1515 N Marion St
Tampa, Fl 33602
A spinal cord injury can change every part of your life. It can impact how you move, feel, and take care of yourself. These injuries often come with long hospital stays, high medical bills, and ongoing care needs. Some victims may never return to work. Others need help with basic tasks, like walking or using the bathroom.
Fiol & Morros Personal Injury and Accident Lawyers helps victims in Tampa who are facing these life-changing challenges. We understand how hard it is to deal with spinal cord damage, both physically and emotionally. Our legal team supports you through the legal process and works to secure the full compensation you need to recover.
If someone else caused your injury, we'll help you hold the responsible parties accountable. We handle every part of your spinal cord injury case so you can focus on your health and future. You deserve answers, support, and a strong voice in court.
Serious Representation for Life-Changing Spinal Cord Injuries
A spinal cord injury affects more than just your spine. It can change how your body moves, feels, and functions. Because of this, it's essential to work with a Tampa spinal cord injury lawyer who understands these cases and how much is truly at stake for the victim and their loved ones.
Why Spinal Cord Injuries Require Experienced Legal Help
These cases are more complex than other injuries. The symptoms and long-term needs can be severe, such as chronic pain, poor coordination, or remaining disability.
A spinal cord injury attorney with experience handling spinal cord injury claims knows how to determine the full extent of the damage and present strong medical records to show how the injury affects your life.
Our Law Firm Fights for Full and Fair Compensation
Our goal is always to seek a fair settlement or trial result that reflects the true impact of your spinal injury. We work hard to recover compensation for both medical costs and non-economic damages, such as loss of enjoyment of life or emotional pain. You deserve a result that puts your best interest first.
Common Causes of Spinal Cord Injuries in Tampa
- Motorcycle and Bicycle Accidents: Riders often suffer direct impact to the spine when hit, leading to spinal cord damage or paralysis.
- Slip and Fall Accidents: A hard fall on a wet floor or broken stairs can cause herniated discs, nerve damage, or spine fractures.
- Car Accidents: Rear-end crashes and side impacts are leading causes of spinal injuries, including those needing surgery.
- Truck and Commercial Vehicle Accidents: Victims in these high-force collisions may suffer fatal injuries or require immediate medical treatment for spine trauma.
Types of Spinal Cord Injuries We Handle
Not every spinal cord injury is the same. Some cause complete loss of function, while others affect only part of the body. Fiol & Morros Personal Injury and Accident Lawyers understands the different forms these injuries take and how they impact the victim's life long term. We handle a wide range of spinal cord injury cases with care and experience.
Complete vs. Incomplete Spinal Cord Injuries
A complete spinal cord injury means all feeling and movement below the injury site are lost. In an incomplete injury, the victim may still have some movement or sensation. Understanding the extent of the spinal cord damage is key to building a strong spinal cord injury lawsuit and seeking the right compensation for the impact on your life.
Paraplegia and Quadriplegia
Paraplegia affects the lower half of the body, often limiting movement in the legs and bladder control. Quadriplegia (also called tetraplegia) affects both the arms and legs. These are life-altering conditions. A Tampa spinal cord injury lawyer can help determine what financial support is needed to pay for long-term care, therapy, and adaptive equipment.
Herniated Discs, Fractures, and Nerve Damage
Some spinal injuries are not as severe but can still cause chronic pain, difficulty walking, or poor coordination. Herniated discs, spinal fractures, and nerve damage often need surgery, physical therapy, and occupational therapy. These costs add up, which is why it's important to file a spinal cord injury claim that includes all medical needs.
Understanding Spinal Cord Injury Levels and the ASIA Impairment Scale
The location of a spinal cord injury along the spine determines which parts of the body are affected and how severely. Medical professionals and courts use standardized classification systems to describe spinal injuries - and understanding these classifications can significantly affect the value of your legal claim.
