A Missouri paralysis claim must account for lifetime care, equipment, home modifications, lost earning capacity, and family losses. Here is what it covers.
A spinal cord injury that causes paralysis changes almost everything about a car accident claim. Most claims are based on existing bills. A paralysis claim has to be built on years that haven’t happened yet: decades of medical care, equipment, home modifications, help with daily living, and work that can no longer be done the same way.
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The Level and Completeness of the Injury Shape the Claim
Doctors describe a spinal cord injury by where it happened and how much function remains.
- Tetraplegia (also called quadriplegia) usually follows a neck injury. It can affect the arms, hands, trunk, legs, breathing, and bladder and bowel control.
- Paraplegia usually follows an injury to the lower spine and affects the legs and lower body.
- A complete injury means there is no movement or sensation below the level of injury. An incomplete injury means some signals still get through.
Clinicians often grade these injuries on the ASIA Impairment Scale, from A (complete) to E (normal function). That grade and how function changes during rehabilitation drive nearly every number in the claim. Incomplete injuries can improve for many months; one reason these claims should not be rushed.
Lifetime Medical Care is the Largest Part of the Claim
Paralysis care does not end at hospital discharge. A complete claim looks at care in stages:
- Acute care: emergency treatment, spinal surgery, intensive care, and the hospital stay.
- Inpatient rehabilitation: physical and occupational therapy, plus training in bladder, bowel, and skin care.
- Ongoing care: physician follow-up, outpatient therapy, medications, imaging, and daily supplies.
- Complications: higher risk of pressure injuries, urinary and respiratory infections, blood clots, chronic nerve pain, spasticity, and bone loss. Injuries at T6 or above can also bring autonomic dysreflexia, a dangerous spike in blood pressure.
These costs recur for the rest of a person’s life. A life care plan projects that future care in detail: what will be needed, how often, and what it will cost. Treating physicians, rehabilitation physicians, and life care planners can explain those needs to an insurer or a jury. Our article on how surgery changes a car accident claim covers the surgical side.
Home, Vehicle, Equipment, and Attendant Care
Paralysis often means the home and the car no longer work. A claim should account for:
- Home modifications: ramps, wider doorways, an accessible bathroom, lifts, or a move.
- Vehicle changes: hand controls or a wheelchair-accessible van.
- Equipment: wheelchairs, cushions, hospital beds, transfer equipment, and the regular replacement of each.
- Attendant care: help with bathing, dressing, transfers, and medical routines, whether from an aide, a nurse, or family.
Care from family members is real work with a real cost, even when no one sends a bill. Document it from the start.
Lost Income and Lost Earning Capacity
Lost wages cover the paychecks missed during recovery. Lost earning capacity is larger: the difference between what a person could have earned over a working life and what they can earn now.
The claim considers age, education, work history, likely raises, benefits such as retirement contributions and health insurance, and the extra time and cost that work now requires. Vocational and economic testimony often puts a number on that loss. For business owners, the analysis also looks at what the business loses without them.
Pain, Lost Independence, and The Family’s Claim
Missouri law allows recovery for non-economic damages, including physical pain, emotional distress, loss of independence, and loss of activities that made life full. In a paralysis case, these losses are often the heart of the claim. Depression and anxiety are common after spinal cord injury, and mental health treatment belongs in the care plan too.
A spouse may also have a claim for loss of consortium, the loss of companionship, support, and help within the marriage. Family testimony about life before and after the crash often carries real weight.
Coverage, Liens, and Missouri Rules
A paralysis claim can quickly exceed a single auto policy, so the work starts with identifying every source of coverage: the at-fault driver’s policy, an employer’s policy if the driver was working, a trucking company’s coverage, other responsible parties, and uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage on your own policies. See who is liable in a truck accident in Missouri and how responsibility can be shared.
A few Missouri rules also shape the claim:
- Pure comparative fault: if you were partly at fault, your recovery may be reduced by your share, but it is not barred.
- Deadlines: most Missouri injury claims must be filed within five years of the crash. See how long you have to file a car accident claim in Missouri.
- Liens: health insurers, government health plans, and hospitals may claim repayment from a recovery. Missouri lien law can help resolve some of those claims so more of the recovery stays with the injured person.
- Timing: settling before doctors can describe the long-term picture risks leaving future needs out, and a resolved claim generally cannot be reopened.
Until you have talked with a lawyer, avoid recorded statements to the other driver’s insurer, and keep every bill, record, and appointment note.
Talk With a St. Louis Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer
If you or someone in your family is living with paralysis after a crash, you work directly with Attorney Christopher Hoffmann, not a case manager. We pursue the maximum available insurance recovery, built on a full picture of lifetime needs. Learn more on our St. Louis spinal cord injury lawyer and catastrophic injury pages.
Call (314) 361-4242 for a free consultation, or send us a few details. There is no fee unless we recover compensation on your behalf.
Every case is different; results depend on the facts. This article is general information, not legal advice.
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