A spinal cord injury transforms life in an instant—one moment you’re driving through an Arlington intersection, and the next you’re hearing terms like paraplegia, incomplete injury, and life care plan.
If you or someone you love faces paralysis after an accident caused by someone else’s negligence, understanding the different types of paralysis helps frame what comes next: medical decisions, long-term care planning, and the legal path toward compensation that reflects a lifetime of needs.
Catastrophic injuries demand aggressive representation and compassionate guidance. At Branch & Dhillon,P.C., our Arlington, TX personal injury attorneys work with paralysis survivors and their families throughout Arlington, Tarrant County, and the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. Call us for a free consultation. We operate on a contingency fee basis—you pay nothing unless we win.
Key Takeaways for Paralysis and Texas Injury Cases
- Paralysis types are defined by location and extent, with paraplegia affecting the lower body, quadriplegia (tetraplegia) affecting all four limbs, and hemiplegia or monoplegia involving one side or one limb
- Complete versus incomplete spinal cord injuries determine function, as complete injuries result in total loss of sensation and movement below the injury site, while incomplete injuries may retain some motor function or feeling that affects rehabilitation potential and long-term prognosis
- The injury level matters significantly because cervical injuries (neck region) generally cause more extensive paralysis than thoracic or lumbar injuries, directly influencing the scope of attendant care, home modifications, and adaptive equipment required
- Accident-related paralysis creates substantial financial burdens beyond immediate medical bills, including costs for wheelchair-accessible vehicles, home renovations, ongoing nursing care, and loss of earning capacity that compound over decades
- Texas law sets strict deadlines for paralysis injury claims with a two-year statute of limitations from the accident date, meaning gathering evidence and consulting an attorney early protects your right to pursue compensation
What Paralysis Means After a Serious Accident
Paralysis refers to the loss of muscle function and sensation in part of the body, typically resulting from damage to the spinal cord or brain. When a car crash on I-30, a truck collision near AT&T Stadium, or a fall on unsafe property severs or compresses the spinal cord, signals between the brain and muscles stop traveling properly.
The type and severity of paralysis depend on where the spinal cord sustained damage and how extensive that damage is. A cervical injury at the neck level affects more of the body than a lumbar injury in the lower back. These distinctions shape what rehabilitation might look like, what daily assistance is needed, and how to calculate the true cost of care when pursuing a personal injury claim in Texas.
The Four Main Types of Paralysis After an Arlington Injury Accident
Medical professionals classify paralysis based on which parts of the body lose function. Each type brings different challenges, care requirements, and long-term cost projections that factor into catastrophic injury claims.
Paraplegia: Lower Body Paralysis
Paraplegia affects the legs and lower trunk, usually resulting from injuries to the thoracic, lumbar, or sacral regions of the spinal cord. Someone with paraplegia retains full use of their arms and hands but loses movement and sensation below the waist. Wheelchair use becomes necessary for daily activities. Bladder and bowel control may be compromised, requiring intermittent catheterization or bowel management programs.
Paraplegia claims involve substantial future costs, including wheelchair-accessible vehicles, home modifications such as ramps and widened doorways, ongoing physical therapy, and potential attendant care for assistance with daily activities like dressing, bathing, and transfers. Lost earning capacity calculations must account for someone who can no longer perform physically demanding work or who faces barriers in many employment settings.
Quadriplegia (Tetraplegia): All Four Limbs Affected
Quadriplegia results from cervical spinal cord injuries (damage in the neck region). This type of paralysis affects all four limbs, the trunk, and the pelvic organs. Higher cervical injuries (C1-C4) compromise breathing because the diaphragm and chest muscles lose function. Lower cervical injuries (C5-C8) may allow some arm movement or limited hand grip, but fine motor skills remain impaired.
Quadriplegia represents the most extensive type of paralysis in personal injury cases. Life care plans for quadriplegia survivors include 24-hour attendant care, specialized wheelchairs with head or chin controls, environmental control units, vehicle modifications far beyond standard hand controls, extensive home renovations, and respiratory equipment. Compensation calculations must reflect these lifetime needs.