The Spinal Column: Four Regions That Determine Function
The spinal cord runs through four regions of the vertebral column, and damage to any one of them produces different functional consequences:
- Cervical (C1-C8) - Injuries to the neck region are the most severe. High cervical injuries (C1-C4) often result in quadriplegia, requiring ventilator support for breathing. Lower cervical injuries (C5-C8) may allow some arm and hand function while still causing paralysis of the legs.
- Thoracic (T1-T12) - Injuries to the upper and mid-back typically cause paraplegia. Arm and hand function is generally preserved; leg movement is impaired or lost. Thoracic injuries also affect trunk stability and, in higher injuries, breathing muscle control.
- Lumbar (L1-L5) - Injuries to the lower back affect the hips and legs. With rehabilitation, some patients with lumbar injuries may regain the ability to walk with assistive devices.
- Sacral (S1-S5) - Sacral injuries primarily affect bladder, bowel, and sexual function. Some leg function may be partially preserved.
In a spinal cord injury lawsuit, the level of injury is a critical factor in calculating future medical costs, loss of earning capacity, and the need for attendant care. A cervical injury claim will typically be valued far higher than a lumbar injury claim - even if both resulted from the same type of accident.
The ASIA Impairment Scale (AIS)
The American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) Impairment Scale is the standard tool physicians use to classify the severity of a spinal cord injury. It assigns a grade from A to E:
- Grade A (Complete) - No motor or sensory function is preserved below the injury level.
- Grade B (Sensory Incomplete) - Sensory function is preserved below the injury level, but no motor function.
- Grade C (Motor Incomplete) - Some motor function is preserved below the injury level, but more than half of key muscles cannot move against gravity.
- Grade D (Motor Incomplete) - Motor function preserved below the injury level; at least half of key muscles can move against gravity.
- Grade E (Normal) - Motor and sensory function are normal, but neurological deficits may still be present.
Knowing a client's ASIA grade helps our attorneys work with medical life care planners to accurately project the full scope of future medical needs. An AIS Grade A (complete) cervical injury may require $5 million or more in lifetime care. Accepting an early insurance settlement without understanding these projections can leave victims severely undercompensated for the rest of their lives. This is why early legal involvement - before any settlement discussion - is critical.
What Compensation Can You Recover for a Spinal Injury?
Spinal injuries can bring long-term physical, emotional, and financial burdens. Our job is to make sure your spinal cord injury lawsuit reflects everything you've lost and everything you still need.
Here are common types of compensation we pursue:
- Current and Future Medical Expenses: Covers emergency room visits, surgery, rehab, and long-term care related to your spinal cord injury.
- Lost Wages and Loss of Future Earning Ability: If you miss work now or can't return to the same job later, you may be paid for the income you've lost.
- Pain and Suffering: Includes the daily physical pain, emotional distress, and loss of freedom caused by your spinal injury.
- Loss of Enjoyment of Life: Covers how the injury affects hobbies, relationships, and your ability to enjoy everyday activities.
The True Lifetime Cost of a Spinal Cord Injury - Why Insurance Offers Are Often Too Low
Spinal cord injuries are among the most expensive catastrophic injuries a person can sustain. According to data published by the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center (NSCISC), the first-year costs alone for a high cervical injury (C1-C4) can exceed $1.1 million - and annual subsequent care costs can run $200,000 or more per year for the rest of the victim's life.
Insurance companies are fully aware of these numbers - yet they routinely make early settlement offers that reflect only current medical bills and near-term lost wages. These offers deliberately ignore the long-term costs that will accumulate over decades of living with a spinal cord injury. Accepting such an offer without the guidance of an experienced Tampa spinal cord injury attorney can leave you with far less than you need to fund your actual care.
What Lifetime Costs Look Like for Spinal Cord Injury Victims
A comprehensive spinal cord injury damages claim must account for every category of anticipated future expense:
- Acute Hospitalization and Emergency Care - ICU admission, spinal stabilization surgery, and initial inpatient rehabilitation can cost $300,000-$500,000 in the first 30 days alone.
