Find a spinal cord injury lawyer in Austin: care, costs and deadlines

Adults with a spinal cord injury in Central Texas go to Dell Seton, the only adult Level I trauma center in the 11-county region. A state program, Comprehensive Rehabilitation Services, can help with rehab. Texas gives you 2 years to sue, and a city claim has a much shorter clock.

Last checked November 9, 2026 · Official sources (38)

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Road map of Austin showing Interstate 35, US 183 and Ben White Boulevard, roads Austin Police names for its most serious crashes
Austin gives city claims only 45 days. Texas gives 2 years to sue. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Where are spinal cord injuries treated in Austin?

Adults go to Dell Seton Medical Center, a Level I trauma center. It is the only adult Level I center in the 11-county region. Level II care is at St. David's South Austin Medical Center. Children go to Dell Children's, the only children's hospital in Central Texas with a Level I trauma designation, and it runs a rehab program for serious injuries.

At the scene, medics place a rigid collar and a backboard. If you are hurt, try not to move. A doctor in physical medicine and rehabilitation usually leads the rehab team afterward.

What help is there in Austin for rehab, rides and bills?

HelpWhat it doesNote
Comprehensive Rehabilitation ServicesState program for traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries; can include inpatient and outpatient rehabRun through Texas Health and Human Services
CapMetro AccessShared rides for people whose disabilities prevent regular bus or rail useA disability alone does not qualify you
Central Health and CommUnityCareCounty hospital district and clinicsCommUnityCare served 148,234 patients in 2025
MedicareMust be repaid from a settlementAsk about the amount before you sign

How much can a spinal cord injury cost over time?

A great deal, and it keeps going. The National SCI Statistical Center's March 2026 figures put paraplegia at $705,131 in the first year and $93,409 each year after. For high tetraplegia (C1 to C4), the figures are $1,446,827 and $251,246. These are national averages, not a promise about any one case.

The cost is not only medical. Indirect costs averaged $97,787 a year in 2025 dollars, and only 18 percent of people with these injuries were employed at year one. Each year, about 29 percent go back into the hospital. Lost income in Texas must be shown as a net loss after income tax.

Who investigates a crash that causes a spinal cord injury in Austin?

Austin Police, the Travis County Sheriff or state troopers, depending on the road. About 65% to 75% of Austin's traffic deaths happen on state-owned roads. Speeding is the main factor in one of every four fatal crashes in Austin, says the city's speed program manager.

TxDOT counted 309 seriously injured people in Austin in 2025. Ask for the crash report early: TxDOT sells a regular copy for $6 and a certified copy for $8.

How long do you have to file a spinal cord injury claim in Austin?

Two years for a lawsuit in Texas. For a child, the suit clock waits until age 18. If a government is involved, the notice is far shorter.

  • City of Austin: a claim letter within 45 days, sent to the Law Department at P.O. Box 1546 or [email protected].
  • Other Texas governments: 6 months under state law.
  • Texas waives immunity for harm from the use of a government motor vehicle. The cap on what a city can owe is $250,000 per person.

Can a hospital take part of an Austin spinal cord settlement?

It can try. Hospital liens in Texas need an admission within 72 hours. Medical recovery is also limited to amounts paid or owed, and a sworn billing statement can prove the bills were reasonable. Your own policy may help too: uninsured motorist coverage protects you from uninsured or underinsured drivers, and Texas says you are shut out if you are over 50 percent at fault.

Questions

Does a spinal cord injury always mean paralysis?

No. In an incomplete injury, the cord can still send some messages to or from the brain. Doctors work out the outlook over time.

What is autonomic dysreflexia?

A life-threatening reflex that can follow some spinal cord injuries, so tell every caregiver about it.

Can I still get help if I do not live inside Austin?

Comprehensive Rehabilitation Services is a state program, not a city one. CapMetro Access covers a defined service area.

Spinal cord injury or paralysis in Austin? See if you are owed money.

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Sources (38)

