Find a spinal cord injury lawyer in Tucson: care, bills and time limits
In Tucson, a spinal cord injury usually means Banner University Medical Center or Carondelet St. Joseph's, both state-designated Level I trauma centers. Rehab can continue at Banner Rehabilitation Hospital Tucson. Arizona gives you generally 2 years to sue, and 180 days if a government is involved.
Last checked November 9, 2026 · Official sources (32)
Where are spinal cord injuries treated in Tucson?
The state list names two Level I trauma centers here: Banner University Medical Center Tucson at 1625 N. Campbell Ave., and Carondelet St. Joseph's at 350 N. Wilmot Rd. Banner South and Banner Northwest are Level III.
At the scene, paramedics keep the neck and back still with a rigid collar and backboard. Banner says it is Southern Arizona's only Level 1, but the state list names both hospitals, and we follow the state list.
For rehab, Banner Rehabilitation Hospital Tucson, 355 N. Wilmot Rd., lists spinal cord injury rehabilitation. Its number is (520) 540-2001. A physical medicine doctor usually leads the rehab team.
How do I get my hospital records for a Tucson spinal cord claim?
Request Banner records through MRO Patient Central. The same route works for any Banner hospital, office or urgent care. Ask for the full chart, the imaging and the rehab notes, not just the bill.
Keep a daily log of care needs, equipment and missed work. Ask the rehab team to put your limits and goals in writing. Those notes later become the backbone of a life care plan.
Who pays for care while a spinal cord injury claim is open?
| Source | What to know |
|---|---|
| Your health plan or the hospital | Providers may have a lien on an injury recovery. |
| Medicare | Conditional payments must be repaid from a settlement. |
| The other driver's auto policy | Arizona's minimum is $25,000 per person, far below lifetime care costs. |
| Your own uninsured motorist coverage | Arizona insurers must offer it. |
| Workers' comp, if hurt on the job | Comp is generally the only remedy against the employer, but you may also pursue someone outside the job. |
Who makes decisions in Tucson if the injured person cannot?
Start with the lightest option. A power of attorney, a representative payee and a surrogate decision maker are examples of less restrictive choices than a guardian.
If a court must step in, adult guardianship and conservatorship papers go to the Probate Clerk, Pima County Superior Court, 110 W. Congress, 1st Floor. When no one else can serve, the Pima County Public Fiduciary can act as court-appointed guardian or conservator.
How long do I have to file a spinal cord injury claim in Tucson?
- Lawsuit against a person or company: generally 2 years.
- Claim against the City of Tucson: 180 days, filed with the City Clerk. Email [email protected] is preferred. The notice has to state a specific amount.
- After a denied public claim, one year to sue.
- Injured child: time under 18 does not count toward the 2 years. Notice to a public agency is due 180 days after the child turns 18.
- Time is paused for a person of unsound mind when the claim arises.
Is there a cap on a Tucson spinal cord injury award?
No. No Arizona law may cap injury damages. Each defendant pays only its own share, and your award drops by your share of fault.
Questions
What is a life care plan?
A written plan from medical and rehab professionals that lists the care and equipment you will likely need and what each costs. It is how a long-term injury is priced.
What if the injury happened at work in Tucson?
File a workers' comp claim within one year. The Industrial Commission's Tucson claims office is at 2675 East Broadway, (520) 628-5181.
What is the one-year trap with an outside party?
If you do not sue the outside party within one year, the claim is deemed assigned to the insurance carrier.
Who investigates a serious crash in Tucson?
Tucson Police has Traffic Investigations among its investigative units. On a freeway, Arizona DPS does.
Spinal cord injury or paralysis in Tucson? See if you are owed money.