- Inpatient and Outpatient Rehabilitation - Months of physical, occupational, and speech therapy to maximize function recovery.
- Attendant Care and Personal Assistance - Cervical injury patients often require full-time personal attendants for bathing, dressing, meal preparation, and daily mobility. At $50,000-$80,000 per year, this cost alone can total $3-5 million over a lifetime.
- Adaptive Equipment - Motorized wheelchairs, standing frames, communication devices, and specialized vehicle modifications. A high-end motorized wheelchair alone can cost $30,000 or more, and needs replacement every 3-5 years.
- Home Modifications - Ramp installation, widened doorways, roll-in showers, lowered countertops, and elevator installation can cost $50,000-$150,000 or more depending on the home.
- Medications and Recurring Medical Visits - Ongoing prescriptions for spasticity, pain management, bladder dysfunction, and the management of secondary complications like pressure sores and urinary tract infections.
- Future Surgeries - Many SCI patients require additional spinal surgeries, shunt revisions, or procedures to address secondary complications over their lifetime.
At Fiol & Morros, we work with medical life care planners, vocational rehabilitation experts, and economic analysts to build a damages model that reflects every anticipated cost from now through the end of your life. We do not settle for insurance company projections. We build our own.
How a Tampa Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer Can Help
If you or a loved one has suffered a spinal cord injury, legal help can make a big difference. Fiol & Morros handles the legal process while you focus on recovery. We work to get you the compensation you need to move forward.
Investigating the Cause of the Injury
We begin by looking at exactly what caused your spinal injury. Whether it was a fall, crash, or act of violence, we collect medical records, speak with witnesses, and find the responsible parties. This helps us build a strong spinal cord injury case from the start.
Calculating the Full Value of Your Claim
We don't just look at today's medical bills. We consider future surgeries, therapy, and remaining disability. By understanding how your injury affects your daily life, we fight for the full compensation you deserve, including both economic and non-economic damages.
Handling Insurance Companies and Legal Deadlines
Insurance companies often try to reduce what they pay. We deal with their phone calls and delay tactics so you don't have to. Our spinal cord injury attorney also makes sure you meet every deadline under Florida law, so your spinal cord injury lawsuit is not denied due to missed steps.
What to Do Immediately After a Suspected Spinal Cord Injury in Tampa
The actions taken in the minutes and hours immediately following a spinal cord injury can have a profound impact on both the victim's medical outcome and the strength of a subsequent legal claim. Knowing what to do - and what not to do - is critically important.
Step 1: Do Not Move the Injured Person
If you suspect someone has suffered a spinal cord injury - especially after a vehicle collision, fall from height, or diving accident - do not attempt to move or reposition them. Moving a person with an unstable spinal fracture before the neck and spine have been properly immobilized can convert an incomplete injury into a complete one, causing permanent paralysis that might otherwise have been avoidable. Leave movement entirely to trained emergency medical personnel.
Step 2: Call 911 Immediately
Call 911 and report that you suspect a spinal cord injury. EMS dispatchers are trained to send responders with spinal immobilization equipment. Be clear about the mechanism of injury - whether it was a high-speed crash, a fall down stairs, or an impact to the head or neck - so that first responders can prepare appropriately before arriving on scene.
Step 3: Document the Scene
While waiting for emergency services, anyone at the scene who is not providing direct care should document the conditions that caused the accident. Photograph or video the hazard, the vehicle positions, the lighting conditions, the wet floor, or whatever specific condition caused the injury. Capture the surrounding environment, any warning signs (or lack thereof), and any product labeling involved. This evidence can be critical - and may be cleaned up or altered before an attorney can arrive.
Collect names and contact information from any witnesses. Bystander accounts are often the most powerful evidence at trial because they come from neutral parties who had no stake in the outcome. Witnesses disappear quickly after accidents - get their information while they are still on scene.
