NYC Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer

Have you recently been involved in an accident in New York City and suffered an injury to your spinal cord? Contact Mirman, Markovits & Landau, P.C. and schedule a time to sit down with our experienced NYC spinal cord injury lawyers to discuss your rights. You may be entitled to compensation from whoever is responsible for your injury. Our award-winning legal team will work tirelessly to maximize your recovery.

We offer a free consultation, so call our NYC law firm to schedule yours now. Our team is always here to take your call, 24/7/365.

Why Should I Call Mirman, Markovits & Landau, P.C. For Help After a Spinal Cord Injury in NYC?

Few injuries are more devastating than those involving the spine. Your spinal cord plays an integral part in everything that you do. Even minor trauma can have long-term effects and change your life forever. You may struggle with chronic pain, have challenges speaking and understanding others, or even lose the ability to walk or control part of your body.

When someone else is responsible for your spinal cord injury, you need to hold them accountable. However, you shouldn’t have to do it alone. Hiring a NYC personal injury lawyer with experience handling spinal injury cases like yours can make a huge difference. When you call Mirman, Markovits & Landau, P.C., our skilled attorneys will handle the ins-and-outs of your case so that you can focus on what’s really important – getting better and moving forward.

At Mirman, Markovits & Landau, P.C., our spinal cord injury lawyers have more than 200 combined years of experience helping injury victims in and around New York City. Our dedication and passion for our clients pay off – we’ve recovered more than $1 Billion on their behalves. As we pursue compensation on your behalf, we will:

  • Investigate the circumstances of your accident and gather evidence to support your demands for compensation
  • Consult with accident experts as we determine causation, fault, and liability
  • Seek compensation from anyone who contributed to or caused your spinal cord injury
  • Consult with medical professionals, mental health authorities, and vocational experts to ensure that we value your claim properly
  • Mitigate claims that you are responsible for your spine injury
  • Negotiate with insurance companies and interested parties on your behalf, and
  • Have our accomplished NYC trial lawyers take your case to a jury, if necessary.

We know that a spinal cord injury can turn your life upsidedown. We just want to help you in any way that we can. All you have to do is let us. Give our NYC law office a call to set up a time to discuss your case in greater detail today.

Causes of Spinal Cord Injuries in New York City

Any traumatic event can potentially damage the spinal cord. Mirman, Markovits & Landau, P.C. represents clients who have sustained a spinal cord injury as a consequence of:

If you’ve suffered a spinal cord injury because someone else was negligent or careless, our NYC personal injury attorneys can help you fight to secure a financial award. Whether you were injured in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Long Island, Manhattan, Staten Island, Queens, or Westchester County, we’re here to help.

Overview of Spinal Cord Injuries

The spinal cord – or spinal column – is about 18 inches long and runs down your back from the base of your skull to your tailbone. The cord is essentially a long bundle of nerves responsible for communicating signals from the brain to the rest of the body. Small round bones called vertebrae surround the spinal cord to provide protection, stability, and strength. Spinal cord injuries are often classified based on where on the spine – or at which vertebral level – the injury occurs.


A spinal cord injury occurs when trauma to the cord results in a loss of:

  • Mobility
  • Function, or
  • Feeling.

The consequences of a spinal cord injury often depend on the level of the injury, or where on the spine the trauma occurred. Generally speaking, the higher the level of injury, the more severe and devastating the consequences. Why? Everything below the level of injury can be affected. The higher up the injury, the more of the spinal cord that can be impacted.

Complete vs. Incomplete Spinal Cord Injuries

Spinal cord injuries are classified as “complete” or “incomplete” injuries. A complete spinal cord injury means that you lose all feeling and movement below the level of your injury. An incomplete spinal cord injury means that you retain some level of feeling and movement below the level of your injury.

Types of Spinal Cord Injuries

The spinal cord includes four distinct sections. They are, from highest to lowest: the cervical spine, thoracic spine, lumbar spine, and sacral spine. 

Cervical Spine Injuries (C1-C7): The cervical spine begins at the base of your skull and stretches down through your neck. There are 7 vertebrae (C1 – C7). Cervical spinal cord injuries are the most severe, as they can result in:

  • Paralysis in the torso, arms, and legs (tetraplegia)
  • Loss of bladder control
  • Loss of bowel function
  • Inability to breath on your own without assistance, and
  • Impaired ability to speak.

