straight with you.
What does lifetime care cost?
It varies enormously by level of injury, age at injury and pre-injury employment. NSCISC estimates run from over a million dollars for incomplete injuries to well over five million for high tetraplegia, excluding lost wages.
What compensation is available?
All past and future medical and attendant care, home and vehicle modification, durable medical equipment, lost earnings and earning capacity, pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, and loss of consortium for a spouse.
What if the injury happened at work?
Workers’ compensation alone will not cover a catastrophic spinal injury. Third-party claims against non-employer defendants provide full damages. See our construction accident page.
What if my family member cannot make decisions?
A conservatorship or guardian ad litem allows a family member to pursue the claim on their behalf. We handle that process.
How do we pay for care while the case is pending?
Health insurance, Medicare and Medi-Cal provide coverage, and many providers will treat on a lien. We help coordinate this and resolve liens at the end of the case.
How long do I have to file?
Generally two years from injury under Code of Civil Procedure Section 335.1, or six months for a claim against a public entity under Government Code Section 911.2.
Contact a West Covina Spinal Cord Injury Attorney
You need a lawyer building this case for the next fifty years of your life, not the next six months. Call 818-530-0000 or contact us for a free consultation.