Hemiplegia: One Side of the Body
Hemiplegia affects one entire side of the body. This type of paralysis more commonly results from brain injuries or traumatic brain damage rather than isolated spinal cord injuries. When hemiplegia follows an accident in Arlington, the injury complicates daily tasks that require bilateral coordination, such as walking without assistive devices, carrying objects, dressing, and cooking.
Hemiplegia claims involve costs for adaptive equipment, gait training, and potentially long-term physical therapy. If a traumatic brain injury caused the hemiplegia, cognitive rehabilitation and neuropsychological care may also factor into the life care plan.
Monoplegia: Single Limb Paralysis
Monoplegia affects one limb, typically one arm or one leg. In accident cases, monoplegia sometimes occurs when a single nerve (such as the brachial plexus in the shoulder) sustains severe damage during a collision or fall. Someone who loses use of their dominant arm faces challenges in employment, self-care, and recreational activities. A leg injury requiring bracing or assistive devices affects mobility and may prevent physically demanding work.
Monoplegia claims require clear medical documentation linking the specific limb paralysis to the accident. Imaging studies, nerve conduction tests, and treating physician statements establish causation and help estimate the extent of permanent impairment.
Complete Versus Incomplete Spinal Cord Injuries
Beyond the location-based classification, spinal cord injuries divide into complete and incomplete categories based on whether any function remains below the injury site.
Complete Spinal Cord Injury
A complete spinal cord injury means total loss of sensory and motor function below the level of injury. Complete injuries leave little hope for functional recovery below the injury site, though rehabilitation helps maximize independence with remaining abilities.
Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury
An incomplete spinal cord injury preserves some sensation or movement below the injury level. The spinal cord suffers damage but not complete severing. Incomplete injuries vary widely—one person might retain slight sensation but no movement, while another might walk with assistive devices despite significant weakness.
Common Accidents That Cause Paralysis in Texas
Paralysis most frequently results from high-force trauma that damages the spinal cord or brain. In Arlington and throughout Tarrant County, several accident types produce these catastrophic injuries:
- Motor vehicle collisions: High-speed crashes on I-20 or US-287, rear-end collisions that snap the neck violently, and rollover accidents create forces capable of fracturing vertebrae or compressing the spinal cord
- Commercial truck accidents: When an 18-wheeler strikes a passenger vehicle, the resulting spinal trauma may be severe, particularly in underride collisions where a car slides beneath a truck trailer
- Motorcycle crashes: Riders face direct spinal impact when thrown from the bike, with forces that frequently cause vertebral fractures and spinal cord damage
- Pedestrian and bicycle accidents: Unprotected individuals struck by vehicles may sustain spinal injuries from the initial impact or from striking the pavement
- Falls on unsafe property: Falls from height, like off a ladder, down stairs without proper railings, or through defective flooring, create paralysis risk when someone lands on their back or head
- Workplace accidents: Construction sites, warehouses, and industrial settings create paralysis risk through falls, being struck by heavy objects, or machinery accidents
Branch & Dhillon, P.C.’s negligence lawyers help survivors who were injured by another get compensation for their injuries.
What Compensation Covers in Paralysis Injury Claims
Texas law allows paralysis survivors to pursue compensation for economic and non-economic damages when another party’s negligence caused their injury. The goal is to address both immediate losses and the lifelong financial impact of a spinal cord injury.
- Medical expenses include emergency transport and trauma care, surgical interventions, hospital stays, diagnostic imaging, medications, and initial durable medical equipment. These early costs alone may reach hundreds of thousands of dollars.
- Future medical costs can dwarf initial treatment expenses. Life care plans project ongoing physician visits, physical and occupational therapy, prescription medications, medical supplies, wheelchair replacements, adaptive technology updates, and treatment for secondary complications like pressure sores and infections.
- Home and vehicle modifications make daily life manageable. Installing ramps, widening doorways, renovating bathrooms with roll-in showers, adding stairlifts, and reconfiguring kitchens for wheelchair access require substantial investment. Vehicles need hand controls, wheelchair lifts, or complete conversion vans.
- Attendant care and nursing support become necessary when paralysis limits ability to manage personal hygiene, transfers, meal preparation, or medication administration. Twenty-four-hour care for quadriplegia survivors represents one of the largest ongoing expenses, running into hundreds of thousands per year over decades.
