Los Angeles Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer
A spinal cord injury can take away your mobility, independence, and ability to live day to day. If someone else’s negligence caused your harm, Los Angeles spinal cord injury lawyers at The Law Offices of Larry H. Parker are here to protect your rights and fight for the compensation you need to move forward.
- Serving injury victims across Los Angeles for 50+ years
- No fees unless we win your case
- Available 24/7 to take your call and answer your questions
Call now for a free consultation with a Los Angeles spinal cord injury lawyer.
Powerhouse of Trusted Personal Injury Lawyers
A spinal cord injury case isn’t just about compensation—it’s about securing the lifelong care, resources, and stability you may need as you adjust to the impact of the accident. At The Law Offices of Larry H. Parker, we’ve helped injured people across Los Angeles for decades, and we know what it takes to stand up to insurance companies and negligent parties that try to minimize serious injury cases.
Our firm has served California communities since 1972, with a reputation built on results, client service, and a team that’s ready to help when you need answers. When your future is on the line, you deserve a law firm that takes your case seriously and fights to pursue the full compensation your claim may allow.
A spinal cord injury can last a lifetime, changing how you move, work, and take care of yourself day to day. Many people face ongoing pain, complex medical decisions, rehabilitation costs, and time away from work. In serious cases, you may also need home modifications and long-term support just to maintain independence and stability.
If your spinal cord injury was caused by someone else’s negligence, you shouldn’t have to carry the financial burden alone. A Los Angeles spinal cord injury lawyer at the Law Offices of Larry H. Parker can step in to investigate what happened, preserve key evidence, handle insurance communications, and pursue compensation that reflects both your immediate needs and long-term care.
What to Do After a Spinal Cord Injury in Los Angeles
Taking the right steps early can protect your health and strengthen your spinal cord injury claim, especially in catastrophic cases where the damage done is severe and life-changing.
- Get Immediate Medical Care: Call 911 or go to the nearest hospital. Spinal cord trauma can worsen quickly without proper stabilization and treatment.
- Report the Incident to the Authorities: If the injury happened in a crash, request a report from the Los Angeles Police Department. If it happened on someone’s property (like a slip and fall), notify the property owner or manager and ask that an incident report be created.
- Document as Much Evidence as You Can: If you can, take photos or video of hazards, vehicles, visible injuries, and property damage. Get witness names and contact information, and save any paperwork you receive.
- Be Cautious When Speaking with Insurance Companies: Avoid giving a recorded statement or accepting an early settlement before you understand the full impact of your injury and future care needs.
- Contact a Los Angeles Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer: Early legal support can help preserve evidence, calculate damages accurately, meet deadlines, and handle insurer communications while you focus on treatment and recovery.
Common Causes of Spinal Cord Injuries in Los Angeles
Spinal cord injuries are often the result of high-impact trauma or dangerous conditions that should have been prevented.
- Car Accidents: High-speed impacts, multi-vehicle crashes, and rollovers on major Los Angeles routes can cause catastrophic spinal trauma. Local crash analyses have found that many of the city’s most dangerous intersections are located near freeway ramps and corridors, including areas along the 405 and near the 110.
- Motorcycle Crashes: Riders have limited protection, and even a single impact can cause severe spinal injuries. The California Office of Traffic Safety reported 605 motorcycle victims killed or injured in Los Angeles County in 2022.
- Truck and Commercial Vehicle Accidents: The size and weight of tractor-trailers and delivery vehicles can cause devastating injuries. Research analyzing California truck crashes notes that large trucks accounted for 372 deaths in 2020.
- Pedestrian and Bicycle Accidents: When a vehicle hits someone walking or biking, the result can lead to life-altering spinal cord damage. OTS reported 1,524 pedestrian victims and 475 bicyclist victims killed or injured in Los Angeles County traffic collisions in 2022.
- Slip and Fall Accidents: Unsafe stairs, wet floors, broken handrails, or poor lighting can lead to falls that injure the spine. California Department of Public Health data shows that falls are the leading cause of hospitalization in California.
- Construction and Workplace Accidents: Hazards are prevalent in active jobs due to heavy and dangerous equipment. The Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024 report shows that in 2023, there were 5,283 fatal work injuries, and construction-related injuries had the most fatalities of any industry sector nationwide, accounting for 1,075 deaths.