Step 4: Seek Treatment at a Designated Trauma Center
Not all hospitals have the same capacity to treat acute spinal cord injuries. Whenever possible, SCI patients should be transported to or transferred to a Level I or Level II Trauma Center with a dedicated spine team. In the Tampa area, Tampa General Hospital operates one of Florida's leading trauma centers with neurosurgical and spinal cord injury expertise.
Receiving timely, specialized care - including early surgical intervention where appropriate - can directly affect the extent of functional recovery. The choice of treating facility and treating physician also becomes relevant to your legal claim. Medical records from a specialized center carry more weight in litigation than records from a general emergency facility, and specialized physicians are better positioned to provide expert testimony about the severity and permanence of your injury.
Step 5: Preserve All Documentation
From the moment of injury forward, keep records of everything: EMS run reports, emergency room records, surgical notes, rehabilitation progress reports, prescriptions, receipts for medical equipment, and any written communications from insurance companies. Your attorney at Fiol & Morros will need all of this to build your damages case. Do not discard anything - even records that seem unimportant may become relevant.
Florida Laws That May Affect Your Spinal Cord Injury Claim
Florida law has specific rules that can impact your spinal cord injury case. These laws affect how much you can recover, how long you have to file, and what evidence matters most. Our legal team makes sure your case follows every legal step correctly.
Statute of Limitations
Under Florida Statute SS95.11(3)(a), you have two years from the date of your injury to file a spinal cord injury lawsuit. This deadline was shortened from four years by Florida Senate Bill 236, which took effect on March 24, 2023. If you miss this deadline, Florida courts will dismiss your case permanently - regardless of the severity of your injuries or the strength of your evidence.
Two years may seem like a long time, but it passes quickly when you are focused on recovery, inpatient rehabilitation, and adjusting to a new way of life. Additionally, the earlier an attorney begins working on your case, the better. Early investigation allows us to preserve crucial evidence - vehicle data recorder (black box) data, surveillance footage, employer records, inspection logs - that is routinely overwritten, discarded, or destroyed within weeks or months of an incident.
In cases where the injured person is a minor, the limitations clock typically does not begin until their 18th birthday. Some other narrow exceptions may also apply. Contact Fiol & Morros immediately - do not make assumptions about whether you still have time to file.
Comparative Negligence
Florida follows a modified comparative negligence system under Florida Statute SS768.81. As of March 24, 2023, if you are found to be more than 50% responsible for the accident that caused your spinal cord injury, you are completely barred from recovering any compensation - even if the other party was also negligent.
For spinal cord injury cases, defense attorneys and insurance companies aggressively use comparative fault arguments to reduce or eliminate liability. In motor vehicle cases, the "seatbelt defense" is particularly common - arguing that the victim's failure to wear a seatbelt contributed to the severity of the injury. In motorcycle accident cases, defendants may argue the absence of a helmet as a contributing factor. In premises liability SCI cases, defendants routinely argue that the victim was distracted, not watching where they were going, or was in an area they should not have been.
Our attorneys at Fiol & Morros anticipate these arguments and build your case to directly counter them. We gather accident reconstruction evidence, medical expert testimony, and factual witness accounts to demonstrate that the defendant's negligence was the primary and proximate cause of your injury - keeping your fault share below the critical 51% threshold.
Caps on Certain Damages
Some non-economic damages, like emotional distress or loss of enjoyment, may be capped in specific cases. Knowing these limits helps us build a better strategy and seek the highest possible outcome for your spinal cord injury claim.