Thoracic Spine Injuries (T1-T12): The thoracic spine sits below the cervical spine in the upper and middle parts of your back. There are 12 vertebrae (T1-T12). Thoracic spinal cord injuries are quite severe, as they can cause:

  • Paralysis in the torso and legs (paraplegia)
  • Limited or no control of the bladder and bowels, and
  • Difficulty breathing on your own.

Depending on the level of injury, thoracic spine injury victims may or may not retain mobility and feeling in their arms and hands. 

Lumbar Spine Injuries (L1-L5): The lumbar spine sits in your lower back and includes 5 vertebrae (L1-L5). This part of the spine carries most of your body’s weight, so the vertebrae tend to be larger than those in other parts of the spine. Lumbar spine injuries are not quite as severe or debilitating as injuries higher up on the spinal cord, as victims tend to retain mobility and feeling in their upper extremities. However, the consequences can still be quite dire:

  • Loss of function in the hips and legs, and
  • Little to no control over the bladder and bowels.

Sacral Spine Injuries (S1-S5): The sacral spine sits at the base of your spinal column. Like the rest of your spine, there are several vertebrae – 5, to be specific. However, these bones are fused together to form a triangle-shaped bone called the sacrum. Each bone corresponds to a major nerve in the sacral spine. As a result, the effects of an injury to your sacral spine will depend on which nerve was damaged. Generally speaking, injuries to the sacral spine can cause:

  • Loss of function, feeling, or movement in the hips and legs, and
  • Loss of control over the bladder, bowels, and sex organs.

It’s important to note that sacral spine injuries are uncommon, and tend to only happen when you are involved in a very severe accident or have pre-existing medical conditions that make you vulnerable to this type of injury.

What is the Cost of a Spinal Cord Injury?

Injuries to the spine can be expensive. Costs will ultimately depend on, among other things:

  • Age
  • The level of injury
  • If it is complete or incomplete injury
  • Treatment and prognosis
  • The need for rehabilitative or nursing care
  • Medical equipment, such as wheelchairs, breathing machines, or braces.

For example, let’s say a 25-year-old suffer a high tetraplegia injury (trauma in the C1-C4 region), which is the most severe spinal cord injury. That injury could likely cost $4,724,181 over the course of their life. 

On the other hand, a 25-year-old who suffers incomplete motor function at any level might find that, over the course of their life, the injury costs $1,578,274. 

Damages Available to NYC Spinal Cord Injury Victims

The costs discussed above only take verifiable financial expenses into account. That’s not the whole story. When you suffer a spinal cord injury in a NYC accident, your life may never be the same. You may struggle with the fact that you can’t do the things you once enjoyed. You may not be able to work. You may fall into a depression because things are so hard. Just because these things don’t have a price tag doesn’t mean that they’re not costly.

Mirman, Markovits & Landau, P.C. won’t just pursue compensation for your economic damages. We’ll work hard to get you money for your non-economic damages, as well. This means that we’ll fight to get you money for everything you need, including

  • Medical expenses
  • Nursing care
  • Rehabilitation
  • Lost wages and income
  • Disability
  • Reduced earning capacity
  • Loss of enjoyment of life
  • Loss of consortium
  • Pain and suffering
  • Emotional distress, and more.

If someone you love has died because of a spinal cord injury they suffered in an accident in NYC, our caring team can help you pursue damages through a wrongful death claim. In doing so, you may be able to secure compensation for funeral expenses, your suffering, and lost financial support.

Call Our NYC Spinal Cord Injury Lawyers Today

An injury to the spine is among the most tragic injuries you can suffer in an accident. You didn’t ask to get hurt, so you shouldn’t have to deal with the costs and consequences alone. Call Mirman, Markovits & Landau, P.C. to find out how our New York City spinal cord injury attorneys can help you fight to recover the compensation you need and deserve.

We’re happy to sit down to discuss your case wherever it is most convenient for you. Home, work, and hospital visits are available. Simply give our NYC injury law firm a call to schedule your free initial case assessment now.