Home › Practice Areas › Spinal Cord Injury
Tampa Spinal Cord Injury Attorney
A spinal cord injury changes how you move, work, and live, and the costs continue for decades. The Reyes Firm helps Tampa families document lifetime care needs and pursue full compensation, not a quick settlement.
or dial (833) 422-3329 · no fee unless we win · Hablamos Español
Why Tampa Families Bring Us Spinal Cord Cases
We Build the Case Around Lifetime Costs
Spinal cord injuries cost the most years after the accident: attendant care, equipment, home and vehicle modifications, repeat surgeries. We document those needs before anyone talks about settlement.
We Work With Your Medical Team
Prognosis drives value in these cases. We work with your treating physicians and, where needed, medical and vocational experts to show what function has been lost and what it will take to live with it.
We Do Not Let an Early Offer Set the Number
Insurers often move fast after a catastrophic injury, before the long-term picture is clear. A signed release cannot be reopened, so we wait for the medical answers first.
No Fee Unless We Win
Your consultation is free and we work on a contingency fee. You pay no attorney fee unless we recover compensation for you.
What Is a Spinal Cord Injury?
A spinal cord injury is damage to the spinal cord that causes a loss of function, sensation, or mobility. Severity ranges from partial loss of function to complete paralysis, and the level of the injury on the spine determines much of what follows.
Most spinal cord injuries require extensive treatment, long rehabilitation, and permanent adjustments to daily life. Those costs do not stop when the hospital stay ends, which is why the value of a claim depends so heavily on the long-term picture.
- Partial or complete paralysis
- Loss of sensation or numbness in limbs or torso
- Difficulty breathing, speaking, or swallowing
- Chronic pain, muscle spasms, and weakness
- Loss of bladder or bowel control
Common Causes of Spinal Cord Injuries in Tampa
When someone else’s carelessness caused the injury, they can be held accountable. We investigate how it happened and identify every party and policy that may be responsible.
Car Accidents
Rear-end, head-on, and high-speed collisions transfer enormous force through the neck and back.
Motorcycle and Truck Crashes
Less protection and greater force make spinal damage far more likely in these collisions.
Slip and Fall Accidents
Falls on unsafe property are among the most common causes of serious spinal injuries.
Workplace Injuries
Construction sites, warehouses, and factories see falls from height and equipment failures.
Sports and Diving Accidents
Diving into shallow water, football, and gymnastics account for a share of catastrophic spinal injuries.
Defective Products
Failed safety equipment, seats, restraints, or machinery can cause or worsen a spinal injury.
Signs of a Spinal Cord Injury
With a suspected spinal injury, time matters. Call 911 and avoid moving the injured person unless there is immediate danger. Getting medical care quickly can limit further damage, and the records created in those first hours often become central to the claim.
Numbness or tingling in the limbs
Often the first sign that nerve function has been affected.
Weakness or inability to move
Any loss of movement after a trauma needs emergency evaluation.
Loss of balance or coordination
Trouble standing, walking, or controlling movement.
Breathing difficulty
Injuries higher on the spine can affect the muscles used to breathe.
Pain or pressure in the neck or back
Especially severe or worsening pain after an impact.
Loss of bladder or bowel control
A red flag that warrants immediate medical attention.
How We Build a Spinal Cord Injury Claim
Investigation
We gather the scene evidence, records, and witness accounts, and work with experts to establish how the injury happened and who is responsible.
Medical and care planning
We work with your treating providers, and where needed a life care planner, to document the care, equipment, and support you will need.
Negotiating with insurers
We present the full lifetime picture rather than letting an early offer define the value of a permanent injury.
Litigation, if needed
If the insurer will not deal fairly, we are prepared to file suit and try the case.
What a Tampa Spinal Cord Injury Claim Is Worth
There is no standard figure. These claims are valued on a lifetime of consequences: the care you will need, the work you can no longer do, and the ways daily life has changed. Future costs are usually the largest part of the claim, and they have to be documented with medical and financial evidence.
Florida’s comparative fault rule can reduce recovery, and a two-year deadline applies to most injury claims.
- Surgery, hospitalization, and ongoing treatment
- Rehabilitation, attendant care, and nursing
- Home and vehicle modifications, equipment
- Lost wages and lost earning capacity
- Pain, suffering, and loss of quality of life
Spinal Cord Injury Questions, Answered
Will PIP cover a spinal cord injury?
Only a small part of it. Florida PIP pays up to $10,000 in medical benefits and lost wages, which a spinal cord injury exhausts almost immediately. Beyond that, recovery usually comes from a claim against the at-fault party and any available liability or uninsured motorist coverage. Finding every applicable policy is one of the first things we do.
How long do I have to file a spinal cord injury claim in Florida?
Two years from the date of the injury for most negligence claims, under Florida Statute § 95.11 as amended by HB 837 in 2023. Some situations carry different deadlines, so it is worth asking early rather than close to the date.
Should I settle before I finish rehabilitation?
Settling early is risky with a spinal injury. Accepting an offer means signing a release that permanently closes the claim, and with these injuries the long-term prognosis often is not clear for months. If your needs turn out to be greater than expected, the claim cannot be reopened.
What if I can never return to my job?
A claim can include lost earning capacity, not just the wages missed so far. That usually means documenting what you earned, what work you can still do, and what the difference is over a working lifetime, often with medical and vocational evidence.
Who pays for equipment and home modifications?
Wheelchairs, lifts, ramps, vehicle modifications, and accessible bathrooms can all form part of a claim for future costs, along with attendant care. These are documented as part of the long-term care picture rather than paid out of pocket and forgotten.
Other Cases We Handle
Injured another way? The Reyes Firm represents accident victims across Tampa Bay.
A Spinal Cord Injury Lasts a Lifetime. So Should the Claim.
Free consultation, no fee unless we win. Our office is at 4730 N. Habana Ave., Suite 201, Tampa, FL 33614.
(833) 422-3329 · Hablamos Español