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See if I’m owed moneySources (32)
- Arizona DHS, State Designated Trauma Centers, checked 2026-11-08. “1625 N. Campbell Ave, Tucson, AZ 85719 11/11/24 11/11/27”
- Arizona DHS, State Designated Trauma Centers, checked 2026-11-08. “Carondelet St. Joseph’s Hospital 350 N. Wilmot Rd., Tucson, AZ 85718 01/14/25 01/14/28”
- Banner Health, Banner Rehabilitation Hospital Tucson, checked 2026-11-09. “Spinal cord injury rehabilitation”
- A.R.S. § 12-542, checked 2026-11-08. “within two years after the cause of action accrues”
- A.R.S. § 12-821.01, checked 2026-11-08. “within one hundred eighty days after the cause of action accrues”
- 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”
- CMS, checked 2026-11-09. “because it must be repaid to Medicare when a beneficiary receives a settlement, judgment, award, or other payment”
- 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.”
- Arizona Constitution, article 2, section 31, checked 2026-11-09. “No law shall be enacted in this state limiting the amount of damages to be recovered for causing the death or injury of any person”
- Arizona DHS, State Designated Trauma Centers, checked 2026-11-08. “Northwest Medical Center 6200 North La Cholla Blvd, Tucson, AZ 85741 12/05/25 12/05/26”
- NINDS, checked 2026-11-09. “emergency personnel will place a rigid collar around the neck and carefully place the person on a backboard”
- NINDS, checked 2026-11-09. “A doctor specializing in physical medicine and rehabilitation usually leads the rehabilitation team.”
- 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.”
- 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”
- A.R.S. § 20-259.01(A), checked 2026-11-08. “Every insurer writing automobile liability or motor vehicle liability policies shall make available to the named insured thereunder and by written notice offer the named insured and at the request of the named insured shall include within the policy uninsured motorist coverage”
- A.R.S. 23-1022, checked 2026-11-09. “is the exclusive remedy against the employer or any co-employee acting in the scope of his employment”
- A.R.S. 23-1023, checked 2026-11-09. “by the negligence or wrong of another person not in the same employ”
- Pima County Public Fiduciary, FAQs, checked 2026-11-09. “Power of attorney, representative payee and surrogate decision maker are some examples of less restrictive alternatives.”
- Pima County Superior Court, Guardianship and Conservatorship of an Adult, checked 2026-11-09. “Probate Clerk Pima County Superior Court 110 W. Congress, 1st Floor Tucson, AZ 85701”
- Pima County, Public Fiduciary, checked 2026-11-09. “serves as a court-appointed guardian or conservator for vulnerable adults or people who are incapacitated”
- City of Tucson, File a Notice of Claim, checked 2026-11-08. “Claimants have 180 days from an accident or injury to file a claim against the City.”
- A.R.S. § 12-821, checked 2026-11-08. “shall be brought within one year after the cause of action accrues and not afterward”
- 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”
- 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”
- A.R.S. § 12-502, checked 2026-11-09. “either under eighteen years of age or of unsound mind, the period of such disability shall not be deemed a portion of the period limited for commencement of the action”
- Arizona Revised Statutes 12-2506, checked 2026-11-09. “the liability of each defendant for damages is several only and is not joint”
- A.R.S. § 12-2505, checked 2026-11-08. “the claimant's action is not barred, but the full damages shall be reduced in proportion to the relative degree of the claimant's fault”
- A.R.S. § 23-1061(A), checked 2026-11-08. “no claim for compensation shall be valid or enforceable unless the claim is filed with the commission by the employee, or if resulting in death by the parties entitled to compensation, or someone on their behalf, in writing within one year after the injury occurred or the right thereto accrued.”
- Industrial Commission of Arizona, Claims Division, checked 2026-11-08. “Tucson Office: 2675 East Broadway Tucson, AZ 85716”
- A.R.S. § 23-1023(B), checked 2026-11-08. “do not pursue a remedy pursuant to this section against the other person by instituting an action within one year after the cause of action accrues [...] the claim against the other person is deemed assigned to the insurance carrier or self-insured employer”
- Tucson Police Recruiting, Divisions & Units, checked 2026-11-08. “Traffic Investigations”
- Arizona DPS, Request Records, checked 2026-11-08. “maintains records for collisions (accidents) that were investigated by DPS Troopers occurring on an Interstate or State Highway”