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Los Angeles spinal cord injury lawyer
SCI cases require board-certified life-care planning. Lifetime costs run $1 million to $5 million depending on injury level — and case value tracks the medical reality of paraplegia and quadriplegia.
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Reach a lawyer 24/7. The consultation is free. You owe no fee unless we recover for you. Seven California offices: Sherman Oaks (HQ), Glendale, Beverly Hills, Irvine, Bakersfield, Visalia, and Modesto.
$1B+
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What an SCI case actually costs
A spinal cord injury is a thirty- to fifty-year stream of medical, attendant-care, equipment, and modification costs. The Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation places the lifetime cost of a high-tetraplegia case at approximately $5 million in 2023 dollars; paraplegia cases at approximately $2.5 million; incomplete-injury cases at approximately $1.5 million. The numbers track the level of injury (cervical, thoracic, lumbar), the completeness of the lesion (ASIA classification A through E), and the patient's age at injury.
Los Angeles has the rehabilitation infrastructure to handle the SCI medical course. Cedars-Sinai Spine Center, the UCLA Reagan Trauma Program, Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center, Casa Colina Hospital and Centers for Healthcare, and Keck Medical Center of USC handle the acute neurosurgical and rehabilitation phase. The challenge is what comes after — attendant care (often 24-hour for high-tetraplegia), durable medical equipment replacement cycles, ADA-compliant home and vehicle modifications, vocational rehabilitation, psychological care, and the bowel/bladder/skin/respiratory complications that recur for life.
On the legal side, the case is built around three deliverables: the life-care plan (a board-certified life-care planner itemizes every future medical expense, equipment cost, attendant-care line, and modification expense for the client's expected lifetime); the economic present-value workup (a forensic economist reduces the future stream to present value at the discount rate accepted in California catastrophic-injury practice); and the liability proof (reconstruction, biomechanical, and product-defect experts as needed).
Statutes of limitation are tight relative to the medical course. CCP §335.1 sets two years for personal injury. Government-entity claims under Government Code §911.2 require six-month written claim. The clocks do not pause for medical recovery; we open the file early.
Burg & Brock has tried catastrophic-injury and SCI cases out of the Sherman Oaks headquarters since founding more than two decades ago. The life-care planner relationships, forensic economist relationships, and treating-team coordination at Cedars-Sinai, UCLA Reagan, Rancho, and Casa Colina are in place.
Your rights under California law
California SCI cases run through standard negligence and products-liability law plus the public-entity claim framework when a government defendant is involved.
Rodriguez v. McDonnell Douglas Corp. (1978) 87 Cal.App.3d 626 is the long-standing authority on future-medical-care projection in catastrophic-injury cases — including the present-value reduction by an economist at trial. Soule v. General Motors Corp. (1994) 8 Cal.4th 548 sets the design-defect framework when crashworthiness factors into the SCI mechanism.
Howell v. Hamilton Meats & Provisions, Inc. (2011) 52 Cal.4th 541 controls medical-bill admissibility. Pebley v. Santa Clara Organics, LLC (2018) 22 Cal.App.5th 1266 sets the lien-treatment framework. Greenman v. Yuba Power Products (1963) 59 Cal.2d 57 anchors strict products-liability theories.
How Burg & Brock works your case
SCI cases are deliverable-driven: life-care plan, economic workup, liability proof. Each requires its own expert with deep California-practice experience.
- Acute-phase coordination. Coordinate with the treating neurosurgical team without interfering with care. Preserve evidence — vehicle, scene, devices — before spoliation.
- Treating-team alignment. Treating physiatrist, neurosurgeon, and rehab team need to be aligned on long-term needs before the demand goes out.
- Life-care plan. Board-certified life-care planner builds the case-valuation document. Every future surgery, attendant-care line, equipment cycle, modification cost.
- Economic workup. Forensic economist reduces the future stream to present value.
- Liability proof. Reconstructionist, biomechanical engineer, product-defect specialists. Crashworthiness analysis when restraint failure or vehicle design factors.
- Demand and litigation. Demand structured the way a verdict form is structured. Filing in LA County Superior Court when offers are below the floor.
Operational note: SCI cases benefit from psychological and family support throughout litigation. The medical course is long; the legal case develops alongside it. Settlement timing is set by medical stabilization, not by litigation pressure.
