A Back or Neck Injury Can Change Your Daily Life. You Do Not Have to Figure Out the Next Steps Alone.

By Igor Hernandez, CHG Personal Injury Lawyers, Coral Gables, Florida

Jacksonville Catastrophic Back & Neck Injury Lawyers

You went to bed able to walk, lift your kids, and drive to work. Then a truck crossed the center line on I-10.

Or someone attacked you in a dark parking garage.

Now your day revolves around a wheelchair, a catheter, and a rehab schedule. You may even need to change your home just to get through the front door.

That is what a catastrophic back or neck injury can take from a person. This page explains your legal options in plain language. It also shows how Florida law may affect them.

A Jacksonville back and neck injury lawyer at CHG Personal Injury Lawyers can walk you through those options. CHG serves clients in Jacksonville and throughout Florida.

CHG charges no attorney’s fees and no case costs unless there is a recovery. We take calls in English and Spanish.

Request your case evaluation now. CHG charges no attorney’s fees and no case costs unless there is a recovery.

The Difference Between a Sore Back and a Catastrophic One

Strains and other back problems can be painful. This page covers a different category. It covers injuries that cause permanent harm.

A catastrophic back or neck injury is different in kind, not just in degree. It may cause permanent harm. It may need surgery or lifelong care. It can change how you move, work, and live.

According to the Mayo Clinic, a spinal cord injury can cause lasting loss of movement and feeling. It can also affect breathing, bowel, and bladder function.

Doctors measure how severe a spinal cord injury is. They use the ASIA Impairment Scale (AIS). The American Spinal Injury Association publishes this scale.

The scale runs from AIS A to AIS E.

• AIS A means complete, with no movement or feeling below the injury.
• AIS E means normal.

Your medical team’s assessment is the basis for any classification.

Examples of catastrophic back and neck injuries include:

• Spinal cord injury causing loss of movement or feeling
• Paralysis, meaning paraplegia (lower body) or quadriplegia/tetraplegia (all four limbs)
• Burst or unstable vertebral fractures (broken bones in the spine)
• Herniated discs pressing on the spinal cord or nerve roots that need surgery
• Permanent nerve damage
• Loss of bowel or bladder control

Learn more about what makes a back or neck injury catastrophic.

How These Injuries Happen in Jacksonville

Catastrophic spine injuries in Duval County and Northeast Florida may result from two kinds of events. One is high-force accidents. The other is serious violence on unsafe property.

• Truck and large-vehicle crashes on I-95, I-10, I-295, and US-1
• Other high-speed car and motorcycle crashes
• Ladder, scaffold and building-site injuries: when the injury happened on the job, it is generally handled through Florida’s workers’ compensation system (Chapter 440, Florida Statutes), which may limit other claims, subject to exceptions and the facts of each case
• Attacks on someone else’s property. Were you assaulted, shot, robbed, or attacked at an apartment complex, parking garage, hotel, bar, gas station, or store? Were you hurt because the owner did not provide reasonable security? Examples include working locks, gates, lighting, cameras, or guards.

If so, whether a claim against that property owner exists depends on the facts of your situation, your medical records, and Florida law, including whether the owner exercised reasonable care. Lawyers call this a negligent security case. You do not need to know the term to ask about your situation.

Learn more about a back or neck injury negligent-security claim.

• Medical negligence, including spinal surgery errors. See our page on a spinal surgery medical negligence claim.

When a Spine Injury Is Fatal

The most catastrophic outcome is the loss of a life. A high neck injury or its complications can take a loved one.

The family is left with grief, funeral costs, and the sudden loss of income and support.

Who may bring a Florida wrongful death claim, and when, depends on the facts of each case and on applicable Florida law, including Fla. Stat. §§ 768.16–768.26 and the filing deadline in § 95.11, which has its own exceptions. Whether a claim exists depends on the facts of the case. Under Florida’s wrongful death statutes, a claim is generally brought by the decedent’s personal representative for the benefit of the survivors identified in § 768.18, which may include a spouse, children, or parents, depending on the facts of each case (see § 768.20).

