What Is the Average Settlement for a Spinal Cord Injury in Texas?

March 11, 2026 | Spinal Cord Injuries

Although it is difficult to state what the average settlement for a spinal cord injury in Texas may be, a settlement from an at-fault party may be of significant value due to the severity of your injury. Factors that determine a spinal cord injury settlement include the consequences of your injury, the principle of proportionate responsibility, insurance coverage, and the defendants’ ability to pay. 

If you’ve suffered a spinal cord injury due to someone else’s negligence, consulting an experienced Austin spinal cord injury lawyer is essential to understanding the full value of your claim and securing the compensation you deserve.

Fault and Compensation After a Spinal Cord Injury  

When a person is involved in an accident that causes an injury, their ability to recover compensation from other parties depends on fault. Per Texas Civil Practice & Remedies Code § 33.001, you can recover compensation if your share of fault is less than 51%. In practice, it means that: 

• If a court finds that you are 51% or more to blame for the accident, you will not be able to recover a settlement. 
• If you are 50% to blame, you can recover 50% of your damages. 
• If you are 20% to blame, you can recover 80% of your damages.
• If other parties were 100% to blame, you could recover all your damages.

 Additionally, if several parties share fault, they must all pay their proportion of any settlement awarded. Since spinal cord injuries often require intensive, lifelong medical care, and the injured party may be unable to work or enjoy life as they did in the past, a claim against at-fault parties may be very high indeed. This motivates scrutiny by defendants’ insurance companies, who hope to reduce their costs by showing that the injured person was partly to blame for the accident. 

How the Severity of a Spinal Cord Injury Impacts Your Settlement

Your settlement depends on your damages. In other words, the cost of medical care and how your injury affects your financial and personal life. Spinal cord injuries aren’t always permanent, but this is comparatively rare. In some cases, especially with incomplete injuries, a person may regain significant function. Other spinal cord injuries have permanent consequences ranging from partial to complete paralysis.

For example:

• The most severe spinal cord injuries lead to complete quadriplegia, requiring round-the-clock care, a ventilator, ongoing treatment, and extensive modifications to your home. This could mean a survivor is eligible for millions of dollars in compensation, depending on insurance coverage and the defendants’ ability to pay.
• The next level of severity is partial quadriplegia. The person will retain some sensation and movement, but will not be able to move or feel as they did before the injury. 
• When a spinal cord injury occurs lower down in the spine, an accident survivor may lose movement and sensation in the lower half of their body. The term for this is paraplegia, and it can be complete or partial. 

In many cases, doctors expect additional complications after a spinal cord injury. Apart from this, survivors may require long-term care, a range of therapies, and assistive devices. As part of determining the value of a settlement, a spinal cord injury attorney will consult medical experts to estimate long-term medical costs. 

Types of Compensation Included in Spinal Cord Injury Settlements and Ability to Pay

Spinal cord injuries can have a devastating impact on people’s lives, and some of the costs are deeply personal. It can be difficult to calculate what a settlement for a spinal cord injury in Texas should be without a spinal cord injury lawyer’s help. Compensation may include:

• All medical costs related to the injury and its complications
• Loss of wages, earnings, and earning capacity
• Pain and suffering, including trauma and emotional distress
• Psychological and physical therapies
• Assistive devices and adaptations to a person’s home
• Loss of the ability to enjoy life
• Loss of consortium

These losses can add up to millions of dollars, enabling families to care for their injured loved ones, sometimes for the rest of their lives. Unfortunately, the ability to pay may become an issue. A spinal cord injury attorney may be able to help by identifying all liable parties so that each pays their share towards a settlement. 

Average settlements for spinal cord injuries in Texas may not reflect what you may recover. When a case involves severe injuries with potential for long-term consequences, it is generally advisable to have legal representation to improve your chance of receiving the most comprehensive settlement possible. 

Contact the Austin spinal cord injury lawyers at Bonilla Law Firm today at (512) 441-1111 for a free consultation to discuss your case and explore your legal options.