Spine Injury Attorneys in Austin

Our Firm Focuses on Results

A spinal cord injury is devastating for the victim and his or her loved ones. Often, spine injuries have lasting, life-altering impacts, including temporary or permanent disability, paralysis, cognitive impairment, and other complications. The cost of treatment can easily reach millions of dollars, and the victim may never be able to return to work or his or her normal life. The injury takes a toll on the victim and all those in the victim’s family who often have to provide lifelong care.

At Howry Breen & Herman, we have spent nearly 25 years fighting for the rights of unjustly injured individuals and their families. Our Austin spine injury lawyers have extensive litigation experience and are adept at handling even the most complex of cases. We have helped our clients secure fair settlements and jury verdicts when they were severely harmed by someone else’s careless or reckless actions. We are proud of our verdicts on behalf of quadriplegics, including a $15.8 million verdict on behalf of a woman who was rendered quadriplegic after being struck and run over by a defective utility cart. This was a life changing result for our client. (After a $7,367,684 reduction for credits and offsets, $4,038,316.00 net to client, $600,000 case expenses; $3,794,000 attorney’s fees.)

If you or a loved one suffered a spinal cord injury, call (512) 430-4844 or contact us online to schedule a free, no-obligation consultation today.

Types of Spinal Cord Injuries

There are several different types of spinal cord injuries, all of which can vary in severity. These injuries are categorized by the location of the injury along the spinal cord, as well as the degree of function loss.

Generally speaking, there are two distinct categories of spinal cord injury:

Incomplete or partial spinal cord injury: The spinal cord is partially severed or damaged. Victims are usually able to retain some function, depending on the extent of the injury.
Complete spinal cord injury: The spinal cord is completely severed. This eliminates all function at or below the break and typically results in temporary or permanent paralysis.

Because the central nervous system runs along the spine, spinal cord injuries can affect everything from movement to sensation to brain function to bladder and bowel control. Sometimes, the effects of a spinal cord injury may only impact one area of the body, such as the left arm or the lower body. Other times, the effects may be more widespread, affecting cognitive ability or full body sensation.

A doctor examining the xrays of the spine.

How Do Spinal Cord Injuries Occur?

Some of the most common types of accidents that lead to spinal cord injuries include:

Car crashes
Truck, bus, and commercial vehicle accidents
Golf cart and utility vehicle accidents
Motorcycle collisions
Pedestrian and bicycle accidents
Slip and falls
Construction and oilfield accidents
Sport-related accidents

In far too many cases, spine injuries are the result of negligence. A drunk driver might run a red light and crash into another motorist, causing severe whiplash and spine damage. A grocery store might fail to clean up or adequately warn shoppers of a spill, causing an individual to slip and fall. A construction worker might fall from unsafe scaffolding. A child may be thrown from a golf cart or utility vehicle or injured in a pool or swimming accident. All of these and other similar situations are examples of how negligence causes spinal cord injuries.

How Can a Spinal Cord Injury Attorney Help?

The smallest details of a spinal cord injury claim can completely change the outcome and your chances of securing a fair settlement or verdict amount. To give proper attention to every detail, you should rely on our team from Howry, Breen & Herman, LLP in Austin. We can work with medical experts in our professional network to get a clearer idea of your spinal cord injury and the hardship it has caused and will continue to cause you for many years to come. Knowing the extent of your injury is crucial to correctly calculate the damages you seek.

We can speak with chiropractors, surgeons, rehabilitation specialists, and more to build your case with meaningful, convincing evidence. The insurance defense team will likely plan to do the same exact thing, except they will only work with medical professionals who want to downplay the severity of your spinal cord injury. When you let our trial attorneys manage your claim from the beginning, you can feel confident that your claim is being built the right way and by a team that genuinely cares about your future and wellbeing.

Interested in a free case evaluation? Call (512) 430-4844 or fill out an online contact form to get started.

Our Victories

$15.8 Million
HBH won a record-setting 15.8 Million Dollar jury verdict for a client and her family after she was rendered quadriplegic when she was struck and run over by a defective runaway E-Z-GO golf cart/utility vehicle. It is the largest personal injury verdict in the history of that federal district. HBH also protected the verdict on appeal, winning that too. After a $7,367,684 reduction for credits and offsets, $4,038,316.00 net to client, $600,000 case expenses; $3,794,000 attorney’s fees.

Product Liability
$12.4 Million
HBH won a record-setting 12.4 Million Dollar jury verdict for a young man paralyzed in a diving accident in an apartment swimming pool. The verdict was the largest premises liability verdict in Texas at the time and led to changes in pool safety at apartment complexes that catered to college students. After a $7,578,417 reduction for contributory negligence and settlement on appeal, $2,475,000 net to client; $321,583 case expenses; $2,025,000 attorney’s fees.