Key Florida Statutes Applicable to Spinal Cord Injury Claims
The following statutes govern how spinal cord injury cases proceed in Florida courts. Knowledge of these laws - and how they interact - is essential to building a strong claim.
| Florida Statute | Title | What It Means for Your Case |
|---|---|---|
| SS95.11(3)(a) | Statute of Limitations | Two-year deadline to file a spinal cord injury lawsuit (reduced from 4 years as of March 24, 2023). Missing this deadline permanently bars recovery. |
| SS768.81 | Modified Comparative Fault | Plaintiffs who are more than 50% at fault may not recover any damages. Fault below 51% reduces the award proportionally. |
| SS627.737 | PIP / No-Fault Threshold | In car accident SCI cases, the "serious injury threshold" (permanent injury, significant scarring/disfigurement, death) must be met to sue the at-fault driver for pain and suffering beyond PIP benefits. |
| SS768.72 | Punitive Damages | Available when defendant's conduct was intentional or showed reckless disregard for human life. Requires court leave before they can be included in a complaint. |
| SS768.0755 | Slip and Fall - Business Premises | Applies when an SCI results from a slip and fall in a business. Requires proof of actual or constructive knowledge of the hazardous condition. |
| SS768.79 | Proposal for Settlement | Either party may make a formal settlement offer. Rejection followed by a significantly worse outcome at trial can trigger attorney fee awards. |
Proven Results in Spinal Cord Injury and Personal Injury Cases
Our Tampa spinal cord injury attorneys have a strong track record of securing substantial compensation for accident victims throughout Florida. Here are some of our notable case results:
SPINAL INJURY
$600K
"Burst" Fractures
Multi-level Fusion, Permanent Disability
$3M
Nursing Home Abuse
Bedsore & Malnutrition
$2.5M
Fatal Truck Accident
Wrongful Death
$1.2M
Car Accident
Severe Injury
$960K
Trucking Accident
Fractured Femur & Herniated Discs
$2.5M
Slip & Fall
Restaurant Accident
*Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. Every case is unique and must be evaluated on its own merits.
Why Choose Fiol & Morros as Your Tampa Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer?
Spinal cord injury cases are among the most complex and highest-value personal injury matters in Florida law. The attorney you choose to represent you in a catastrophic injury case has a direct, material impact on how much compensation you recover - and whether you recover anything at all. Here is why injured victims and their families trust Fiol & Morros Law Group.
Over 35 Years of Catastrophic Injury Experience
Founding attorney Alejandro Fiol has represented seriously injured clients in Tampa and throughout Florida since the early 1990s. His career includes serving as managing partner at Morgan & Morgan, where he helped establish the Tampa office and led the nursing home abuse practice - a specialty that requires the same deep understanding of catastrophic, long-term injury damages that spinal cord cases demand. He brings that experience to every SCI case at Fiol & Morros Law Group.
AV Preeminent Rated - Peer-Recognized Excellence
Attorney Fiol holds an AV Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell - the highest peer review designation available to attorneys, reflecting both outstanding legal ability and the highest ethical standards. Fewer than 10% of attorneys nationwide achieve this distinction. When opposing counsel and insurance defense teams see AV Preeminent certification on the other side, they take the case more seriously - and make better settlement offers.
We Work With Leading Medical and Financial Experts
Building a spinal cord injury claim that accurately reflects a lifetime of future needs requires expert witnesses. Our firm works with medical life care planners who specialize in SCI rehabilitation, vocational rehabilitation experts who assess the impact on earning capacity, and forensic economists who calculate the present value of future losses. These experts are essential to maximizing the value of your claim - and to presenting it persuasively to a jury if the case goes to trial.
Contingency Fee - No Fees Unless We Win
We handle spinal cord injury cases on a contingency basis. You pay nothing out of pocket, and we collect no fee unless we recover compensation for you. This means our interests are perfectly aligned with yours from day one: we only succeed when you succeed.
Contact us today for a free, no-pressure consultation.
FAQs
Can I file a personal injury claim for a spinal cord injury caused by a car crash?
Yes. Many spinal cord injuries happen in motor vehicle accidents, and you may have a valid personal injury claim if another driver was at fault.
Are sports injuries or gunshot wounds covered under spinal cord injury cases?
Yes. We handle spinal cord injuries caused by sports injuries, gunshot wounds, and other trauma. If someone else is responsible, we can help you seek compensation.
Can a spinal cord injury affect my upper back or other bodily functions?
