Tustin Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer
Spinal Injury After an Accident in Tustin?
Spine injuries range from a herniated disc that makes sitting, lifting or sleeping painful for years, to damage to the spinal cord itself that causes numbness, weakness or paralysis. Either way, they can change your work, your family life and your finances, and they often need surgery and long-term care.
I'm Gary A. Peterson. I've practiced law for more than 30 years, and for the last 20-plus I've represented injured people. I began my career defending insurance companies, and spine claims are where insurers most often argue that the problem was "degenerative" and was there before the accident. I know how to answer that argument. When you hire my office, you work directly with me.
No Win, No Fee.
Contact Us Today.
Types of Spine Injuries I Handle
- Herniated and bulging discs in the neck and lower back, often causing pain, numbness or weakness down the arms or legs. See how a car crash causes a herniated disc.
- Vertebral fractures, including compression fractures.
- Incomplete spinal cord injuries, where some feeling or movement remains below the injury.
- Complete spinal cord injuries causing paraplegia or tetraplegia (quadriplegia).
- Soft tissue and nerve injuries, such as whiplash, that can become chronic. See the long-term effects of whiplash.
Common Causes
Most spine injuries I see come from car accidents, especially rear-end and side-impact collisions, and from truck, motorcycle and pedestrian crashes. Falls are another major cause, including slip and fall accidents and falls from ladders and scaffolds on construction sites. Even a crash with little vehicle damage can injure the spine, as I explain in can a "minor" car accident cause serious back injuries?
The "Pre-Existing Condition" Argument
By middle age, many people's MRIs show some disc wear. Insurers use that to say your pain isn't from the accident. California law doesn't let them off that easily. If an accident made an existing condition worse, or turned a back that caused you no trouble into one that needs surgery, the person responsible is liable for that harm. The law takes you as you were.
The key is evidence that shows the change: your medical history before the accident, imaging taken after it, your treating doctors' opinions, and testimony from the people who know how you lived before. I studied mechanical engineering before law school, and I use that background, together with biomechanical analysis when needed, to explain how the forces in a crash or fall injured the spine.
What a Spinal Injury Claim Can Cover
Spine injuries are often among the most costly injuries to live with. A claim can include:
- surgery, hospital care, rehabilitation and pain management
- future medical care, medication and equipment, often set out in a life care plan
- home and vehicle modifications for serious injuries
- lost wages and lost earning capacity
- pain, suffering, emotional distress and loss of enjoyment of life
California doesn't cap these damages in an ordinary injury case. Over my career, I've recovered over $20 million for my clients in total.
How Fees Work: No Recovery, No Fee Guarantee
I handle spinal injury cases on a contingency fee. You pay nothing upfront, I advance the costs of the case, including medical and economic evaluations, and they're repaid from your recovery. If there's no recovery, you owe no fee.
Spinal Cord Injury FAQs
Can I recover if I had back problems before the accident?
Yes. If the accident made your condition worse, the responsible party is liable for that added harm. The insurer will point to the earlier condition, so medical records from before and after the accident are important.
Can a low-speed crash cause a herniated disc?
It can. Vehicle damage isn't a reliable measure of the forces on a person's spine, especially in rear-end collisions. Your symptoms and imaging matter more than the repair bill.
What is the difference between a complete and incomplete spinal cord injury?
With an incomplete injury, some feeling or movement remains below the level of the injury. With a complete injury, there's no feeling or voluntary movement below that level.
How much is a spinal cord injury case worth?
It depends on the injury, the treatment needed, your age and work, and the long-term effects on your life. Serious cases often involve future care costs that need medical and economic evidence to calculate.
How long do I have to file a spinal injury claim in California?
Generally two years from the date of the injury, or six months for a government claim if a public agency was involved.
Talk to a Tustin Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer
If you've suffered a spine injury in an accident, call me at (714) 461-6003 or request a free consultation. I'll review your records and explain your options. You can also read more about my background, my page on brain injuries, or see the other types of injury cases I handle.
No Win, No Fee.
Contact Us Today.
No Win, No Fee.
Contact Us Today.