A spinal cord injury is one of the most serious consequences of an accident, affecting your mobility, independence, and quality of life. In a single moment, everything can change, physically, emotionally, and financially. Families often wonder what immediate actions to take to protect their health and future.
Speaking with a personal injury lawyer in Houston early can help secure both medical care and legal guidance. They can explain your rights, outline potential compensation, and advise on evidence gathering. Acting promptly ensures your case and recovery are both properly managed.
1. Treat as a Medical Emergency
A suspected spinal cord injury should always be treated as a medical emergency. Immediate and careful action can prevent further damage and ensure proper diagnosis. From a legal perspective, early medical documentation is also critical, as it establishes a clear record of the injury, which may be essential for any future claims.
- Do not move the injured person unless there is an immediate, life-threatening danger (fire, explosion, etc.).
- Call emergency services immediately, specifying that a spinal injury is suspected.
- Keep the head, neck, and back aligned, avoiding twisting or bending the spine.
- At the hospital, specialist teams will:
- Stabilise breathing and circulation
- Immobilise the spine
- Arrange imaging (X-ray, CT, MRI)
- Decide if emergency surgery or transfer to a specialist spinal unit is required
- Stabilise breathing and circulation
Ensuring the injury is properly diagnosed, recorded, and treated by specialists is the first and most important step after a spinal cord injury.
2. Ensure the Accident Is Reported
Once emergency care is underway, the incident itself must be formally recorded. This can be difficult for injured people to manage themselves, so family members or friends often have to assist. Depending on the type of accident, this may include:
- Road traffic collisions
- Ensure the incident is reported to the police where required.
- Exchange details with other drivers (names, addresses, insurers, registration numbers).
- A documented report can support a car accident compensation claim in Texas.
- Ensure the incident is reported to the police where required.
- Workplace accidents
- Ensure the accident is entered into the employer’s accident book or incident reporting system.
- Detailed documentation ensures that a workplace injury claim is supported.
- Ensure the accident is entered into the employer’s accident book or incident reporting system.
- Public place accidents (shops, venues, public spaces)
- Request that the incident be recorded in the site’s incident log.
- Ask for a copy or at least the reference number.
- Request that the incident be recorded in the site’s incident log.
Accident reports help establish when, where, and how the incident occurred and who was involved. This documentation supports claims under Texas Civil Practice & Remedies Code §16.003, which sets deadlines for personal injury claims.
3. Preserve Evidence Early
In serious cases, the injured person will not be in a position to think about evidence. That is understandable. However, the quality of early evidence often makes a substantial difference in spinal cord injury claims. Where it is safe and appropriate to do so, you or someone you trust should:
- Take photographs
- Of the accident scene (road layout, spillages, damaged equipment, defective surfaces, etc.)
- Of vehicles, machinery, or objects involved
- Of visible injuries and any medical equipment (braces, collars, traction, etc.)
- Of the accident scene (road layout, spillages, damaged equipment, defective surfaces, etc.)
- Gather witness details
- Names, contact numbers, and email addresses of anyone who saw what happened
- Details of any staff, contractors, or security personnel on site
- Names, contact numbers, and email addresses of anyone who saw what happened
- Secure relevant documents
- Copies of accident reports
- CCTV or dash-cam footage (or written requests for it)
- Details of employers, site owners, and insurers
- Copies of accident reports
Early evidence strengthens a personal injury claim and establishes who may be legally responsible under Texas Civil Practice & Remedies Code §33.001 (comparative negligence) and ensures your rights are protected from the outset.
4. Track Medical Care and Symptoms
After the initial emergency phase, focus turns to ongoing treatment and rehabilitation. At this stage, many people continue to ask what to do about a spinal cord injury after an accident, because the full reality of the situation is becoming clearer. From a legal and practical perspective, it is important to:
- Keep copies of medical records where possible
- Hospital discharge summaries
- Operation notes
- Clinic letters from spinal consultants, neurologists, and rehabilitation teams
- Hospital discharge summaries
- Maintain a symptom and impact diary
- Changes in movement, sensation, pain, and spasticity
- Breathing, bladder, bowel, and sexual function issues
- Sleep problems, fatigue, and psychological symptoms (anxiety, low mood, frustration)
- Every day tasks you can no longer manage without help
- Changes in movement, sensation, pain, and spasticity
- Record rehabilitation efforts
- Physiotherapy, occupational therapy, counselling, and other interventions
- Goals set by the rehabilitation team and your progress towards them
- Physiotherapy, occupational therapy, counselling, and other interventions
This information is invaluable later when a lawyer, medical expert, or court needs to understand how the spinal cord injury has changed your life in real terms.
