- About Us
- Practice Areas
- Client Journey
- Giving Back
- Locations
- Español
- Blog
- Contact Us
A spinal cord injury instantly changes your life and can affect your income and ability to live normally. Through no fault of your own you are dealing with pain, figuring out how to pay for medical care, or dealing with an injury that may result in a permanent disability. You may be out of work with no short or long term disability benefits. You need experts on your side.
The Tacoma spinal cord injury lawyers of Freeman Law Firm, Inc. have handled high-stakes injury cases across Washington for decades. Our attorneys know what it takes to hold the right people accountable, and we’re ready to fight on your behalf and pursue compensation that can protect your future.
The actions you take after the accident will have a direct impact on the success of your case. Use the following guide to know what to do and not do.
In Washington, fault is based on negligence, meaning the other party failed to act with "reasonable care" and caused someone to get hurt. It doesn’t require intent. In a spinal cord injury case, it could be something as simple as failing to yield or ignoring safety rules.
Proving negligence requires our attorneys to show the following:
Our lawyers use medical records, crash reports, scene photos, witness statements, or any other evidence we uncover to tie the injury to what happened. It's best to contact an attorney right away because if there is delay in collecting evidence or there are gaps in the records, the insurance company may use that against you.
If you were partially at fault, you can still recover compensation. Washington uses something called "pure comparative negligence," which means that even if you’re found partially at fault, your total compensation is just reduced by your share. For example, if you’re assigned 30% of the blame, your recovery is cut by 30 percent. If you were found 70% to blame, under "pure" comparative negligence you could still receive compensation, but it would be reduced by 70%.
Treatment after a spinal cord injury usually requires more than one specialist, and medical needs don't stop once you leave the hospital. Follow-up visits, rehab appointments, physical therapy, pain management, and ongoing evaluations can continue for months or longer, depending on how stable the injury is and what kind of function has been lost. Health insurance may stop covering care once progress levels off, even if the person still needs help managing pain or mobility.
When a person can’t move through their home the same way, changes have to be made. Wheelchairs may need clearance, hallways may be too narrow, bathrooms aren’t always accessible, and just getting in or out of a bed can require equipment that isn’t cheap. If help is needed with dressing, bathing, or daily tasks that either becomes paid support or a major strain on family members trying to fill in.
Work usually stops after a spinal cord injury and if it starts again, job duties will likely need to be modified. Wages will probably drop and schedules could change. A delivery driver or someone on a crew doesn’t just switch to something else, they either sit home or take whatever light-duty desk role the employer can offer, if they even hold the job.
For those who worked long shifts or physical jobs, it’s usually over. Even if approved for disability the check normally doesn't come close to regular wages prior to the accident. Raises can stop and there won't be overtime, promotions, or long-term growth. Those in their twenties or thirties lose decades of income and anyone later in their careers usually get cut off before they were ready to retire.
Pain from a spinal cord injury can make it harder to get through normal routines, like getting out of bed, making it through the workday, or even sleeping without waking up in pain multiple times per night. Pain might stay steady all day or get worse when there’s too much movement, and it can limit how far someone can walk or how long they can stay in one position. When there’s weakness or loss of control in the legs or arms, things like showering, cooking, driving, or getting dressed can take much longer and require ongoing help. Activities that used to be part of an average week may have to be given up completely. Most activities will probably get adjusted in one way or another so that life is completely different and far less enjoyable than it once was.
We talk through what life looked like before the injury and what it looks like now. If someone used to drive to work, take care of their kids, walk through the grocery store without thinking about it, that’s the baseline we use. We don’t guess at the impact, we look at real schedules, medical paperwork, the way routines changed, the kind of help that’s now needed, and how much of the day is being spent managing pain or trying to work around what’s no longer possible. If there’s something important that isn’t documented in a chart or record, we know how to explain why it still matters.
Insurance adjusters may try to play down the severity of a spinal injury by focusing on small details in your records, like a gap between appointments or a doctor's note about improvement in the early stages. Adjusters may also pressure you to settle before you’ve seen the right specialists or know what the full cost of your care will be. A recorded statement taken before you've had a chance to work with a lawyer can end up being used later to argue for a lower payout. When we handle those conversations, the insurer contacts us instead and we can keep track of what’s been said and what they’re asking for so important details aren’t left out or twisted.
When it comes to dealing with insurance companies, here’s a checklist you can use:
In Washington, under the personal injury statute of limitations, you generally have three years from the date of the accident to file a personal injury lawsuit and missing that deadline can mean losing the right to pursue compensation.
Evidence that can prove negligence and show the details and impact of your injury can fade or be lost. Security footage can be erased, records can get misplaced, and witnesses can become harder to find. Memories of what happened can also fade so the sooner we start, the better chance we have of securing what’s needed to create a compelling case.
Working With a Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer
We work on a contingency fee basis, so you have no upfront costs. You only pay if there is recovery and payment is a percentage of what we recover for you.
We will review the details of your injury, how it happened, and how it has affected your life, as well as any costs you've incurred up to that point. You’ll get clear answers about your options and what the next steps are.
We handle calls, paperwork, and negotiations so you can focus on medical care and recovery. Our team keeps track of deadlines and gathering evidence and we will deal with the insurer or other relevant parties directly.
If the other side denies fault or offers less than the case is worth going to trial may be the only way to move the case forward and we will be prepared to fight.
Cases involving permanent damage or high future care costs will require presenting the full story to a jury in a compelling way so we can secure a recovery that matches your loss.
We prepare every case with the expectation it could go to trial, which gives us leverage in negotiations and positions us to move quickly if taking things to court is the best option.
No matter who you choose, be sure to ask how many spinal injury cases the lawyer has handled, whether they’ve taken similar cases to trial, and how they approach long-term damages.
Serious injury cases require understanding unique medical needs, possible life care planning, and the total economic loss. Our experienced personal injury attorneys know how to present all case details in a way that stands up in court.
If a spinal cord injury has disrupted your life or someone close to you, call Freeman Law Firm, Inc. at (253) 383-4500 or send us an email today. Our attorneys have spent decades helping people throughout Washington rebuild their lives after catastrophic injuries. Let us fight on your behalf so that you can focus on recovery and moving forward with confidence.