Common SCI case profiles in Los Angeles
High-energy motor vehicle collisions. I-405, I-110, I-10, US-101 catastrophic crashes producing cervical or thoracic injury.
Truck and big-rig SCI cases. Trailer-impact and underride cases.
Motorcycle SCI cases. Lateral impacts and high-speed off-road excursions.
Pedestrian-strike SCI cases. Severe pedestrian collisions with thoracic or lumbar injury.
Construction-fall SCI cases. Privette/Hooker/Kinsman framework against general contractors.
Diving and recreational SCI cases. Pool, beach, or recreational-facility incidents.
Premises-liability SCI cases. Falls from height, structural-failure, or unsafe-condition-induced incidents.
Crashworthiness SCI cases. Restraint or roof-crush failure under Soule v. GM framework.
Medical-malpractice SCI cases. Negligent surgical or anesthetic care producing iatrogenic SCI.
Workplace SCI cases. Third-party tort against equipment manufacturers, contractors, or premises owners parallel to workers' comp.
Common causes
- High-energy motor vehicle collisions.
- Falls from height in construction or industrial settings.
- Diving and shallow-water injuries.
- Crashworthiness failures under Soule v. GM.
- Negligent surgical or anesthetic care (iatrogenic SCI).
- Sports and recreational injuries with negligent supervision.
- Inadequate fall-protection on elevated work platforms.
- Defective products including helmets, restraints, and recreational equipment.
Liability theories
SCI liability typically reaches multiple defendants. The standard analysis includes:
- The at-fault driver, contractor, premises owner, or product manufacturer — primary negligence under Civil Code §1714.
- Any employer or contractor under respondeat superior or Privette/Hooker analysis.
- Vehicle, restraint, helmet, or equipment manufacturer for crashworthiness or design defects.
- A government entity for dangerous-condition contribution under Government Code §835.
- Medical-malpractice defendants for iatrogenic SCI cases.
- The plaintiff's UM/UIM carrier when at-fault driver is uninsured or underinsured.
Workers'-compensation cases producing SCI proceed in parallel with third-party tort claims. The comp lien on a third-party recovery is negotiable.
How damages break down
Economic damages on a serious SCI case routinely run into seven and eight figures. The life-care plan itemizes every future medical expense, attendant-care line, equipment cycle, modification cost. The economist reduces the stream to present value. Lost earning capacity is typically substantial because most SCI clients face permanent vocational impact.
Non-economic damages cover pain and suffering, disfigurement, loss of enjoyment of life (substantial in SCI cases because of mobility, sexual-function, and life-activity impacts), and loss of consortium for a spouse.
Punitive damages under Civil Code §3294 are available where the underlying conduct supports clear-and-convincing-evidence proof of malice — DUI cases, conscious-disregard contractor practices, knowing safety-equipment defeat.
Reported settlement and verdict ranges
| Case profile | Reported range | Drivers |
|---|
| Incomplete cervical SCI with substantial recovery | $1.4 million – $4.5 million | ASIA D classification, partial recovery, life-care plan. |
| Complete paraplegia (T6 or below) | $3.5 million – $9 million | Life-care plan with attendant-care, modifications, equipment cycles. |
| Complete tetraplegia (C5 or below) | $6 million – $18 million | 24-hour attendant care, ventilator dependence in some cases, full modifications. |
| High tetraplegia (C1-C4) | $10 million – $25+ million | Maximum life-care plan, ventilator dependence, full attendant care. |
| Wrongful-death SCI case | $2.5 million – $12+ million | CCP §377.60 heirs plus §377.30 survival action for pre-death pain. |
Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. Each case is evaluated on its own facts and applicable law.
Why work with Burg & Brock
Burg & Brock has tried catastrophic SCI cases for two decades. The life-care planner relationships, forensic economist relationships, and Cedars-Sinai/UCLA/Rancho/Casa Colina coordination are in place.
The firm tries cases. SCI carriers and excess insurers settle differently with firms that have taken comparable cases through trial.
Contingency fee. Free consultation.
Steps after a Los Angeles SCI
- Get acute-phase medical care. Trauma-center transport. Neurosurgical workup.
- Preserve evidence. Vehicle, scene, devices, equipment — do not let any of it be destroyed.
- Document everything photographically. Injuries, scene, mechanism.
- Get the police report. Plus any OSHA or Cal/OSHA report for workplace cases.
