Construction sites in Houston present serious hazards that can result in life‑altering injuries. When a worker or visitor falls from height, is struck by equipment, or experiences a structural or building failure, the consequences can be devastating. Spinal cord injuries from construction accidents rank among the most severe injuries a person can sustain, often resulting in permanent paralysis, chronic pain, and the need for lifelong medical care. If you or a loved one suffered a spinal cord injury after a construction accident in Houston, you have legal rights and options to pursue compensation. Williams Hart & Boundas, LLP helps injured workers and their families navigate the legal process and pursue the financial recovery they may be entitled to under Texas law.
Why Choose Williams Hart & Boundas, LLP for Your Construction Injury Claim
When you suffer a catastrophic injury like a spinal cord injury, you need an attorney who understands both the medical complexity and the legal challenges ahead. Williams Hart & Boundas, LLP has spent decades representing clients with severe injuries from construction accidents, falls from heights, equipment failures, and workplace incidents throughout Houston and across Texas.
The firm’s team includes attorneys recognized in Texas‑focused publications for personal injury trial work and catastrophic injury litigation. The firm has recovered millions of dollars for clients injured in construction accidents, including high‑value settlements and verdicts in catastrophic workplace‑injury cases. View the firm’s case results to learn more about recoveries in serious injury matters. All cases are handled on a contingency fee basis, meaning you do not pay attorney fees unless the firm obtains a recovery on your behalf. Learn more about the firm’s attorneys and their experience by reviewing their backgrounds and qualifications.
How Construction Falls Cause Spinal Cord Injuries
Construction falls occur in many ways, and each scenario carries specific risks for the spine. Understanding how these accidents happen helps explain why spinal cord injuries are so common on job sites with elevated work and heavy equipment.
Common Construction Fall Scenarios
Falls from heights are a leading cause of serious spinal injuries on construction sites. Workers can fall from scaffolding that collapses or lacks proper guardrails. Ladders may slip, break, or be positioned on unstable surfaces, causing sudden falls. Roofers and workers on elevated platforms may fall through unprotected floor openings or gaps that should have been guarded. Crane operators, riggers, and ground workers can be injured when heavy equipment is operated unsafely or fails mechanically. Partial or full structural failures can pin or crush workers, producing extreme forces on the spine. In other cases, being struck by falling tools, materials, or equipment can transmit a significant impact to the back and neck even without a fall. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) establishes specific standards for fall protection and equipment safety on construction sites.
The Mechanism of Spinal Cord Damage
The spinal cord is a central bundle of nerves that carries messages between the brain and the rest of the body. When a construction accident delivers force to the neck, back, or torso, the spine can fracture, dislocate, or compress, damaging the spinal cord. The extent of injury depends on the amount of force, the specific vertebrae involved, and whether the cord is bruised, compressed, or fully severed.
Complete spinal cord injuries result in total loss of motor and sensory function below the level of injury. Incomplete injuries allow some signals to pass through, so partial sensation or movement may remain. Some spinal cord injuries are immediately obvious at the scene, while others worsen over hours or days as swelling, bleeding, or inflammation increases pressure around the cord. Prompt evaluation and treatment can sometimes limit further damage. The American Spinal Injury Association provides clinical standards for spinal cord injury assessment and management.
Types of Spinal Cord Injuries from Construction Accidents
Spinal cord injuries are often described based on where they occur on the spine and whether the damage is complete or incomplete. The location and severity strongly influence long‑term outcomes.
Paraplegia
Paraplegia results from spinal cord damage in the thoracic, lumbar, or sacral regions (mid‑ to lower‑back). It typically causes loss of function and sensation in the legs and lower body, while arm and hand function remain intact. People with paraplegia usually require wheelchairs for mobility and may need home modifications, vehicle adaptations, assistive devices, and ongoing medical care. With rehabilitation and support, some individuals return to work in adapted roles, but the injury still represents a major change in independence and daily life.
Quadriplegia (Tetraplegia)
Quadriplegia, also called tetraplegia, occurs when the spinal cord is injured in the cervical region (neck). It can cause loss of function in both the arms and legs and may affect breathing, swallowing, and other vital functions. Individuals with high‑level cervical injuries often need 24‑hour assistance, specialized equipment such as power wheelchairs and lifts, and sometimes ventilator support. Lifetime care costs for quadriplegia are typically very high due to ongoing medical needs, attendant care, and environmental modifications. Catastrophic injury cases involving quadriplegia often require detailed life-care planning to document all future needs.
Incomplete Spinal Cord Injuries
Incomplete spinal cord injuries preserve some degree of motor or sensory function below the injury level. The pattern varies—some people may retain sensation but limited movement, or vice versa. Incomplete injuries often have greater potential for partial recovery with intensive rehabilitation, though outcomes differ widely. Even when some functions return, many people live with permanent limitations and require ongoing care or assistive technology.
Immediate and Long‑Term Effects of Spinal Cord Injuries
A serious spinal cord injury affects every aspect of life—physical, emotional, and financial.
Physical Complications
Spinal cord injuries can cause immediate loss of sensation, strength, and coordination below the level of injury. Many people experience neuropathic pain, abnormal sensations, or spasticity (involuntary muscle tightness and spasms). Depending on the level of injury, there can be serious effects on breathing, blood pressure regulation, temperature control, and heart function.