Premises Liability
$10 Million
HBH won an Arbitration award for a client against an insurance company for bad faith non-payment of policy proceeds. The litigation spanned two years and involved witnesses from all over the world and with experts in numerous fields. Net to Client $6,890,665.62; Costs $364,545.90; Attorney Fees 2,744,789.48

Bad Faith Insurance
$10 Million
HBH secured a settlement for a multi-story building that was suffering damage due to construction defects. The recovery included all attorney’s fees and expenses to repair the building. $6,558,000 net to client; $745,000 case expenses; $3,597,000 attorney’s fees.

Construction Defects
Substantial and Confidential
HBH secured a recovery for construction defects to a multi-level condominium tower with systemic water damage. The settlement covered repairs, property damage, stigma, loss of use and attorney’s fees.

Construction Defects
SUBSTANTIAL AND CONFIDENTIAL
HBH won a settlement for victims of a multi-truck crash on the highway. Several trucks were involved in the crash and HBH secured insurance limits from all of them due to joint responsibility.

Truck Accident
$7.4 Million
HBH won a multi-party settlement for the family and young son of a woman tragically killed in a boating crash. HBH was the lead firm on the case. $4,400,000 net to client; $150,000 case expenses $2,900,000 attorney’s fees.

Wrongful Death
SUBSTANTIAL AND CONFIDENTIAL
HBH recovered a settlement for the family of a victim who was killed by 18 wheeler that was traveling at an illegally slow rate of speed in the highway. When the police initially investigated, the truck driver lied and claimed he was traveling at the speed limit. After HBH got involved and sued, HBH uncovered the truth that he was killing time driving slow because he was ahead of schedule.

Wrongful Death
$6 Million
HBH secured a settlement prior to trial for a client who was permanently injured by a premises liability and construction defect. Our client suffered spinal damage and other life-long injuries and required medical treatment the rest of her life. $3,365,000 net to client; $235,300 case expenses; $2,400,000 attorney’s fees.

Construction Defects
SUBSTANTIAL AND CONFIDENTIAL
HBH secured a recovery for the family of a victim who was killed by an 18 wheeler that drove recklessly and lost control in an ice storm. The driver of the truck fled the scene after the multi-vehicle accident, claiming he was not involved. After HBH filed suit, we tracked him down and proved he was the initial at-fault vehicle and largely responsible for the crash and death.