Yes. Injuries to the spine can impact the upper back and lead to loss of control over bodily functions like bladder or bowel movement, depending on the injury's location and severity.
Do you take cases involving medical conditions like spina bifida or Friedreich's ataxia?
While these are genetic conditions, we may be able to help if the condition was made worse by medical negligence or another party's actions.
Is it true that spinal cord injuries can lead to blood clots?
Yes. Limited movement after a spinal injury can increase the risk of blood clots. These medical complications should be included when calculating long-term care needs in your claim.
What is the statute of limitations for a spinal cord injury lawsuit in Florida?
Florida's statute of limitations for spinal cord injury lawsuits is two years from the date of the injury under Florida Statute SS95.11(3)(a). This deadline was shortened from four years by legislation that took effect on March 24, 2023. Failing to file within this two-year window will almost certainly result in permanent loss of your right to sue - no exceptions based on the severity of your injury.
The clock typically begins on the date of the accident or injury event. However, in cases where the injury was not immediately apparent - such as a worsening disc herniation that caused delayed neurological symptoms - the "discovery rule" may allow the clock to begin when the victim knew or reasonably should have known they were injured and that another party may be responsible.
If the injured person is a minor, the two-year clock generally does not start until they turn 18. Other limited tolling exceptions may apply in cases involving fraudulent concealment, mental incapacity, or out-of-state defendants. Because these exceptions are narrow and fact-specific, do not assume they apply without speaking to a Tampa spinal cord injury attorney first. Contact Fiol and Morros immediately - do not wait.
What is the average settlement for a spinal cord injury case in Florida?
There is no single "average" settlement for a spinal cord injury case in Florida - the value of each claim depends heavily on the severity of the injury, the victim's age and occupation, the clarity of fault, and the policy limits of available insurance coverage. That said, spinal cord injury cases are consistently among the highest-valued personal injury claims in Florida courts.
A complete cervical injury (AIS Grade A, C1-C4) resulting in quadriplegia in a working-age adult may generate a claim value in excess of $10 million when lifetime care costs, lost earning capacity over 30-40 years, and non-economic damages are fully accounted for. Incomplete injuries with less functional impact will be valued lower, but can still easily reach $1-$3 million when future medical needs are properly documented by a life care planner.
Insurance policy limits often create a practical ceiling on recovery. In car accident cases, this makes underinsured motorist (UIM) coverage critically important. A skilled SCI attorney will investigate every available insurance policy - the at-fault party's liability coverage, UIM coverage, any commercial policies for business vehicles, and in premises cases, the property owner's umbrella policies - to maximize the pool of available recovery. At Fiol and Morros, we leave no coverage source unexamined.
How is fault determined in a Tampa spinal cord injury case?
Fault in a Tampa spinal cord injury case is determined by examining the evidence of negligence: who had a duty of care, whether that duty was breached, and whether the breach directly caused the victim's injury. The evidence used varies by accident type. In car accident cases, fault is established through police reports, traffic camera footage, vehicle black box data, eyewitness accounts, and accident reconstruction analysis. In premises liability SCI cases, inspection records, surveillance footage, and prior incident reports are critical.
Florida courts apply the modified comparative fault standard under SS768.81. Each party may be assigned a percentage of fault. The jury's fault allocation directly determines the amount the victim recovers - so aggressive defense of the victim's fault percentage is just as important as proving the defendant's negligence. Insurance companies routinely argue that the victim was distracted, not wearing safety equipment, or violated some rule. Our attorneys build counterarguments to these claims from the outset.
Expert witnesses often play a central role in fault determination for catastrophic SCI cases. Accident reconstruction engineers, biomechanical experts, premises safety specialists, and medical experts all contribute to establishing how and why the injury occurred and who bears responsibility. Fiol and Morros has relationships with the expert witnesses needed to build a comprehensive fault narrative for your case.
Can I recover damages if my spinal cord injury worsened a pre-existing condition?