5. Record Financial Losses Early
Spinal cord injuries nearly always bring significant financial consequences, both immediate and long-term. Knowing what to do about a spinal cord injury after an accident includes being organised about money from day one. You should try to keep records of:
- Loss of earnings
- Pay slips before and after the accident
- Employer letters confirming time off work, reduced hours, or termination
- Any lost overtime, bonuses, or self-employed income
- Pay slips before and after the accident
- Care and assistance
- Payments to professional carers or agencies
- The time spent by family members providing care (even if unpaid)
- Payments to professional carers or agencies
- Medical and rehabilitation costs
- Medication and prescription charges
- Private physiotherapy, counselling, or specialist consultations
- Equipment such as braces, wheelchairs, cushions, or pressure-relieving mattresses
- Medication and prescription charges
- Travel and accommodation
- Taxi fares or fuel and parking for hospital and therapy visits
- Hotel or accommodation costs for the family staying near specialist units
- Taxi fares or fuel and parking for hospital and therapy visits
- Home and vehicle adjustments
- Temporary ramps, grab rails, shower chairs, or bed changes
- Initial consultations or quotes for more extensive adaptations
- Temporary ramps, grab rails, shower chairs, or bed changes
A specialist spinal cord injury lawyer will use this information, together with expert evidence, to quantify your past and future financial losses as part of a claim.
6. Avoid Pitfalls That Could Affect Your Case
One of the most important steps after a spinal cord injury is to seek advice from a personal injury lawyer in Houston before engaging in detailed discussions with insurers or other parties. In the weeks and months after the accident, some common pitfalls can damage your position if you are not careful. Be cautious about:
- Accepting early settlement offers
Insurers sometimes offer money quickly, before the long-term impact of the spinal cord injury is clear. These offers are rarely in your best interests and can leave you underfunded for life. - Signing documents you do not fully understand
Do not sign waivers, settlement agreements, or statements without independent legal advice. - Relying on insurers to arrange all treatment
While some rehabilitation may be funded by insurers, you should not assume they will automatically provide everything you need, or that it will be sufficient. - Posting about the accident on social media without thinking
Comments, photos, or videos can be taken out of context and used against you later. It is safer to limit public discussion of the accident and your injuries. - Admitting fault or speculating about blame
In many serious incidents, liability is complicated. Let your legal team investigate and advise before making concessions or assumptions.
7. Hire a Personal Injury Lawyer
Spinal cord injury cases are complex, high-value claims affecting medical, legal, financial, and practical aspects of life. A personal injury lawyer in Houston ensures your case is handled correctly from the start. This includes investigating liability, coordinating rehabilitation, and securing financial support.
- Investigate liability and analyse accident reports, witness evidence, and expert reconstructions where appropriate.
- Identify all potential defendants, such as drivers, employers, contractors, site owners, or public bodies.
- Secure early interim payments to fund urgent needs like care, equipment, and temporary accommodation.
- Coordinate with rehabilitation providers and case managers to implement a comprehensive rehabilitation plan.
- Assemble the right expert team, including medical and rehabilitation specialists, care experts, and financial or vocational advisors.
- Value the claim accurately, considering pain and suffering, loss of earnings, care, therapies, and projected future needs.
- Negotiate with insurers and, if necessary, prepare the case for court to secure a fair settlement.
8. Plan for Long-Term Care
After a spinal cord injury, planning should extend beyond the immediate crisis to address long-term needs. With guidance from your legal and rehabilitation team, consider housing, care, work, education, and ongoing health to ensure any settlement provides sustainable support for life.
- Permanent housing: assess adaptations or a new property.
- Care model: balance professional and family support.
- Work and education: evaluate return to work or retraining, and future earning capacity.
- Future health: anticipate complications and future treatments.
- Structured settlement: ensure funding covers care, equipment, housing, and income for the long term.
Turning a Crisis into a Managed Future
After a spinal cord injury, immediate action is critical. Prioritise emergency medical care, ensure the accident is properly documented, preserve evidence, and track your symptoms, treatment, and financial losses from day one. Avoid common pitfalls such as early low settlements or unguarded social media posts.
Instructing a specialist spinal cord injury solicitor early helps protect your position, secure interim support, and plan for long-term needs. With the right legal and professional guidance, Abogada Kim Bruno can help you obtain the care, housing, equipment, and financial stability necessary to rebuild your life after such a catastrophic injury. She will guide you through every step, ensuring your future is safeguarded.