- Defective Products: Faulty vehicle parts, industrial tools, safety equipment, or mobility devices can contribute to spinal cord injuries if they fail during normal use or lack proper warnings.
- Medical or Surgical: In some cases, spinal cord injuries may occur due to surgical mistakes, improper technique, delayed diagnosis, or errors during procedures involving the spine.
If your spinal cord injury happened in any of these situations, identifying the true cause is crucial in determining who is liable and calculating the maximum compensation you may get.
Common Spinal Cord Injuries From Accidents
Spinal cord injuries can affect the body in different ways depending on where the spinal cord is damaged.
- Complete Spinal Cord Injury: Loss of motor function and sensation below the spinal cord injury level.
- Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury: Some movement and/or sensation remains below the injury level, but major impairment is still possible.
Common Spinal Cord Injury Levels
- Cervical Spinal Nerves Injury: May affect the body from the neck down, often impacting breathing, arm and hand function, and mobility.
- Thoracic Spinal Nerves Injury: Often affects the chest or trunk and may impact posture and lower-body function.
- Lumbar Spinal Nerves Injury: May affect hip and leg function, walking ability, and lower-body sensation.
- Sacral Spinal Nerves Injury: May affect pelvic organs and bowel/bladder function, sexual function, and parts of the legs or feet, depending on severity.
Types of Paralysis After a Spinal Cord Injury
- Quadriplegia (Tetraplegia): Paralysis affecting all four limbs and the torso. This is typically linked to cervical spine injuries.
- Paraplegia: Paralysis affecting the lower body, which is often associated with thoracic, lumbar, or sacral spinal injuries.
When Can Spinal Cord Injury Victims File a Claim
Most spinal cord injury cases come down to a simple question: could this injury have been prevented if someone had acted with reasonable care? If the answer is yes, you may have the right to pursue compensation for the harm you’ve suffered.
How Can Negligence Lead to Spinal Cord Injury
Negligence is when a person, company, or organization fails to act with reasonable care, and that failure causes you harm. This can happen in many everyday situations, such as a driver speeding or driving distracted, a property owner failing to fix or warn about a dangerous hazard, or a company allowing unsafe conditions.
How to Prove Liability
To recover compensation in a spinal cord injury claim, your legal team typically works to show:
- Duty of Care: The at-fault party had a legal responsibility to act with reasonable care.
- Breach of Duty: They failed to meet that responsibility.
- Causation: Their breach of duty directly caused your spinal cord injury.
- Damages: You suffered financial, physical, and personal losses that affect daily life.
Spinal cord injury claims are often high stakes because the costs can be long-term. At a time like this, it’s important to have a legal team that is experienced, prepared, committed, and built for serious claims.
Who May Be Liable for a Spinal Cord Injury
Spinal cord injuries are often caused by preventable negligence. Depending on how the spinal cord injury occurred, liability may fall on:
- Negligent drivers who cause crashes due to speeding, distraction, drunk driving, unsafe lane changes, or failing to yield.
- Trucking companies and commercial employers, when they engage in unsafe hiring, poor training, hours-of-service violations, unrealistic schedules, or weak safety policies that contribute to collisions.
- Rideshare companies when a rideshare trip is involved and negligent driving causes the crash.
- Property owners, landlords, and business operators who fail to address hazards such as broken stairs, missing handrails, wet floors, poor lighting, uneven walkways, or other maintenance issues.
- Construction companies and contractors when safety standards are ignored, fall protection is missing, or equipment is improperly used.
- Manufacturers and distributors of defective products, such as faulty auto parts, helmets, safety gear, or devices that fail and contribute to spinal trauma.
- Government entities involved in the accident or responsible for unsafe roads, missing signage, dangerous intersections, and hazardous public property conditions.
- Security companies or property managers when negligent security measures contribute to a foreseeable attack that results in spinal injury.
Because spinal cord injury claims often involve long-term medical needs and substantial damages, identifying every potential source of liability can be critical. Our attorneys can investigate the accident, preserve evidence, and pursue claims against all responsible parties.
Damages You Can Recover in a Spinal Cord Injury Claim
Spinal cord injuries are rarely simple. These injuries can leave you facing not only mounting medical bills, but also long-term costs that can last for years—or a lifetime.
Economic Damages
This covers the measurable financial losses caused by the accident and your injuries.
