The best spinal cord injury lawyers in California
Spinal Cord Injury Lawyers You Can Trust
When you or a loved one suffers a spinal cord injury, the consequences can be devastating, affecting your ability to work, maintain independence, and enjoy daily life. Such injuries frequently result in emotional distress, significant medical expenses, and long-term financial hardship for one’s entire family. If your injury was caused by another person’s negligence, you and your family may be eligible to receive substantial compensation through a spinal cord injury lawsuit.
At Stalwart Law, our team of spinal cord injury lawyers helps victims recover from damages and go on to lead active, fulfilling lives. We win all types of spinal injury cases, from car accidents and falls to assaults and medical malpractice claims.
What is a Spinal Cord Injury?
A spinal cord injury (SCI) involves significant damage to the spinal cord, which is an essential bundle of nerves responsible for sending signals between your brain and the rest of your body. This type of injury usually results from direct trauma to the spinal cord itself or from damage to surrounding tissues and vertebrae. After suffering a spinal cord injury, the victim’s loss of function and feeling is determined by the location of the trauma along the spinal cord.
Spinal cord injuries can be categorized broadly into two types:
- Complete Injuries: Resulting in total loss of sensation and motor function below the injury site.
- Incomplete Injuries: Allowing partial sensation or movement below the affected area.
No two spinal cord injuries are exactly alike, and 2 people with the same trauma location along the spinal cord may have different chances of partial recovery. When the spinal cord is squeezed, pinched, or bruised, compromising blood flow and damaging nerves, the transmission of information is affected both ways. By interrupting sensory messages from the body to the brain, the victim will lose feeling in certain parts of their body. By interrupting signals from the brain to the rest of the body, the victim will lose the ability to command movement in certain parts of their body.
Why Choose Stalwart Law Group for Your Spinal Cord Injury Lawsuit?
Fueled by passion and driven by results, our team continues to win million-dollar settlements for spinal cord injury victims.
Winning your case means choosing the right legal team to fight for you. When searching for the right spinal cord injury lawyer, you should look for relevant experience, a track record of success, and an attorney who has mastered both the medical and legal aspects of these injuries. At Stalwart, our team is led by Dr. Steven Heimberg, who is both a physician and an attorney. Dr. Heimberg is recognized as the #1 medical lawyer in the United States, and has won the highest medical settlement and verdict in the history of California.
Placing your trust in Stalwart Law ensures you are in good hands when filing your claim. Below are just a few of the spinal cord injury settlements we have secured for our clients:
$9 Million
Awarded to a man who became paralyzed after a solo auto accident in the rain that resulted due to negligently designed roadway
$8.225 Million
For the victim of negligent unsupervised intraoperative neurophysiologic monitoring (IONM) and negligent spinal surgery, resulting in quadriplegia
$6 Million
for a boy who became paralyzed after being dog-piled in the playground because the school failed to implement safety measures and negligently supervised students
$5 million
Malpractice settlement for a patient whose undiagnosed epidural abscess after a successful neck surgery resulted in quadriplegia
Spinal Cord Injury Compensation: How Do You Prove Negligence in California?
If you sustained a spinal cord injury due to the negligence or intentional actions of another party, you are likely owed compensation that will aid in your recovery. The expert team of spinal cord injury attorneys at Stalwart can evaluate your claim, represent you throughout the entire legal process, and advocate for maximum financial compensation on your behalf.
When it comes to spinal cord injuries, California operates under a system of “pure comparative negligence.” This means that you can still recover compensation for your spinal cord injury even if you were partially responsible for the accident. If that’s the case, the awarded compensation will be reduced by the percentage of fault attributed to you. Knowing this, it is essential to speak up and file a spinal cord injury lawsuit even if you believe you are partially to blame for the incident.
To successfully claim compensation, you must prove the negligence of the other party involved by demonstrating the 4 elements of negligence. The right lawyer will have plenty of experience establishing these elements, which include the following:
- Duty: The defendant had a general legal duty to avoid actions or situations harmful to others.
- Breach of duty: The duty of care was not exercised or fell below an accepted standard.
- Causation: The breach of duty is found to be the cause of the accident.
- Damages: Injury and losses were suffered resulting from the breach of duty
The right lawyer will have plenty of experience proving these essential factors. At Stalwart, our team is well-versed in both medical law and catastrophic injury, making us the best choice for your SCI lawsuit. Our attorneys will thoroughly investigate your case, gather necessary evidence, and demonstrate each of these elements to strengthen your claim and ensure that you receive the compensation you deserve.
Causes of Spinal Cord Injury
According to the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center, the most common causes of spinal cord injury in 2025 are:
- Automobile accidents (37.7%)
- Falls (32%)
- Violence, such as gunshot wounds or stabbings (15.5%)
- Sports injuries (7.7%)
- Medical or surgical complications (3.7%)
Other causes of spinal cord injury don’t involve trauma. Some of these include arthritis, cancer, inflammation, and infections.
