A spinal cord injury can affect movement, sensation, breathing, and independence for the rest of a person's life. Gross Law Group represents people with spinal cord injuries, and their families, after truck crashes, car and motorcycle crashes, and other incidents caused by someone else's negligence across the Florida Panhandle and the Space Coast.
We handle injury cases on a contingency fee: No Recovery, No Fee, but the client is responsible for costs such as filing fees, medical records, and expert fees. The first consultation is free. Call (888) 858-1505 or contact us online.
Schedule Your Free Consultation
Key Takeaways About Spinal Cord Injury Claims
- The value of a spinal cord injury claim depends heavily on documenting lifetime medical care, equipment, and support needs.
- Commercial trucks, company vehicles, and rideshare vehicles often carry more insurance than most private Florida drivers.
- Medicare, Medicaid, and health insurers may have reimbursement rights that must be resolved from any recovery.
- Florida generally allows two years to file negligence and wrongful death claims.
- Gross Law Group handles injury cases on a No Recovery, No Fee basis; the client is responsible for costs.
Spinal Cord Injuries We Handle
- Complete and incomplete spinal cord injuries
- Paraplegia and tetraplegia (quadriplegia)
- Spinal fractures and injuries requiring fusion or other surgery
- Injuries that cause chronic pain, weakness, or loss of bladder and bowel function
- Spinal cord injuries combined with traumatic brain injuries
These injuries often result from truck crashes, high-speed car accidents, motorcycle crashes, underride crashes, and falls caused by unsafe conditions on commercial property.
Why the Source of Insurance Matters
The lifetime cost of a severe spinal cord injury can far exceed the insurance a typical Florida driver carries. That is why we look early at who was involved and what coverage applies.
- Interstate for-hire trucking companies hauling property in vehicles of 10,001 pounds or more must carry at least $750,000 in liability coverage, and up to $5,000,000 for certain hazardous materials (49 CFR 387.9).
- Commercial trucks of 26,000 pounds or more operating only in Florida may carry state minimums of $50,000 to $300,000, depending on weight (Fla. Stat. 627.7415).
- Florida requires at least $1 million in primary liability coverage, which the driver, the rideshare company, or both may provide, from the moment a driver accepts a ride until the passenger gets out. When the app is on but no ride has been accepted, the minimum drops to $50,000 per person and $100,000 per incident (Fla. Stat. 627.748(7)).
- Most private Florida drivers are only required to carry PIP and property damage liability coverage (FLHSMV), so your own uninsured motorist coverage can be critical.
- Employers may be responsible when an employee causes a crash while working, which can bring a commercial auto policy into the case.
Documenting Lifetime Needs
A spinal cord injury claim has to account for needs that may last decades. Our work typically includes:
- Working with treating physicians and rehabilitation providers to document diagnosis, prognosis, and future care
- Working with life care planners to estimate the cost of future treatment, equipment, home and vehicle modifications, and attendant care
- Working with vocational and economic professionals to measure lost earning capacity
- Gathering testimony from family about the effect on daily life, including a spouse's loss of companionship and services
- Identifying reimbursement claims from health insurers, Medicare, and Medicaid
The Florida Department of Health's Brain and Spinal Cord Injury Program provides rehabilitation, case management, and resource support to eligible Floridians with moderate-to-severe spinal cord injuries, and Florida law requires those injuries to be reported to the program's central registry within five days of identification or diagnosis (Fla. Stat. 381.74).
Florida Law That Affects Spinal Cord Injury Claims
To claim pain and suffering against an at-fault driver, the injury must involve significant and permanent loss of an important bodily function, a permanent injury, significant permanent scarring or disfigurement, or death (Fla. Stat. 627.737(2)).
Under the 2023 changes to Florida law (HB 837), most negligence claims arising after March 24, 2023 must be filed within two years (Fla. Stat. 95.11(5)(a)), and wrongful death claims also carry a two-year deadline (Fla. Stat. 95.11(5)(e)). Florida now uses modified comparative fault: in most negligence cases (medical negligence claims are an exception), a person found more than 50 percent at fault for their own injury cannot recover damages, and a lower share of fault reduces the recovery (Fla. Stat. 768.81(6)).
HB 837 also changed how medical bills are proven. Evidence of medical bills that have already been paid is now limited to the amount actually paid; evidence of unpaid bills generally includes what the injured person's health coverage would pay (or, for people without private coverage, an amount tied to Medicare or Medicaid rates); and treatment under a letter of protection must be disclosed (Fla. Stat. 768.0427). That makes careful documentation of current and future care more important than ever.
Offices Serving the Florida Panhandle and the Space Coast
Gross Law Group handles spinal cord injury cases from our offices in Pensacola, Panama City Beach, and Melbourne. If you contact us and can't travel, we can arrange to meet by video or at a location convenient to you.
Gross Law Group, P.A. – Pensacola Office
21 East Garden Street, Suite 208
Pensacola, FL 32502
Phone: (888) 858-1505
Gross Law Group, P.A. – Panama City Beach Office
4408 Delwood Ln, Suite 14
Panama City Beach, FL 32408
Phone: (888) 858-1505
Gross Law Group, P.A. – Melbourne Office
2084 Meadowlane Ave
Melbourne, FL 32904
Phone: (321) 321-1441
Talk With a Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer
If you or a family member suffered a spinal cord injury because of someone else's negligence, call Gross Law Group at (888) 858-1505 or send us a message. We handle injury cases on a contingency fee: No Recovery, No Fee, but the client is responsible for costs such as filing fees, medical records, and expert fees. The first consultation is free. See also our approach to catastrophic injury cases.
Spinal Cord Injury FAQs
What damages may be available in a spinal cord injury case?
Depending on the facts, damages may include past and future medical care, rehabilitation, equipment and home modifications, attendant care, lost earnings and earning capacity, and pain and suffering. In auto cases, pain and suffering requires an injury that meets the threshold in Fla. Stat. 627.737(2), which depends on the medical evidence in each case.
What if Medicare or Medicaid paid my medical bills?
Medicare, Medicaid, and many health insurers have reimbursement rights when an injured person recovers from a third party. Florida's Medicaid program, for example, has a statutory right to recover under Fla. Stat. 409.910. These claims have to be identified and resolved as part of any settlement.
What is Florida's Brain and Spinal Cord Injury Program?
It is a Florida Department of Health program that provides rehabilitation, case management, and resource support to eligible Floridians with moderate-to-severe brain or spinal cord injuries. Florida law requires health agencies and attending physicians to report these injuries to the program's central registry within five days of identification or diagnosis (Fla. Stat. 381.74).
How long do I have to file a spinal cord injury claim?
For most negligence claims arising after March 24, 2023, Florida law allows two years to file a lawsuit. Claims against government entities have separate notice requirements, so please call promptly so evidence can be preserved.
How does Gross Law Group charge for spinal cord injury cases?
We handle spinal cord injury cases on a contingency fee: No Recovery, No Fee, but the client is responsible for costs such as filing fees, medical records, and expert fees. The first consultation is free.