Find a spinal cord injury lawyer in Mesa: care nearby, costs ahead, deadlines

Mesa has a state-designated Level I trauma center, Banner Desert, with a neurocritical care unit for spinal cord injuries. Inpatient rehab is nearby on Pierpont Drive. A spinal cord injury lawsuit in Arizona is generally due in 2 years. A claim against a public entity must be filed in 180 days.

Last checked November 9, 2026 · Official sources (34)

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Road map of Mesa showing Dobson Road and Pierpont Drive, near Banner Desert trauma center and Banner Rehabilitation Hospital East
Banner Desert, 1400 S. Dobson, is Mesa's Level I trauma center. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Where do people with spinal cord injuries get care near Mesa?

Banner Desert Medical Center, 1400 South Dobson Rd., is a state-designated Level I trauma center. Banner says it has a neurocritical care unit for people with life-threatening brain and spinal cord injuries. Banner Baywood and HonorHealth Four Peaks are Level III centers.

For children, Banner Children's at Desert lists pediatric neurosurgeons and neurologists on its team. The state's Level I pediatric trauma center is Phoenix Children's Hospital.

After the hospital, many people move to inpatient rehab. Banner Rehabilitation Hospital East, at 1702 South Pierpont Drive in Mesa, lists spinal cord injury rehabilitation among its services. A doctor in physical medicine and rehabilitation usually leads the team. It can include vocational counselors.

How do spinal cord injuries happen in Mesa?

Most often in crashes and falls. Motor vehicle accidents and serious falls are the most common causes in the United States. Mesa counted 175 serious injury crashes in 2024. More than 90% were on arterial streets.

ADOT's 2024 numbers list 3,531 people injured in reported Mesa crashes. If your family member was hurt in one, the crash report matters. Mesa Police report copies are sold online for involved parties at $2.60.

If someone may have a neck or back injury, do not move them. Crews will stabilize the neck with a rigid collar and a backboard.

What can a spinal cord injury cost over a lifetime?

A great deal, and a doctor should write the real plan. These are national averages from the National SCI Statistical Center's March 2026 Facts and Figures. They are not a prediction for any one person.

Injury levelFirst yearEach later year
Paraplegia$705,131$93,409
High tetraplegia, C1 to C4$1,446,827$251,246

Indirect costs, such as lost work, averaged $97,787 a year in 2025 dollars. Only 18 percent of people with a traumatic injury are employed at year 1. About 29 percent are in the hospital again each year. Those numbers are why a life care plan, written by treating doctors, matters.

What should our family do in the first weeks in Mesa?

  1. Ask for copies of hospital records. For any Banner hospital, use MRO Patient Central.
  2. Get the police report. Mesa sells it online, or you can request it direct from Mesa Police for $5.00.
  3. Keep a daily note of care, equipment, home changes and missed work.
  4. Do not sign releases or give a recorded statement to an insurer before talking to a lawyer.
  5. Write down the names of everyone who saw the crash or fall.

Who pays for spinal cord injury care in Mesa, and how long do we have?

Start with insurance, then look at who caused it. Arizona's minimum car liability is $25,000 per person, which is usually small next to these costs. The Arizona constitution allows no cap on injury damages. A provider may have a lien on a recovery, and Medicare must be repaid if it paid.

ALTCS is Arizona's long-term care Medicaid. It can pay for care at home, so a move to a nursing home is not required if you qualify.

Plan on 2 years to sue, in most cases. If a city, county or transit agency is involved, you have 180 days to file a claim, and it must state a specific settlement amount. If the injured person cannot manage their own affairs, the 180 days start after that disability ends. For a child, the lawsuit clock generally waits until age 18.

Questions

Can I file a claim before we know how bad the injury will be?

You can, but it is risky to settle early. Many spinal cord injuries change over time. The 2-year and 180-day deadlines still run, so talk to a lawyer soon.

Can anyone tell me what a spinal cord case is worth at the start?

Not honestly. Value depends on the facts, the injury level and the insurance, and the care plan is still unfolding. Be careful with any promise of an amount.

Does the 180-day deadline apply if a private driver hit us?

No. It applies when a public entity is involved, such as the City of Mesa or Valley Metro. For a private driver you generally have 2 years.

