Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer in Miami

A spinal cord injury is a life-changing event. The damage is permanent, the medical bills are enormous, and the impact on the injured person's family is total. Lifetime costs for a high-cervical complete injury commonly exceed $5 million in present value, and that is before lost wages, lost earning capacity, home modifications, and the human-loss damages a Florida jury can award for pain, suffering, and loss of enjoyment of life. The Law Offices of Albert Goodwin represents Miami-area clients with traumatic spinal cord injuries caused by car and truck crashes, falls, diving accidents, construction incidents, and medical negligence.

Levels of Spinal Cord Injury

Spinal cord injuries are described by the level of the vertebra at which the damage occurred and whether the injury is complete or incomplete (American Spinal Injury Association — ASIA — A through E):

• C1–C4 (high cervical). Quadriplegia affecting all four limbs and often respiratory function. Many patients require ventilator assistance.
• C5–C8 (low cervical). Quadriplegia with varying upper-extremity function. Some independence with adaptive equipment.
• T1–T6 (high thoracic). Paraplegia with full upper-body function. Wheelchair-dependent.
• T7–T12 / L1–L5 (low thoracic and lumbar). Paraplegia with greater core and hip control.
• Sacral. Bowel, bladder, and sexual function affected with relatively preserved leg function.

"Complete" injuries (ASIA A) involve no motor or sensory function below the level of injury. "Incomplete" injuries (ASIA B–D) preserve some function and often have a wider range of possible recovery.

Common Causes of Miami Spinal Cord Injuries

• Motor vehicle crashes — high-energy rear-end and rollover collisions, motorcycle crashes, truck underride
• Falls — construction falls from height, slip-and-fall on stairs and elevated walkways, balcony falls
• Diving and pool accidents — diving into shallow water at hotels, apartment-complex pools, and quarries
• Sports and recreation — football, equestrian, and watercraft incidents
• Acts of violence — gunshots and assault on inadequately secured premises
• Medical negligence — surgical errors, anesthesia errors, failure to immobilize a suspected unstable spine, delayed diagnosis of spinal hematoma or epidural abscess

Damages: The Life-Care Plan

The single most important piece of evidence in a serious spinal cord injury case is the life-care plan — a comprehensive document, prepared by a certified life-care planner working with the treating physiatrist, that itemizes the medical and assistive needs of the injured person over the rest of their life expectancy. A typical life-care plan covers:

• Acute and inpatient rehabilitation (often at Jackson Memorial, Miami Project, or Shepherd Center)
• Annual physician follow-up, urological care, pulmonology, mental health
• Home and respite nursing — sometimes 24-hour care, particularly for high cervical injuries
• Durable medical equipment — power wheelchairs (replaced every 5 years), pressure-relief cushions, hospital beds, Hoyer lifts, standing frames
• Wheelchair-accessible van with conversion, replaced every 7–10 years
• Home modifications — ramps, widened doorways, roll-in showers, lowered counters, accessible kitchens
• Medications — antispasmodics, neuropathic pain agents, bowel and bladder management
• Therapies — physical, occupational, recreational, aquatic, vocational
• Surgical interventions — pressure-injury debridement, baclofen pump replacement, urological procedures
• Routine and emergency hospitalization for autonomic dysreflexia, urinary tract infections, pneumonia, and pressure injuries

An economist converts each line item to present value using the appropriate discount rate, producing a single number for the jury that represents the cost of the injured person's future medical care. For a young person with a high cervical injury, these numbers commonly run from $5 million to well over $20 million in present-value medical costs alone, before non-economic damages and lost earning capacity.

Lost Earning Capacity

For a working-age client, a vocational expert evaluates pre-injury earning capacity (based on actual work history, education, and trajectory) and compares it to post-injury earning capacity given the residual functional limitations. The difference, projected over the work-life expectancy and reduced to present value, becomes the lost earning capacity figure.

Florida Comparative Fault

Florida adopted modified comparative negligence in 2023. A plaintiff whose own fault is greater than 50% recovers nothing. Below 50%, recovery is reduced by the plaintiff's percentage of fault. In serious cases the defense almost always tries to push some percentage of fault onto the injured client, and properly developing the liability case (reconstruction, EDR data, scene investigation, video) is essential to keeping that percentage low.

If you or a family member has suffered a spinal cord injury, contact the Law Offices of Albert Goodwin. Call 786-522-1411 or email [email protected] for a free consultation.