Central cord syndrome accident lawyer

Central cord syndrome is an incomplete spinal cord injury affecting the arms more than the legs, so a person may walk out of an emergency department while being unable to use their hands. That pattern is counterintuitive, and it is the reason these injuries are frequently under-recognized and under-valued. It commonly follows a hyperextension injury in someone with pre-existing narrowing of the cervical canal. Law Offices Of SRIS, P.C. handles catastrophic injury claims in Virginia, Maryland, the District of Columbia, New Jersey and New York.

On This Page

What the imaging and records show

MRI is the study, showing cord signal change in the central portion of the cervical cord and any underlying canal narrowing from degenerative change. CT documents any fracture and the bony dimensions of the canal. The characteriztic finding is cord injury without an obvious fracture or dislocation, which is precisely why the injury can be missed by a workup focused on bone. Standardised neurological examination documents the disproportionate involvement of the upper limbs.

Why this injury meets the legal threshold

Cord signal change on MRI with a corresponding neurological deficit is unambiguous objective injury. Loss of hand function is readily documented through grip strength and dexterity testing, and it is profoundly disabling regardless of preserved walking. The contest is usually over the contribution of pre-existing canal narrowing.

Typical treatment course and prognosis

Management may be conservative or surgical depending on the degree of compression and instability. Rehabilitation focuses heavily on hand function, which is the dominant deficit. Recovery follows a recognized pattern in many people — legs improve first, bladder function next, and hand function last and least. Persistent deficits in fine motor control, grip strength and sensation are common, along with neuropathic pain.

How these claims are contested

Principally on pre-existing condition. Because these injuries typically occur in people who already had degenerative narrowing of the cervical canal, carriers argue the narrowing rather than the collision caused the outcome, and that the person was destined to develop myelopathy anyway. The answer is that an injured person is taken as found — asymptomatic narrowing is not an injury, and an incident that converts it into cord damage is the cause of that damage. Expect also the argument that walking demonstrates recovery.

Building the claim properly

Establish the mechanism, typically hyperextension — a rear impact, a fall striking the face or forehead. Establish the pre-incident baseline: that the person was working and functioning with no upper limb symptoms, however narrow the canal may have been. Obtain the MRI showing cord signal change. Document hand function objectively through grip and pinch strength and dexterity testing rather than general observation, because that is the deficit that matters and the one that a walking patient masks.

Available insurance coverage

What can be recovered is limited by what coverage exists. The at-fault party’s policy is the starting point, but it is frequently not the only source: the injured person’s own uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage, household policies, employer coverage where a vehicle was used for work, umbrella and excess layers, and the coverage of any additional responsible party can all apply. Underinsured coverage typically requires notice and consent before any settlement with the at-fault party — settling first can forfeit it. Identifying every available layer is early work, not closing work.

How damages are categorised and proven

Damages are not a single number that gets negotiated. They are separate categories, each proven by different evidence. Past medical expense is proven by billing records and the reasonableness of the charges. Future medical expense requires a physician’s opinion that the care is reasonably certain to be needed. Lost income is proven by employment and tax records; lost earning capacity is a different and larger question requiring vocational and economic analysis. Non-economic loss — pain, limitation, and the effect on daily life — is proven through the medical record and through testimony from people who can describe specific changes rather than general decline. No one can responsibly tell you what a case is worth before that evidence exists, and any figure offered at the outset is a guess.

Filing deadlines

Every injury claim is governed by a statute of limitations, and the periods differ by state and by claim type. For personal injury actions the period is two years in Virginia under Va. Code § 8.01-243(A), accruing at the date of injury; three years in Maryland under Md. Code, Cts. & Jud. Proc. § 5-101; three years in the District of Columbia under D.C. Code § 12-301(8); two years in New Jersey under N.J.S.A. 2A:14-2; and three years in New York under N.Y. C.P.L.R. § 214(5). These are general periods. Discovery rules, tolling for minors and incapacity, claims against government entities — the District imposes a six-month notice-of-claim requirement for claims against the District government — and claim-specific statutes can shorten or extend them. Do not rely on a general period for your own case; have the deadline confirmed on your facts.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why are my arms worse than my legs?

Because of how nerve fibres are arranged within the spinal cord. Those serving the arms and hands run nearer the center, which is the region damaged in this injury. The result is disproportionate weakness in the upper limbs with relatively preserved leg function — the defining feature of the syndrome.

I can walk. Is my injury really serious?

Yes. Walking is preserved precisely because the fibres serving the legs are less affected. Loss of hand function is severely disabling — it affects dressing, eating, writing, keyboard use, tools and almost every occupation. The ability to walk out of hospital causes this injury to be underestimated by patients, employers and carriers alike.

The insurer says my spinal stenosis caused this. Is that right?

Narrowing of the canal is commonly present and makes the cord more vulnerable, but narrowing that was asymptomatic is not itself an injury. An injured person is generally taken as found. The incident that converted a silent anatomical feature into cord damage is the cause of that damage, and the pre-incident record is what establishes it.

Will I recover?

Recovery follows a recognized pattern in many people — leg function first, then bladder, with hand function last and least complete. Meaningful improvement can continue for a long period. Because a settlement is final, the claim generally should not resolve before treating clinicians can express a view on what is permanent.

How should hand function be documented?

Objectively: grip strength, pinch strength and formal dexterity testing, compared where possible against expected values, rather than a general note that the hands are weak. Occupational therapy assessment documenting specific tasks that can no longer be performed is also valuable, because it translates the measurement into consequence.

Why was there no fracture?

Because this injury can occur through hyperextension without the bones breaking or dislocating, particularly where the canal is already narrowed. A workup that focuses on fracture can therefore miss it. That is one reason persistent arm weakness or numbness after a neck injury should be assessed specifically rather than attributed to soft tissue injury.

What is neuropathic pain?

Pain arising from damage to the nervous system itself rather than from tissue injury — commonly described as burning, electrical or stabbing. It is a recognized consequence of spinal cord injury, frequently persists, and requires specific medication rather than ordinary analgesia. It should be documented and treated.

How long do I have to bring a claim?

Two years in Virginia and New Jersey, three years in Maryland, the District of Columbia and New York for personal injury actions, subject to tolling and discovery rules and to much shorter notice requirements where a government entity is involved. Confirm the deadline on your own facts.

About Mr. Sris

Mr. Sris is the owner and founder of Law Offices Of SRIS, P.C., which has practiced since 1997. He is a former prosecutor and is admitted in Virginia, Maryland, the District of Columbia, New Jersey and New York. Of Counsel attorneys contract directly with the firm and handle matters alongside him. In 2019 Mr. Sris testified before the Virginia House Courts of Justice Committee on House Bill 635.

Speak with Mr. Sris

Injury claims are governed by filing deadlines that vary by state and by claim type, and evidence degrades quickly. Request a consultation. Reach our location at (888) 437-7747. Consultations are by appointment.

Last reviewed: August 22, 2026.

Attorney Advertising. Law Offices Of SRIS, P.C., principal office: 4008 Williamsburg Court, Fairfax, VA 22032. By appointment. Call (888) 437-7747 to schedule.

The information on this page is general and is not legal advice. No attorney-client relationship is created by reading it or by contacting the firm. Case results depend on a variety of factors unique to each case. Results may vary.

Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.

Attorney responsible for this advertising: Mr. Sris.