- Medical Expenses: Emergency care, hospitalization, surgery, imaging, medications, specialist visits, and follow-up treatment.
- Lost Wages: Income you missed while recovering, attending appointments, or unable to return to work.
- Future Medical Care: Ongoing rehabilitation, physical therapy, assistive devices, in-home care, and long-term treatment you may need.
- Property Damage: Repair or replacement costs for damaged property.
- Out-of-Pocket Expenses: Transportation to medical visits, medical supplies, home assistance, and other injury-related costs paid directly by you.
Non-Economic Damages
Address the physical and emotional harm you sustained from the injury.
- Pain and Suffering: Physical pain and discomfort, including chronic symptoms and daily limitations.
- Emotional Distress: Anxiety, depression, sleep disruption, trauma symptoms, and the mental toll of adapting to a serious injury.
- Loss of Enjoyment: Reduced ability to participate in hobbies, activities, and milestones you enjoyed before the injury.
- Scarring and Disfigurement: Permanent visible changes that affect confidence, comfort, or quality of life.
- Loss of Consortium: The impact the injury has on your relationship with your spouse or partner, including companionship and intimacy.
Punitive Damages
In rare accident cases, punitive damages may apply when the at-fault party’s conduct was especially reckless or showed a conscious disregard for safety. These damages are not meant to repay losses but to punish extreme misconduct and discourage similar behavior.
California’s Statute of Limitations for Spinal Cord Injuries
In most spinal cord injury cases, California law gives you two years from the date of the accident to pursue compensation. If your claim involves a government entity, you are given a shorter timeline. You generally must file a government claim within six months.
Missing these deadlines could mean losing your right to recover damages, no matter how strong your case may be or how much you need the compensation. That’s why it’s important to speak with a lawyer as soon as possible after a spinal cord injury, especially when a public entity may be involved.
Call us for a free case evaluation with a Los Angeles spinal cord injury lawyer to discuss deadlines, preserve evidence, and understand your next steps.
Why You Need a Lawyer for a Spinal Cord Injury
A spinal cord injury can change your life in ways no compensation can fully restore. But the right compensation can help you secure medical care, rehabilitation, equipment, and the long-term support you may need. Trying to handle a serious injury claim on your own can add stress during recovery and expose you to insurers that pressure you to settle for less than what you deserve.
Insurance companies may seem helpful, but they work to protect their own interests. They may question the severity of your condition, dispute the care you’ll need in the future, or push for a quick settlement before the full impact of your injury is clear. Because spinal cord injury cases often involve complex medical issues and long-term planning, it’s easy for important costs to be overlooked without experienced legal guidance.
What skilled attorneys can do for you:
- Investigate your case thoroughly to determine how it happened and identify all potentially responsible parties.
- Secure and preserve critical evidence such as crash or incident reports, witness statements, photos/video, and surveillance footage when available.
- Consult with experts in the medical and financial fields to properly document future care needs, adaptive equipment, and long-term costs.
- Handle insurance communications and negotiations so you can avoid missteps and focus on treatment.
- Build a strong case supported by evidence, clear documentation, expert analysis, and a complete accounting of damages.
When you choose the right lawyer, you gain protection, leverage, and a team focused on proving the full impact of your injury and pursuing fair compensation.
How Our Law Firm Builds Your Case
At the Law Offices of Larry H. Parker, we build your case with careful planning, focused on protecting your rights and presenting the full impact of your injuries.
- Free case evaluation: We start with a no-cost consultation to learn what happened, answer your questions, understand what you’re up against, and explain your options.
- Investigation and Evidence Gathering: We act quickly to gather key evidence, including incident or crash reports, photos, video footage, and witness statements.
- Working with Experts: When needed, we consult medical professionals, accident reconstruction specialists, and life care planners to support the medical and financial reality of your claim.
- Calculating Damages: We document all expenses, medical records, income information, and future-care needs to demonstrate the full scope of your damages.
- Negotiating with Insurance Companies: We handle communications and negotiations with insurers to pursue a fair resolution based on the evidence and damages documented.
- Preparing for Trial: We always prepare your case as if it will go to trial. So when the at-fault party or their insurance companies refuse to offer the compensation you deserve, we are ready to take the fight to court for a verdict.
