A spinal cord injury from a car accident does not only affect a person’s ability to move. It can reshape decades of medical care, work, and daily independence in a single moment. When an injury like this becomes part of a legal claim, the central question is how Pennsylvania law places a dollar value on losses that reach far beyond a hospital bill.
At Rubin, Glickman, Steinberg & Gifford, P.C., we represent Pennsylvania residents building a car accident claim after a spinal cord injury changes the course of their life. Insurance adjusters often try to reduce these losses to a simple number, and we know how Pennsylvania law actually approaches the value of this kind of harm, from the medical evidence involved to the long-term impact on your independence.
The Types of Spinal Cord Injuries We See in Car Accident Cases
Spinal cord injuries generally fall into two broad categories, complete and incomplete. A complete injury involves a total loss of sensation and movement below the site of the damage, while an incomplete injury still allows some signals to pass through the spinal cord. Our page on complete and incomplete spinal injuries after a car crash explains how doctors and courts distinguish between the two, and this distinction often shapes the entire value of a claim.
The most common injuries we encounter after Pennsylvania car accidents include fractured vertebrae, herniated discs that press against the spinal cord, and nerve damage from sudden, forceful movement. You can read more about these common spinal injuries after a car accident to understand how each type presents differently and why documentation from the earliest days after a crash matters so much.
Calculating Economic Damages After a Spinal Cord Injury
Pennsylvania law does not cap the amount of economic damages a private citizen can recover after a car accident caused by another driver’s negligence, and this matters a great deal in spinal cord injury cases, because the costs often continue for life. Economic damages include past and future medical bills, the cost of surgery, rehabilitation, adaptive equipment, and home modifications, along with lost wages and any reduction in your future earning capacity.
National research on spinal cord injuries shows that tens of thousands of new traumatic spinal cord injuries occur across the country every year, and the lifelong medical and personal care needs from an injury like this can be substantial. We work with your treatment team to build out your future medical expenses so the true cost of your recovery is represented, not just the bills you have already received.
Non-Economic Damages and Pain and Suffering
Beyond the financial costs, Pennsylvania law also allows you to recover non-economic damages, commonly called pain and suffering. These damages account for the physical pain, emotional toll, and loss of independence that come with a spinal cord injury, and unlike economic damages, they do not come with a receipt attached. Understanding how pain and suffering is calculated in Pennsylvania car accident claims can help you see why documentation of your daily struggles matters just as much as your medical records.
When we evaluate a spinal cord injury for pain and suffering, we consider several factors, including:
- The severity and permanence of the neurological damage
- Your age and the number of years you are likely to live with the impact
- How the injury affects your ability to work, care for yourself, and enjoy daily life
- The emotional and psychological toll on you and your family
Each of these factors helps a jury or insurance company understand that a spinal cord injury is not a single loss, but a series of losses that continue for years or decades.
What Happens Next in Your Claim
Every personal injury claim moves through a general timeline, though a spinal cord injury case often takes longer because your medical prognosis needs time to stabilize before a fair value can be placed on your future needs. Reviewing the timeline of a personal injury case can help you understand what to expect as your claim moves from initial treatment through negotiation or litigation.
We gather medical records, consult with your treating physicians, and, when necessary, work with financial and medical professionals who can project your future costs with accuracy. This approach allows us to present a complete picture of your injury rather than accepting an early settlement offer that undervalues what you are facing.
Rubin, Glickman, Steinberg & Gifford, P.C. Is Ready to Help With Your Spinal Cord Injury Claim
For more than 65 years, our firm has focused on giving Pennsylvania clients the attention their case deserves, listening carefully to what you are facing and building a strategy around your specific injury rather than a generic formula. From our offices in Newtown and Colmar, our team has guided many families through the process of valuing a spinal cord injury claim, and we understand how overwhelming this experience can be for you and the people who depend on you.
If a spinal cord injury from a Pennsylvania car accident has changed your life, you deserve a team that will fight to make sure every cost, present and future, is accounted for in your claim. Reach out through our contact form to talk with our team about your case and the path forward.
Rubin, Glickman, Steinberg & Gifford P.C.
Pennsylvania Attorney's
October 6, 2026