- Lost wages and diminished earning capacity reflect both immediate income loss and the permanent reduction in earning ability. Someone who worked in construction, nursing, or another physically demanding field may be unable to return to their profession.
- Pain and suffering acknowledges the physical discomfort, emotional distress, loss of enjoyment of life, and psychological impact of living with paralysis. Chronic nerve pain, the emotional toll of lost independence, relationship strain, and depression frequently accompany spinal cord injuries.
Texas follows a modified comparative negligence rule. If the injury survivor bears some responsibility for the accident, their compensation is reduced proportionally. If they are 51% or more at fault, Texas law bars them from recovering damages.
Why Legal Representation Matters for Paralysis Cases
Insurance companies recognize that paralysis claims involve enormous potential payouts. Adjusters employ strategies to minimize these numbers: disputing injury severity, arguing pre-existing conditions contributed, claiming treatment was excessive, or pressuring for quick settlements before the full scope of future needs becomes clear.
Our Texas spinal cord injury lawyers work with medical experts, life care planners, economists, and vocational specialists to build comprehensive evidence of past and future losses. We gather all medical records and imaging studies, obtain expert opinions on prognosis, commission life care plans detailing decades of treatment needs, calculate lost earning capacity, and document how paralysis affects daily life.
This evidence positions us to negotiate from strength. Insurance companies take cases more seriously when they see thorough documentation and recognize a firm willing to go to trial.
Texas Statute of Limitations for Paralysis Claims
In most Texas personal injury cases, you have two years from the date of the accident to file a lawsuit, subject to limited exceptions for issues like minor children or other tolling rules. Missing this window usually bars you from pursuing compensation in court.
Two years might sound like ample time, but catastrophic injury cases require extensive preparation. Medical treatment and rehabilitation consume the first months after injury. Gathering evidence, consulting experts, and building a comprehensive claim take time.
Starting early protects your rights and improves your case. Early attorney involvement means evidence gets preserved before it disappears, and your case is built from a position of strength from day one.
FAQ for Types of Paralysis and Texas Personal Injury Claims
Paraplegia affects the lower body—legs and lower trunk—while quadriplegia (tetraplegia) affects all four limbs plus the trunk. Paraplegia results from thoracic, lumbar, or sacral spinal cord injuries, while quadriplegia comes from cervical spine damage in the neck region.
Incomplete spinal cord injuries sometimes show improvement with intensive rehabilitation. When the spinal cord is damaged but not completely severed, some neural pathways may survive or reorganize. However, recovery potential varies dramatically between individuals and depends on injury location, severity, and how quickly treatment begins.
Insurance adjusters may dispute medical causation by arguing pre-existing conditions contributed to paralysis, question treatment necessity to challenge medical expense claims, offer quick settlements before life care plans reveal true future costs, or use surveillance to suggest injury severity is exaggerated. They may also attempt to shift the blame for the accident onto the injured person to reduce their company’s liability.
Spouses may pursue loss of consortium claims, which address how the paralysis injury damages their marriage through lost companionship, intimacy, and household services. Parents of minor children injured and paralyzed by negligence may recover medical expenses they paid. If the paralysis victim later dies from injury-related complications, eligible family members may pursue wrongful death claims for funeral expenses and loss of financial support.
Branch & Dhillon, P.C. handles paralysis cases on a contingency fee basis, which means you pay no upfront costs or hourly fees. Our payment comes from a percentage of your settlement or verdict, only if we win your case. If we don’t recover compensation for you, you owe us nothing.
Taking the Next Step After a Life-Changing Injury
The phone call you make today shapes the resources available tomorrow. While medical teams focus on physical recovery, legal preparation runs on a separate clock, and evidence preservation, expert consultation, and claim development can’t wait until rehabilitation finishes.
Paralysis cases demand both technical understanding of catastrophic injury law and genuine knowledge of how spinal cord damage reshapes every corner of life: careers that end abruptly, homes that need complete renovation, relationships that bear new weight, and futures that require recalculation.
At Branch & Dhillon, P.C., we assist paralysis survivors and their families through Arlington, across Tarrant County, and throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth area. You deserve compassionate and aggressive representation in the fight for compensation.
If you’ve suffered paralysis after a car, truck, or fall accident in Arlington or anywhere in Tarrant County, contact us for a free consultation. You pay nothing unless we win your case.