Spinal cord injuries can cause chronic pain, mobility loss, paralysis, and lifelong medical needs. VanWa Legal PLLC helps spinal injury victims in Vancouver and Clark County pursue compensation for treatment, rehabilitation, lost income, and future care.
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A spinal cord injury can change nearly every part of daily life, from how you move to how independently you can care for yourself. Recovery is rarely a single event, it is often years of treatment, rehabilitation, and adjustment to a new normal.
Insurance companies frequently look for reasons to reduce what they pay, and a prior back problem, even a minor one, is one of the first things they'll try to use against your claim. Early, thorough medical documentation matters enormously here, since it becomes the record that separates what changed because of this accident from anything that came before it.
VanWa Legal PLLC represents spinal injury victims across Vancouver and Clark County, and we build these cases around the long term planning they genuinely require.
Injury Types
Injuries that result in a total loss of function and sensation below the site of the injury.
Injuries that leave some function or sensation intact, with outcomes that vary widely from person to person.
Loss of movement in part of the body, ranging from paraplegia to quadriplegia depending on where the injury occurred.
Discs that rupture or shift out of place, often pressing on nearby nerves and causing significant pain.
Discs that press outward without fully rupturing, which can still cause meaningful pain and nerve irritation.
Fractures to the bones of the spine that can range from stable to serious enough to require surgical stabilization.
Damage to nerves in or around the spine that can cause pain, numbness, or weakness independent of a full spinal cord injury.
Ongoing pain that persists well after the initial injury has been treated, often requiring long term pain management.
Common Causes
Symptoms
Pre-Existing Conditions
Insurance companies often point to a prior back problem as a reason to deny or reduce a claim, even when the accident clearly made things worse. Washington law recognizes that aggravating an existing condition is still a compensable injury, the question is how much your condition changed because of this specific accident.
Medical records from before and after the crash are what make that comparison possible, which is why the treating doctors and specialists you see now matter just as much as the ones you saw years ago. Avoid giving a recorded statement to any insurance company before speaking with an attorney, since an offhand comment about old back pain can be used to undercut a claim that has real merit.
Medical Evidence
Compensation
*The compensation available depends on the facts of your case,
Insurance Coverage
The at fault party's liability coverage is typically the starting point in a spinal injury claim, with your own PIP coverage often paying medical bills as treatment happens. Underinsured motorist coverage (UIM) becomes especially important when a serious spinal injury exceeds what the at fault party's policy can pay, which is common given how expensive long term spinal care can be.
Commercial insurance may apply if a work vehicle was involved, and umbrella or excess policies can extend coverage further in the most serious cases. Policy limit problems come up often with spinal injuries specifically, since the lifetime cost of care can outpace even a reasonably sized policy.
FAQ
You can still pursue a claim. Washington law allows recovery when an accident aggravates an existing condition, and medical records help establish exactly how your condition changed.
Got some more questions? Send us a message at contact@vanwalegal.com
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If you're facing a spinal injury after an accident, you deserve a case built around your actual recovery, not just your bills so far. Talk to an attorney about your case at no cost, and pay nothing unless we win.