We handle these matters with care. We can explain who may qualify and what a claim can seek.

What CHG Does for You

Our goal is to build a thorough case. That way, you can focus on healing.

• Investigate promptly. Some evidence may be lost over time. We move to request and preserve a truck’s engine control module (ECM, or “black box”) data, driver logs, and security video.
• Document the full extent of the injury. We work with your doctors, life-care planners, and economists. Together, we document your ongoing needs, not just today’s bills.
• Identify every possible source of recovery. This can include commercial trucking policies, cargo carriers, and property-owner insurance. It is not limited to one driver’s policy.
• Handle the insurers. We take the calls, letters, and negotiations off your plate.
• Prepare every case for trial. If a fair resolution is not reached, we may file suit.

Compensation You May Be Able to Recover

Florida law allows injured people to seek money. This money is called “damages.” Every case is different. No lawyer can promise an amount.

Types of losses a claim may seek include:

• Past and future medical care: surgeries, rehab, wheelchairs, equipment, home and vehicle changes, and in-home care
• Lost income and lost future earning ability
• Wrongful-death damages for eligible family members if the injury was fatal

In a Florida motor vehicle claim, damages for pain, suffering, mental anguish, and inconvenience generally require that the injury meet the permanency requirements in § 627.737(2). Comparative fault may also limit recovery.

Florida Laws That Affect Your Jacksonville Claim

The deadline (statute of limitations). Florida filing deadlines depend on the type of claim and the facts of the case.

For example, § 95.11 says an action for medical malpractice generally must start within 2 years. That period runs from when the incident occurred or was, or should have been, discovered. The statute also sets a 4-year outer limit. It describes exceptions in the statute.

Contact CHG promptly to confirm which deadline may apply to your situation.

Shared fault (comparative negligence) (Fla. Stat. § 768.81(6)). You may still be able to recover even if you were partly to blame.

Under § 768.81, contributory fault reduces the amount awarded. The reduction matches the claimant’s share of fault. Fault does not by itself bar recovery. However, under § 768.81(6), for negligence actions filed after March 24, 2023, a party found greater than 50 percent at fault for their own harm may be barred from recovering damages; this bar does not apply to medical negligence actions under chapter 766, and its application depends on the facts of each case.

Prompt action can matter in many cases. Some evidence may be lost over time. This includes trucking records, vehicle data, and security video. Contact CHG as soon as you can so that evidence can be reviewed.

How the Process Works, Step by Step

1. Case evaluation. You tell us what happened. We explain your options and answer your questions.
2. Investigation. We gather and protect evidence.
3. Medical documentation. We build a picture of your injury and future needs. We work with outside professionals. Your medical care and records guide this step.
4. Demand and negotiation. We present your documented losses to the insurers. We seek a fair resolution.
5. Lawsuit and litigation. If no fair resolution is reached, we may file suit and prepare for trial.

Some catastrophic cases take time, because medical needs may still be developing. We cannot promise a timeline. We will keep you informed at every step.

Why Families Choose CHG Personal Injury Lawyers

CHG Personal Injury Lawyers focuses on serious injury claims, including catastrophic, life-altering injuries. The firm also handles personal injury matters of any severity.

The firm has handled these claims since its founding. That focus shapes how we build complex cases.

• Igor Hernandez is admitted in Florida as a member of The Florida Bar.
• Bilingual service in English and Spanish, from the first call through the end of your case.
• No upfront cost. CHG charges no attorney’s fees and no case costs unless there is a recovery.
• Florida-based, serving clients throughout Florida from our Coral Gables, Florida office.

We cannot promise a result. We do not make win-rate claims.

Frequently Asked Questions

Talk to a Jacksonville Catastrophic Back & Neck Injury Lawyer Today

A catastrophic injury is overwhelming. You do not have to face the legal side alone.

Acting sooner may help protect evidence before deadlines pass. Bilingual intake is available.

Contact CHG Personal Injury Lawyers for your case evaluation. CHG charges no attorney’s fees and no case costs unless there is a recovery.

You can also explore our catastrophic back and neck injuries resource hub to learn more.