- Identify witnesses. Medical and lay witnesses to the mechanism.
- Do not give a recorded statement. Refer all carrier and adverse-counsel requests to your attorney.
- Call a lawyer in the first ninety-six hours. Life-care planning starts early. Government claims have six-month deadlines.
Where these cases are filed
LA County Superior Court — Stanley Mosk Courthouse — for cases in LA County. Federal court under diversity for crashworthiness cases against major manufacturers.
Cases against public entities require Government Code §911.2 written claim within six months.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a spinal cord injury actually cost over a lifetime?
Per Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation 2023 data, high tetraplegia (C1-C4) lifetime cost approximately $5 million; low tetraplegia (C5-C8) approximately $4 million; paraplegia approximately $2.5 million; incomplete injury approximately $1.5 million. The numbers track injury level, completeness, age at injury, and patient activity level. A board-certified life-care planner builds the patient-specific projection.
What is the ASIA classification system?
The American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale grades injury completeness from A (complete — no motor or sensory function preserved below the level of injury) to E (normal). The classification is part of the medical record and drives life-care planning.
How long do I have to file an SCI case in California?
Two years from the date of injury under CCP §335.1. Government-entity defendants require six-month written claim under Government Code §911.2. Medical-malpractice cases have separate MICRA-driven deadlines under CCP §340.5.
Who builds the life-care plan?
A board-certified life-care planner — typically a registered nurse with additional certification in life-care planning. The planner reviews medical records, interviews the client and treating physicians, and produces an itemized projection of every future medical expense, attendant-care line, equipment cycle, and modification cost.
What damages are recoverable in an SCI case?
Past medical bills (Howell admissibility), future medical care projected by life-care planner, lost earnings and earning capacity reduced to present value by forensic economist, household services, ADA-compliant home and vehicle modifications, attendant care, durable medical equipment, pain and suffering, disfigurement, loss of enjoyment of life, loss of consortium for a spouse. Punitive damages where the underlying conduct supports it.
Are punitive damages available?
Yes, where the underlying conduct supports clear-and-convincing-evidence findings of malice — DUI cases, conscious-disregard contractor practices, knowing safety-equipment defeat by manufacturers.
What about workers' comp for a workplace SCI?
Workers' comp is the exclusive remedy against the employer in most California workplace cases. It does not bar third-party tort claims against equipment manufacturers, contractors, premises owners, or other parties whose negligence contributed. The comp lien on the third-party recovery is negotiable.
How long does an SCI case take?
Eighteen to thirty-six months for serious cases; longer for catastrophic cases. The medical course needs to stabilize before the case can be fairly valued.
Does Burg & Brock advance the case costs?
Yes. Life-care planner fees, economist fees, expert witness fees, deposition transcripts, and court-filing fees are advanced by the firm and reimbursed from the recovery.
What is the difference between paraplegia and quadriplegia?
Paraplegia is paralysis affecting the lower body — typically T1 or below. Quadriplegia (now usually called tetraplegia) is paralysis affecting all four limbs — typically C8 or above. Tetraplegia at higher cervical levels (C1-C4) often requires ventilator support and 24-hour attendant care.
Where is the case filed?
LA County Superior Court — Stanley Mosk Courthouse — for cases in LA County.
How much does Burg & Brock charge?
Nothing up front. Contingency fee.
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Talk to a Burg & Brock attorney today
No fee unless we recover. Free consultation. Seven California offices, including Sherman Oaks (HQ), Glendale, Beverly Hills, Irvine, Bakersfield, Visalia, and Modesto.
Call (888) 528-8595
Burg & Brock office locations: Sherman Oaks (HQ) — 4554 Sherman Oaks Avenue, Unit A100, Sherman Oaks, CA 91403 · Glendale — 633 N. Central Avenue, Suite 200, Glendale, CA 91203 · Beverly Hills — 9701 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 1000, Beverly Hills, CA 90212 · Irvine — 7545 Irvine Center Drive, Suite 200, Irvine, CA 92618 · Bakersfield — 4900 California Avenue, Tower B, 2nd Floor, Bakersfield, CA 93309 · Visalia — 2300 W Whitendale Avenue, Visalia, CA 93277 · Modesto — 1015 12th Street, Suite 4, Modesto, CA 95354. Phone: (888) 528-8595.