In the United States, approximately 18,000 people suffer a spinal cord injury every year as a result of these causes. In California alone, about 1,400 people will experience a spinal cord injury every year. Sadly, many of these injuries are the result of another person or organization’s negligence. In such cases, victims deserve strong legal allies who will fight to provide the greatest possible future for them and their families.
Can Medical Malpractice Cause a Spinal Cord Injury?
Yes, medical malpractice can sometimes cause a spinal cord injury (SCI). When a medical professional or organization acts negligently and fails to meet the established standard of care, their mistakes can have life-altering consequences for patients, including spinal cord injuries.
Medical malpractice can lead to SCI in the following ways:
- Failure to treat infections
- Misdiagnosis, or failure to diagnose a condition that leads to SCI
- Surgical Errors
- Medication errors (such as anesthesia)
- Birth Injuries
If your spinal cord injury was the result of a healthcare provider’s negligence, you may have grounds for a serious spinal cord injury lawsuit and medical malpractice claim. In these cases, it’s important to seek legal counsel with a spinal cord injury lawyer who also has experience with claims involving medical error. For more information about spinal cord injuries and medical malpractice, read our article on common medical errors that lead to SCI.
Types and Levels of Spinal Cord Injury
The loss of feeling and motor control from a spinal cord injury, called paralysis, is classified by the following conditions, which are either complete or incomplete:
- Tetraplegia, also called quadriplegia: All of the limbs are paralyzed by the injury, including the arms, hands, trunk, legs, and pelvic organs.
- Paraplegia: Paralysis that affects the lower limbs and lower torso, but not the arms and upper body.
- riplegia: A rare form of paralysis that affects 3 limbs.
Some victims will experience partial recovery after an injury, but recovery usually plateaus after a year of rehabilitation. Unfortunately, spinal cord damage is typically permanent, but ongoing research and medical advancements continue to provide hope for those living with SCI. Emerging treatments are aimed at nerve regeneration, improved function, and assistive technologies that can help restore function after a spinal cord injury.
Spinal cord injuries are classified into different levels, which correspond to the 5 regions of the spine. The location of trauma along the spine determines the abilities that a person will lose or retain. Generally, the higher the location of damage, the more catastrophic the injury will be.
The 5 levels of spinal cord injury are as follows:
- Cervical (C): The neck area, which has 7 vertebrae (C1-C7). Because this is the highest point on the spine, cervical injuries can cause quadriplegia.
- Thoracic (T): The upper back, which has 12 vertebrae (T1-T12). Thorac injuries cause paraplegia and dysfunction of the bowel and bladder
- Lumbar (L): The lower back region, which has 5 vertebrae (L1-L5). Lumbar injuries can also cause paraplegia and organ dysfunction.
- Sacral (S): The pelvic area, which has 5 vertebrae that are fused together (S1-S5). Sacral injuries may cause an inability to control one’s thighs, lower legs, feet, and reproductive organs.
- Coccygeal (Cx): The Tailbone, which consists of 4 fused vertebrae (Cx1-Cx4). Injuries in this area may affect sensation in the lower back. These injuries are often very painful but less serious than the other types.
Knowing the different levels of spinal cord injuries can help you understand potential symptoms, expectations for prognosis and recovery, and how to move forward with treatment and rehabilitation. They also play a role in determining the amount of compensation to demand when filing a spinal injury lawsuit.
Remember: while understanding these distinctions can help you and your family prepare for the medical, legal, and emotional support needed after your injury, staying optimistic is key. Like all instances of SCI, your situation is unique, and it’s possible that you may recover much more than expected.
Choosing Stalwart for your spinal cord injury case means choosing experienced lawyers you can trust. If you’re ready to join forces with the best legal team in Southern California, contact our attorneys today.
You Are Not Alone: Resources for SCI Survivors in SoCal
If you have recently experienced a spinal cord injury, the first thing to remember is this: you are not alone. One of the most empowering things you can do after your injury is connect with others who share in your circumstance.
Below is a list of foundations, organizations, and groups that you can join to connect with fellow survivors of SCI.
The Triumph Foundation provides comprehensive support services including peer mentoring, support groups, equipment assistance, social activities, and home modification assistance.
Casa Colina hosts weekly group meetings for SCI survivors and provides education, socialization, and support. casacolina.org
Know Barriers is a life coaching and skill-building program from Rancho Los Amigos, the largest SCI rehab hospital in southern California. They offer life coaching and skill-building, focusing on building confidence and achieving your goals post-SCI.
Pushrim is a social network and resource platform for SCI survivors and affected family members in the greater Los Angeles area.
PossAbilities is a large community outreach program designed by Loma Linda University in San Bernardino County. It offers peer-to-peer physical, social, and educational opportunities.
United Spinal is a resource hub offering guidance and resources led by experienced SCI survivors. Becoming a member grants you access to support groups, vast resources, events, recreation programs, and more.
Paralyzed Veterans of America – California Chapters
Advocacy, resources, and support programs specifically for veterans with SCI.
Bankers Hill is a social and service club supporting persons with disabilities in San Diego, hosting events emphasizing inclusivity.
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