  1. Dell Medical School, Division of Emergency Medicine, checked 2026-11-09. “It is the only adult Level I Trauma Center in the 11-county Central Texas region.”
  2. Texas HHS, Find Help through HHS, checked 2026-11-09. “This program is for people who have traumatic brain and/or spinal cord injuries.”
  3. Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.003, checked 2026-11-08. “not later than two years after the day the cause of action accrues”
  4. City of Austin, File a Claim, checked 2026-11-08. “You must send this letter within 45 days of the incident.”
  5. CapMetro, Access, checked 2026-11-09. “Access is a demand-response, shared-ride service for people whose disabilities prevent them from riding our other bus and rail services.”
  6. Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 101.101, checked 2026-11-08. “not later than six months after the day that the incident giving rise to the claim occurred”
  7. Texas DSHS, Texas Trauma Facilities, checked 2026-11-08. “DELL SETON MEDICAL CENTER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS 10/1/2028 O AUSTIN 78701”
  8. Texas DSHS, Texas Trauma Facilities, checked 2026-11-08. “ST DAVIDS SOUTH AUSTIN MEDICAL CENTER 10/1/2028 O AUSTIN 78704”
  9. Dell Children's Medical Center, Pediatric trauma care, checked 2026-11-09. “is the only children’s hospital in Central Texas with a Level I Trauma Center designation by the American College of Surgeons.”
  10. Dell Children's Medical Center, Rehabilitation, checked 2026-11-09. “provides intensive therapy for children with serious injuries.”
  11. NINDS, checked 2026-11-09. “emergency personnel will place a rigid collar around the neck and carefully place the person on a backboard”
  12. NINDS, checked 2026-11-09. “A doctor specializing in physical medicine and rehabilitation usually leads the rehabilitation team.”
  13. CapMetro, Eligibility, checked 2026-11-09. “The presence of a disability or a disabling health condition by itself does not make an individual eligible for Access service.”
  14. Central Health, About, checked 2026-11-09. “As the county’s taxpayer-funded hospital district”
  15. CommUnityCare, About, checked 2026-11-09. “In 2025, CommUnityCare served 148,234 individual patients”
  16. CMS, checked 2026-11-09. “because it must be repaid to Medicare when a beneficiary receives a settlement, judgment, award, or other payment”
  17. National SCI Statistical Center, checked 2026-11-09. “Paraplegia AIS ABC $705,131 $93,409 $3,139,165 $2,060,139”
  18. 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”
  19. National SCI Statistical Center, checked 2026-11-09. “indirect costs averaged $97,787 per year in 2025 dollars”
  20. National SCI Statistical Center, checked 2026-11-09. “Since 2015, 18% of persons with tSCI are employed at year 1”
  21. National SCI Statistical Center, checked 2026-11-09. “Since 2015, about 29% of persons with tSCI are re-hospitalized at”
  22. Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 18.091, checked 2026-11-09. “must be presented in the form of a net loss after reduction for income tax payments or unpaid tax liability”
  23. City of Austin, Severe crashes show downward trend in 2025, checked 2026-11-08. “Approximately 65%-75% of Austin’s traffic fatalities occur on roads owned by the state.”
  24. City of Austin, World Pedestrian Day is August 17, checked 2026-11-08. “is the primary contributing factor in one out of four fatal traffic crashes in Austin”
  25. TxDOT, 2025 Crashes and Injuries Cities and Towns, checked 2026-11-08. “AUSTIN 94 98 276 309 2,738 3,762 2,276 3,870 5,325 19,185 323 1,303 11,032”
  26. TxDOT, Crash reports and records, checked 2026-11-08. “$6 for a regular copy.”
  27. TxDOT, Crash reports and records, checked 2026-11-08. “$8 for a certified copy”
  28. Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.001, checked 2026-11-08. “the time of the disability is not included in a limitations period”
  29. City of Austin, File a Claim, checked 2026-11-08. “City of Austin Law Department - Claims P.O. Box 1546 Austin, TX 78767-1546”
  30. Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code 101.021, checked 2026-11-09. “arises from the operation or use of a motor-driven vehicle or motor-driven equipment”
  31. Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code 101.023, checked 2026-11-09. “Liability of a municipality under this chapter is limited to money damages in a maximum amount of $250,000 for each person and $500,000 for each single occurrence”
  32. Tex. Prop. Code § 55.002, checked 2026-11-09. “For the lien to attach, the individual must be admitted to a hospital not later than 72 hours after the accident.”
  33. Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 41.0105, checked 2026-11-09. “recovery of medical or health care expenses incurred is limited to the amount actually paid or incurred by or on behalf of the claimant”
  34. Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 18.001, checked 2026-11-09. “is sufficient evidence to support a finding of fact by judge or jury that the amount charged was reasonable or that the service was necessary”
  35. Texas Insurance Code 1952.101, checked 2026-11-09. “protects insureds who are legally entitled to recover from owners or operators of uninsured or underinsured motor vehicles”
  36. Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code 33.001, checked 2026-11-09. “a claimant may not recover damages if his percentage of responsibility is greater than 50 percent”
  37. NINDS, checked 2026-11-09. “the spinal cord is still able to send some messages to or from the brain”
  38. NINDS, checked 2026-11-09. “Autonomic dysreflexia is a life-threatening reflex action”

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