Wrongful Death

Our Attorneys

Howry, Breen & Herman is proud to have been named a Tier 1, 2 and 3 Austin “Best Law Firm” in 9 practice areas by U.S. News – Best Lawyers® (“U.S. News” and BL Rankings, LLC). Law firms are selected for inclusion in this prestigious ranking based on a series of quantitative and qualitative criteria. Our specialty and tiers are listed here: https://bestlawfirms.usnews.com/profile/howry-breen-herman-llp/overview/36628
Howry Breen & Herman, LLP was selected the Top Personal Injury Law Firm in Austin by Texas Lawyer, “Best of 2020”. The annual special supplement contains the results of Texas Lawyer readers’ poll, wherein readers cast their votes for the best providers of services and goods to the legal profession.
Attorney Sean Breen and Attorney Chris Lavorato placed in California’s Top 100 Settlements for 2019, as tracked by The Recorder and VerdictSearch.
Our law firm is proud to have been recognized in the Texas Verdicts Hall of Fame. Texas Lawyer in conjunction with VerdictSearch, recognize attorneys and law firms for their verdicts of $10 million or more. In 2011 Sean Breen was a Hall of Fame Award Recipient for the #1 Premises Liability Top Texas Verdict, awarded by Texas Lawyer, for the jury verdict award in the case VanDusen v. Aspen Square Management. In 2016 Sean Breen was inducted into the Texas Verdicts Hall of Fame, awarded by Texas Lawyer, for an outstanding verdict in Nester v. Textron.
Selection to America’s Top 100 Personal Injury Attorneys® is by invitation only and is reserved to identity the nation’s most exceptional litigators for high-value personal injury, catastrophic injury, wrongful death, product liability, and medical malpractice matters. HBH is proud that Sean Breen has been selected for this award. Less than one-half percent (0.5%) of active attorneys in the United States will receive this honor — truly the most exclusive and elite level of attorneys in the community. (2017-2021)
Howry, Breen & Herman is proud to have been named a Tier 1, 2 and 3 Austin “Best Law Firm” in 7 practice areas by U.S. News – Best Lawyers® (“U.S. News” and BL Rankings, LLC). Law firms are selected for inclusion in this prestigious ranking based on a series of quantitative and qualitative criteria. Our specialty and tiers are listed here: https://bestlawfirms.usnews.com/profile/howry-breen-herman-llp/overview/36628
Best Lawyers - Lawyer of the Year | Litigation - Trusts & Estates (by BL Rankings, LLC d/b/a Best Lawyers and Co., LLC)
Best Lawyers - Lawyer of the Year | Personal Injury - Plaintiffs (by BL Rankings, LLC d/b/a Best Lawyers and Co., LLC)
Lifetime Achievement selection to America’s Top 100 Attorneys® is by invitation only and is reserved to identify the nation’s most exceptional attorneys whose accomplishments and impact on the legal profession merit a Lifetime Achievement award. Selection is not achieved based on a single accomplishment or a single great year of success, but rather on a lifetime of hard work, ethical standards, and community enriching accomplishments that are inspiring among the legal profession. Both Sean Breen (2017) and Randy Howry (2018) are honored to receive this award.
America’s Top 100 High Stakes Litigators® is reserved to identify the nation’s most exceptional trial attorneys in high value, high stakes legal matters. To be considered for selection, an attorney must have litigated (for either plaintiff or defendant) a matter (1) with at least $2,000,000 in alleged damages at stake or (2) with the fate of a business worth at least $2,000,000 at stake. These minimum qualifications are required for initial consideration. Thereafter, candidates are carefully screened through comprehensive Qualitative Comparative Analysis based on a broad array of criteria, including the candidate’s professional experience, litigation experience, significant case results, representative high stakes matters, peer reputation, and community impact in order to rank the candidates throughout the state. HBH is privileged to honor Partners Sean Breen (2017- 2021) and Randy Howry 2017, 2019, 2020 and 2021 for selection of this award.
Expertise - Howry Breen & Herman was recognized and featured in an article by expertisecommunity.com as one of the Best Real Estate Lawyers in Austin. 2020
America’s Premier High-Stakes Trial Lawyers®” – 7 Figure Litigators®, 8 Figure Litigators®, is meant to recognize the nation’s most respected and preeminent high-stakes trial lawyers based on their verifiable verdicts and/or settlements. It is a tremendous honor for Sean Breen (2019) and Randy Howry (2020) to be recognized among this elite group.
America’s Premier High-Stakes Trial Lawyers®” – 7 Figure Litigators®, 8 Figure Litigators®, is meant to recognize the nation’s most respected and preeminent high-stakes trial lawyers based on their verifiable verdicts and/or settlements. It is a tremendous honor for Sean Breen (2019) and Randy Howry (2020) to be recognized among this elite group.
The National Trial Lawyers – Top 100, a highly respected legal organization that limits its members to premier trial attorneys who demonstrate superior qualifications of leadership, reputation, influence, stature and public profile measured by strict qualification requirements. Sean Breen Top 100 Civil Plaintiff, 2009 – 2020.
Top 10 Business Tort Trial Lawyers by the National Trial Lawyers. Randy Howry 2012-2013; Sean Breen since 2016.
The Best Lawyers in America® recognizes the top 5% of the most skilled attorneys in the nation. The robust selection process requires attorneys to nominate and review fellow lawyers based on their ethics, skill, knowledge, and ability to obtain results for their clients. The Best Lawyers in America® list is a way for plaintiffs to identify the leading attorneys in their region, known for their ability to get results with honesty, strength, and skill. Tim Herman, Sean Breen & Randy Howry have been featured by The Best Lawyers in America® (2006-2020) running alongside some of the most qualified firms in the nation. More info here.
Top Attorneys As Published In Texas Monthly
Sean Breen was honored by TopVerdict.com for recovering one of the Top 50 Verdicts in Texas in 2017. This is an honorable distinction, reserved for those attorneys that achieve the highest settlements and verdicts in the state.
Sean Breen is a member of the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, a renowned legal organization whose membership is restricted to trial attorneys who have achieved seven-figured settlements and/or jury verdicts. 2011.
We are proud to have Sean Breen who is a member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum. In order to become a member, an attorney must demonstrate that he or she has successfully achieved at least one six-figure settlement or jury verdict. 2011.
Martindale-Hubbell® is widely regarded as one of the most renowned peer-review rating organizations in the legal field. Randy Howry (2018), Sean Breen (2001), Tim Herman (1998), Glen Wilkerson (2014) and Chris Lavorato (2014) at Howry, Breen & Herman have achieved the organization’s highest distinction of AV Preeminent®.
Each year, Super Lawyers® magazine publishes its list of peer-nominated/evaluated and independently reviewed attorneys. We are proud to have attorneys who have been selected for inclusion in the prestigious Texas Super Lawyers® List, by Thomas Reuters since 2003, running through 2020.
Membership in Top American Lawyers is limited to only 1% of all attorneys in the United States. Randy Howry is proud to be honored with a Lifetime Charter Membership in this exclusive organization (2017).

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