Yes. Under Florida's "eggshell plaintiff" doctrine, a defendant is responsible for the full extent of harm they caused - even if the victim was more vulnerable to injury than an average person due to a pre-existing condition. If you had a prior back injury, degenerative disc disease, or a previous spinal surgery, and a negligent party's actions made that condition dramatically worse, you are still entitled to recover for the aggravation of that condition.
Insurance companies commonly use pre-existing conditions to argue that your injuries predated the accident and are therefore not compensable. Our attorneys counter this by working with treating physicians and independent medical experts to clearly distinguish between the victim's pre-accident baseline and the documented worsening caused by the defendant's negligence. Medical imaging comparisons, treatment gap analysis, and expert testimony are all tools used to draw this line.
The key principle is that you are compensated for the worsening of your condition - not necessarily the full current state of your spine. If you had mild degenerative disc disease before a truck accident and now require spinal fusion surgery and a wheelchair, the defendant is responsible for that change. Do not let an insurer convince you that pre-existing conditions eliminate your claim.
What types of evidence are most important in a Tampa spinal cord injury lawsuit?
Spinal cord injury cases require several categories of evidence to prove liability, establish causation, and demonstrate the full scope of damages. Early preservation of this evidence is critical - much of it has a short window before it is permanently lost.
For liability and causation: vehicle event data recorder (black box) downloads must be requested within days of a crash before the data is overwritten; surveillance footage from businesses, traffic cameras, and nearby properties is typically overwritten within 30-72 hours unless a legal hold is issued; police and EMS reports; inspection and maintenance logs from commercial vehicles or properties; eyewitness statements; and in product liability cases, physical preservation of the defective product or its components.
For damages: complete medical records from the emergency room through current treatment; diagnostic imaging (X-rays, CT scans, MRI) showing the injury and its evolution; ASIA classification documentation from the treating spinal cord specialist; a medical life care plan prepared by a certified life care planner; vocational rehabilitation assessment; forensic economic report projecting lifetime lost earnings; and personal testimony from family members, employers, and colleagues describing the before-and-after impact of the injury on the victim's life. Our attorneys move quickly to secure all of this evidence before it disappears.
Does Florida's no-fault insurance law apply to spinal cord injury cases from car accidents?
Florida is a no-fault state, which means that after a car accident, your own Personal Injury Protection (PIP) insurance is the first source of coverage for medical bills and lost wages - regardless of who was at fault. Under Florida Statute SS627.736, PIP covers 80% of necessary medical expenses and 60% of lost wages up to $10,000 in total benefits. However, PIP benefits are entirely inadequate for spinal cord injury cases, where costs routinely exceed $1 million.
To sue the at-fault driver for damages beyond PIP - particularly for pain and suffering and other non-economic damages - the victim must meet Florida's "serious injury threshold" under SS627.737. A spinal cord injury, including paraplegia, quadriplegia, or permanent neurological impairment, almost always meets this threshold. This allows the injured party to step outside the no-fault system and file a tort claim against the at-fault driver.
Our attorneys file the proper PIP claims on your behalf and simultaneously investigate the at-fault party's liability insurance and any available underinsured motorist coverage. In severe SCI cases, we look beyond the at-fault driver to identify all responsible parties - including vehicle manufacturers, employers of commercial drivers, and property owners - to maximize the total insurance coverage available to fund your recovery.
Speak to Our Tampa Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer for a Free Consultation
If you or someone you care about is dealing with a spinal cord injury, we're here to help. At Fiol & Morros Personal Injury and Accident Lawyers, our law group understands how hard this time can be. Spinal injuries often lead to major changes in daily life, and we're committed to helping you explore your legal options.
We offer a free case evaluation so you can find out if you have a viable case without any risk or pressure. Our team will take the time to listen, explain your rights, and outline the next steps. Many of our clients say they had a very positive experience working with us, and we aim to achieve the best possible outcome for every victim we represent.
Let a Tampa spinal cord injury lawyer from our team guide you through the legal process with care and confidence. Contact us today to get started.
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