Spinal cord injury · Wilmington, NC
A spinal cord injury attorney in Wilmington who builds the case around the next 30 years.
When the at-fault driver's insurer calls a week after a paraplegia or quadriplegia diagnosis, the offer almost never reflects the lifetime cost of care. Over 41 years of personal injury work, exclusive focus on building the case from the life-care plan up, and direct attention to the contributory-negligence rule that bars recovery in North Carolina if even 1% of fault lands on you. Consultation is free. No fee unless I win your case.
How I work spinal cord injury cases
I build the case from the life-care plan up, not from the bills that have already arrived.
A spinal cord injury is not a single event. It is a 30-year obligation that arrived in an afternoon. Paraplegia, quadriplegia, permanent loss of function, partial impairment that closes off a working life — the damage is measured in decades, and the recovery has to reflect that. The bills that have already arrived in the first six months are a small fraction of the lifetime cost. The case has to be built on the rest of it.
That work starts with a certified life-care planner who writes out every category of future cost: attendant care, durable equipment, home modifications, future surgeries, medications, rehabilitation, vocational support. A medical economist then puts a present-value number on the plan. From there the demand becomes specific — backed by experts, not estimates — and the negotiation is grounded in numbers the carrier has to answer rather than dismiss.
In North Carolina, none of that holds together if the defense can place 1% of fault on the injury victim. Contributory negligence is the harshest rule in the country, and the defense looks harder for that 1% when the stakes are highest. So the investigation has to be airtight from day one: scene preservation, witness statements, accident reconstruction, medical records secured before the file is characterized otherwise. When the at-fault driver carries minimum limits — and the at-fault driver almost always does in a catastrophic crash — I look across the household for UM/UIM coverage that can be stacked under the conditions North Carolina allows. That is where most of the real recovery sits.
I work every case personally. No associates, no handoffs. The consultation is free. If I cannot help, I will tell you that honestly. If I can, no fee unless I win your case.
— Robert L Armstrong
What this case depends on
Three load-bearing decisions in every spinal cord injury case.
The dollar figure on the demand is downstream of these three. If any of them is wrong on day one, the recovery is wrong on day 1,000.
Life-care plan and economist projection
A certified life-care planner writes the next 30 years of medical, rehabilitation, equipment, and attendant-care cost. A medical economist converts it to present-value dollars. Without both, the demand is an estimate and the carrier knows it. With both, the case is grounded in numbers the insurer has to answer.
UM/UIM stacking across the household
The at-fault driver's policy almost never covers a catastrophic outcome. North Carolina permits stacking UM/UIM coverage under specific conditions, and most real recovery in a serious spinal cord injury case comes from policies in the injury victim's own household. Reviewed from day one, not after settlement talks stall.
Contributory-negligence defense
NC is one of only four contributory-negligence states. If the defense places 1% of fault on the injury victim, recovery can be barred — even with a quadriplegic outcome. The investigation has to be airtight from day one: scene, witnesses, reconstruction, medical records preserved before the file is characterized otherwise.
In their words
What families said after they called.
“Robert is knowledgeable, professional and friendly to clients. He is tenacious, hard-driving and persistent when dealing with insurance companies. I could not recommend him and his office any more strongly. Go with Robert.”
“If you're looking for a skilled, empathetic lawyer who will personally handle your case — not pass it off to one of dozens of associates within a firm or personal-injury mill — look no further. Robert Armstrong is your guy.”
“My husband and I hired Mr. Armstrong for legal representation in my personal injury case. He handled all of the details of the case with the utmost diligence and care. He was very professional and personable in all communication with us throughout the duration of the case.”
Common questions
About spinal cord injuries.
The questions families ask first when a spinal cord injury changes everything. For broader background, the catastrophic injuries pillar covers life-care planning, UM/UIM strategy, and settlement values in depth.
Background on typical numbers lives in the settlement values resource.
Frequently asked questions
What is a life-care plan, and why does my case need one?
A life-care plan is a written, expert-prepared projection of every category of future cost a spinal cord injury creates: attendant care, durable medical equipment, home modifications, future surgeries, medications, rehabilitation, and vocational support. A certified life-care planner builds it; a medical economist puts a present-value number on it. Without a life-care plan, any settlement demand is a guess. With one, the case is grounded in the full lifetime cost of care — the next 30 years, not just the bills that have already arrived.
The at-fault driver does not have enough insurance. Can UM/UIM coverage stack?
Often, yes. North Carolina permits UM/UIM stacking under specific conditions, and in a catastrophic case the at-fault driver's policy is almost never enough. Recovery on the injury victim's side often comes from stacking UM/UIM across multiple vehicles and resident relatives' policies in the household. A note on umbrella policies: an umbrella sits on top of liability, not on top of UM/UIM, and it sits on the defendant's side — that is, the at-fault driver's own umbrella can extend their liability exposure, but your household umbrella does not generally add to your UM/UIM recovery. I review every available policy on both sides from day one and structure the claim to access stacked coverage where the law allows it.
How does contributory negligence apply in a catastrophic spinal cord injury case?
It applies the same way it applies to every personal injury case in North Carolina, and that is exactly the problem. NC is one of only four states that follows contributory negligence. If the defense proves you were even 1% at fault, recovery can be barred — no matter how severe the injury. In a catastrophic case the defense will look harder, not less hard. That is why the investigation must be airtight from day one: scene photographs, witness statements, accident reconstruction, medical records preserved before they can be characterized otherwise.
How long does a spinal cord injury case typically take?
Longer than most personal injury cases. The reason is medical: the case cannot be settled until the injury has reached maximum medical improvement and the life-care plan reflects a stable long-term picture. That often means 18 to 36 months from injury to resolution. North Carolina's statute of limitations for personal injury is three years, so the filing window is real but workable. I do not push a catastrophic case toward early settlement to clear the file. The recovery has to reflect the full lifetime cost of care.
How is the fee structured?
On contingency. There is no retainer, no hourly billing, and no fee unless I win your case. The firm advances costs — filing fees, expert witnesses, life-care planner and medical economist fees, deposition costs — and is reimbursed from the recovery if there is one. The consultation is free. If I cannot help, I will tell you that honestly.
Related work
Catastrophic cases I work alongside spinal cord injury.
Spinal cord injuries often arrive with — or alongside — other catastrophic damage. Many of the cases I take involve motorcycle accidents where UM/UIM coverage decides the recovery, brain injury co-occurring with spinal trauma, or — in the hardest situations — wrongful death. Spinal-cord work sits inside the broader personal-injury practice. Past case results include multi-policy UM stacking and a 14-expert medical malpractice case structured to fund lifetime care. More on the practice and approach lives on the about page, and the insurance claims resource covers what to do when a carrier calls.
Traumatic brain injury
Many spinal cord injury cases arrive with co-occurring TBI. Long-term cognitive impact, not just immediate medical bills, drives case value.
Motorcycle accidents
A large share of catastrophic spinal cord injuries originate in motorcycle crashes. UM/UIM stacking is often the difference between a fair recovery and a token offer.
Catastrophic injury resources
Plain-English writing on life-care planning, UM/UIM strategy, settlement valuation, and what to expect during the medical-stabilization phase of a serious case.
When your family is ready to talk through what happened, the call is free.
Tell me what happened. I will tell you honestly whether I think you have a case, what a life-care plan would cover, and what North Carolina law makes possible. No fee unless I win your case.
Contingency-fee representation. Free consultation.