Why Choose Our Spinal Cord Injury Law Firm
When you suffer a life-changing injury, choosing the right law firm matters. You need a spinal cord injury law firm with a proven track record, experience, resources, and commitment to fighting for justice.
- 50+ Years of Serving Los Angeles: We have been representing clients across Los Angeles since 1972.
- Multilingual Team: Our bilingual team is ready to assist clients in English or Spanish.
- Neighborhood Familiarity: We know the Los Angeles roads, courts, and communities that we can use to your advantage.
- Proven Case Results: We’ve recovered over $2 billion for injured clients.
- Full-Service Support: We handle the investigation, evidence, and insurance communication so you can focus on treatment and rebuilding your life.
- Personalized Attention: Under our care, you’re not treated like a case number. We keep you informed, answer questions promptly, and tailor strategy to your needs and long-term goals.
If you suffered a spinal cord injury in a Los Angeles accident, the Law Offices of Larry H. Parker is ready to help. Call us at 562-620-5912 or submit our contact form for a free consultation. We’re available 24/7 to take your call.
Client Testimonials
Many law firms can offer representation, but the level of care, compassion, and dedication we bring to cases we handle is rare. We take pride in the trust people place in our team, and we work hard to earn it every step of the way. Our past clients can testify to our commitment to every case.
“Great overall experience. Paralegal and staff were thorough and clear, easy to understand legal process, quick response time. Completely recommended for personal injury cases. – Diana E.
Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer Near Me
We proudly represent clients across Los Angeles County, including Downtown LA and the Westside, the San Fernando Valley, East LA, South LA, and nearby communities. No matter where your accident happened, you can rely on our team for support.
Central Los Angeles & Core Business Hubs
- Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA)
- Century City
- Mid-Wilshire / Miracle Mile
- Koreatown
Westside & The “Silicon Beach” Corridor
- Beverly Hills
- Santa Monica
- Culver City
- Playa Vista
- Westwood
- Malibu
San Fernando Valley (The Valley) & North County
- Burbank
- Studio City / Sherman Oaks
- Woodland Hills / Warner Center
- Santa Clarita
South Bay & Harbor Area
- Torrance
- El Segundo / LAX Corridor
- Long Beach
- Inglewood
- San Pedro
San Gabriel Valley (SGV) & Northeast
- Pasadena
- Glendale
- Alhambra / Monterey Park
- East Los Angeles (Unincorporated Area Focus)
Frequently Asked Questions
What if I’m partly to blame for the accident that caused my spinal cord injury?
You may still be able to recover compensation. California follows a comparative negligence rule, which means your compensation may be reduced by your percentage of fault, but it does not prevent you from pursuing a claim.
What is the most important evidence for a spinal cord injury claim?
Strong spinal cord injury claims are built on clear medical proof and evidence showing how the accident happened. Helpful evidence often includes medical records and imaging, specialist evaluations, accident reports, witness statements, photos or video footage, and documentation of lost income and long-term care needs.
What are the most common signs and symptoms of a spinal cord injury?
Symptoms can vary depending on the location and severity of the injury. Common signs may include pain or pressure in the neck or back, weakness or loss of movement, numbness or tingling, loss of sensation, difficulty breathing, and problems with balance or coordination. If you suspect a spinal cord injury, seek emergency medical care right away.
Can I still recover compensation if I had a preexisting neck or back injury when the accident happened?
Yes. If an accident worsened a preexisting condition or caused new symptoms, you may still have a valid claim. However, insurance companies often use preexisting injuries to minimize payouts, which is why clear medical documentation and a timeline connecting the accident to your symptoms can be especially important when a prior condition exists.
Will I have to go to court for a spinal cord injury claim?
Not always. Many spinal cord injury claims are resolved through settlement, but some cases require litigation, especially if fault is disputed or the insurance company refuses to offer fair compensation.
If you have any additional personal injury questions, we’re here to help.
Your Advocate for Justice
When a spinal cord injury disrupts your life, you need a legal team that shows up consistently and is always prepared. At The Law Offices of Larry H. Parker, we’re committed to guiding you through the process, protecting your rights, and pursuing compensation that reflects the full impact of your injury.
- Free Case Evaluation
- No Fees Unless We Win
- Available 24/7
Call us at 562-620-5912 or submit a contact form and let us get to work and fight for justice.
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