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Sources (34)

  1. Arizona DHS, State Designated Trauma Centers, checked 2026-11-08. “Banner Desert Medical Center 1400 South Dobson Rd., Meza, AZ 85202 06/10/24 06/10/27”
  2. Banner Health, Banner Desert Neurosciences, checked 2026-11-09. “neurocritical care unit offers advanced care for patients with life-threatening brain and spinal cord injuries”
  3. Banner Health, Banner Rehabilitation Hospital East, checked 2026-11-09. “1702 South Pierpont Dr. Mesa, AZ 85206”
  4. A.R.S. § 12-542, checked 2026-11-08. “within two years after the cause of action accrues”
  5. A.R.S. § 12-821.01, checked 2026-11-08. “within one hundred eighty days after the cause of action accrues”
  6. Banner Health, Banner Rehabilitation Hospital East, checked 2026-11-09. “Spinal cord injury rehabilitation”
  7. 45 CFR 164.524, checked 2026-11-09. “no later than 30 days after receipt of the request”
  8. A.R.S. § 12-821.01, checked 2026-11-09. “The claim shall also contain a specific amount for which the claim can be settled and the facts supporting that amount.”
  9. A.R.S. § 12-821.01, checked 2026-11-09. “a minor or an insane or incompetent person may file a claim within one hundred eighty days after the disability ceases”
  10. Arizona DHS, State Designated Trauma Centers, checked 2026-11-08. “Banner Baywood Medical Center 6644 E. Baywood Ave., Mesa, AZ 85206 09/05/24 02/25/27”
  11. Arizona DHS, State Designated Trauma Centers, checked 2026-11-08. “HonorHealth Four Peaks Medical Center 1301 S. Crismon Rd, Mesa, AZ 85209 07/26/26 07/26/29”
  12. Banner Health, Banner Children's at Desert Neurosciences, checked 2026-11-09. “Our highly experienced team includes pediatric neurosurgeons, neurologists”
  13. Arizona DHS, State Designated Trauma Centers, checked 2026-11-09. “1919 E. Thomas Rd., Phoenix”
  14. NINDS, checked 2026-11-09. “A doctor specializing in physical medicine and rehabilitation usually leads the rehabilitation team.”
  15. NINDS, checked 2026-11-09. “rehabilitation psychologists, vocational counselors, nutritionists, a case worker”
  16. NINDS, checked 2026-11-09. “Motor vehicle accidents and serious falls are the most common causes of SCI in the U.S.”
  17. City of Mesa, City of Mesa Crashes presentation, checked 2026-11-08. “175 serious injury crashes in 2024”
  18. City of Mesa, City of Mesa Crashes presentation, checked 2026-11-08. “Over 90% occurring on arterial streets”
  19. ADOT, 2024 Arizona Motor Vehicle Crash Facts, checked 2026-11-08. “| Mesa | 8,022 | 46 | 2,503 | 5,473 | 48 | 3,531 | 356 | 8 | 224 |”
  20. Mesa Police, Criminal Justice Information Division, checked 2026-11-08. “Fees are $2.60 for involved parties if name on credit card matches a name on the accident report.”
  21. NINDS, checked 2026-11-09. “emergency personnel will place a rigid collar around the neck and carefully place the person on a backboard”
  22. National SCI Statistical Center, checked 2026-11-09. “Paraplegia AIS ABC $705,131 $93,409 $3,139,165 $2,060,139”
  23. National SCI Statistical Center, checked 2026-11-09. “High Tetraplegia (C1–C4) AIS ABC $1,446,827 $251,246 $6,419,617 $3,528,112”
  24. National SCI Statistical Center, checked 2026-11-09. “indirect costs averaged $97,787 per year in 2025 dollars”
  25. National SCI Statistical Center, checked 2026-11-09. “Since 2015, 18% of persons with tSCI are employed at year 1”
  26. National SCI Statistical Center, checked 2026-11-09. “Since 2015, about 29% of persons with tSCI are re-hospitalized at”
  27. Banner Health, Patient Medical Records, checked 2026-11-08. “you can request your medical records from any Banner Health hospital, provider office, or urgent care location.”
  28. Mesa Police, Criminal Justice Information Division, checked 2026-11-08. “Crashes can be obtained directly through Mesa Police for $5.00”
  29. Arizona Revised Statutes 28-4009, checked 2026-11-09. “$25,000 because of bodily injury to or death of one person in any one accident”
  30. Ariz. Const. art. 18, § 6, checked 2026-11-09. “the amount recovered shall not be subject to any statutory limitation”
  31. A.R.S. § 33-931, checked 2026-11-09. “is entitled to a lien for the care and treatment or transportation of an injured person”
  32. CMS, checked 2026-11-09. “because it must be repaid to Medicare when a beneficiary receives a settlement, judgment, award, or other payment”
  33. AHCCCS, ALTCS, checked 2026-11-09. “Those who qualify do not have to reside in a nursing home.”
  34. A.R.S. § 12-502, checked 2026-11-08. “the period of such disability shall not be deemed a portion of the period limited for commencement of the action”

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