Loss of bladder and bowel control requires long‑term management strategies and increases the risk of infections and skin breakdown. Sexual function is often affected, which can impact relationships and family planning. Pressure sores, blood clots, respiratory infections, and bone density loss are additional complications that must be carefully managed over time. The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) provides comprehensive information on spinal cord injury complications and treatment options.
Emotional and Financial Impact
Sudden loss of mobility and independence can lead to depression, anxiety, and post‑traumatic stress symptoms. Adjusting to the need for assistance with daily activities, changes in employment, and altered family roles can be emotionally challenging for both injured people and their families.
Financially, spinal cord injuries often involve substantial initial costs for emergency care, surgery, and hospitalization, followed by ongoing expenses for rehabilitation, specialist visits, medications, home health aides, equipment, and modifications to homes and vehicles. Lost wages and reduced future earning capacity add to the burden, and family members may need to cut back on their own work hours to provide care. Understanding the full scope of damages in catastrophic injury cases is essential for pursuing adequate compensation.
Your Legal Rights After a Construction‑Related Spinal Cord Injury
Texas law recognizes multiple potential avenues for construction‑injury victims to seek compensation, depending on how the injury occurred and who was responsible.
Workers’ Compensation vs. Third‑Party Claims
If you were an employee of a company that carries workers’ compensation insurance, you may be entitled to medical and income benefits through that system, but your ability to sue your employer is generally limited. However, in many construction accidents, third parties—such as general contractors, subcontractors, equipment manufacturers, or property owners—may also bear responsibility. In those situations, you may pursue a liability claim or lawsuit against those parties in addition to any workers’ compensation benefits.
Texas also has a significant number of non‑subscriber employers—companies that do not carry workers’ compensation coverage. If you work for a non‑subscriber employer, you may have the right to sue that employer directly for negligence, and certain common‑law defenses available to subscribing employers are restricted. These claims can allow recovery of a broader range of damages than standard workers’ compensation alone.
Third‑party claims can target any person or company, other than your direct employer, in most subscriber situations, whose unsafe conduct or defective product contributed to your injury. On a construction site, this might include a general contractor that failed to enforce fall‑protection rules, a subcontractor that created a hazard, a manufacturer whose defective scaffold or harness failed, or a property owner that allowed dangerous conditions to persist.
Recoverable Damages
In a personal injury claim arising from a construction‑related spinal cord injury, recoverable damages can include:
- Medical expenses: emergency care, surgery, hospitalization, rehabilitation, physician visits, medications, and durable medical equipment
- Future medical and life‑care needs: in‑home nursing or attendant care, therapy, specialized equipment, and home or vehicle modifications
- Lost wages and loss of earning capacity: income lost during recovery and the decreased ability to earn in the future due to permanent limitations
- Non‑economic damages: pain and suffering, emotional distress, loss of enjoyment of life, and loss of independence
- In wrongful death cases, damages for surviving family members under Texas law
- In some cases involving gross negligence, the potential for punitive damages, subject to statutory standards and caps
The value of a spinal cord injury case is highly specific to the individual’s age, prior health, earnings history, level of injury, prognosis, and the strength of the liability evidence.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I do immediately after a construction accident?
Seek medical attention immediately, even if symptoms seem mild at first. Some spinal cord injuries evolve over time as swelling and inflammation increase. Report the incident to your employer or the site supervisor and ensure an incident report is made. If it is safe to do so, document the scene with photographs or video and collect contact information for witnesses. Avoid giving detailed statements to insurers or signing releases until you have spoken with an attorney. Learn more about steps to take after a catastrophic injury.
How long do I have to file a claim in Texas?
In many Texas personal injury cases, including construction‑related spinal cord injuries, the general statute of limitations is two years from the date of injury, though there are exceptions and additional notice requirements for some defendants (such as government entities). Because evidence can be lost and deadlines can be missed, it is important to speak with a lawyer as soon as possible.
Can I recover compensation if I was partially at fault?
Texas uses a modified comparative negligence standard. If you are found to be 50% or less at fault, you may still recover damages, but your award can be reduced proportionally to your share of responsibility. If you are more than 50% at fault, you may be barred from recovery. A careful investigation can be critical to showing that other parties bear primary responsibility for creating or failing to correct unsafe conditions.
What damages can I recover for a spinal cord injury?
Potential damages include current and future medical expenses, lost wages, loss of earning capacity, costs of home and vehicle modifications, the expense of ongoing attendant care or support services, and non‑economic damages such as pain and suffering and loss of enjoyment of life. The more serious and permanent the injury, the more important it is to fully document long‑term needs and costs.
How is the value of a spinal cord injury case determined?
Factors include the medical severity and level of injury, long‑term care requirements, your age and work history, the degree of permanent disability, the impact on your ability to work and live independently, and the clarity of evidence showing negligence. Cases with strong liability evidence and clearly documented long‑term needs generally support higher settlement or verdict values than cases where liability is disputed or damages are less extensive.
Contact Williams Hart & Boundas, LLP for Your Free Consultation
If you or a loved one suffered a spinal cord injury in a construction or industrial accident in Houston, prompt legal guidance can help protect your rights and preserve critical evidence. Williams Hart & Boundas, LLP offers free consultations so you can speak with an attorney about what happened, your medical situation, and your options under Texas law.
The firm represents clients on a contingency fee basis—you pay no attorney fees unless compensation is recovered on your behalf. Call (713) 230-2200 today to schedule your free consultation and learn how Williams Hart & Boundas, LLP can help you pursue the resources needed for medical care, support, and a more secure future.