After a life-altering spinal cord injury or similar catastrophic paralysis event, the first days matter. Not because you need to “prove everything immediately,” but because early steps can preserve what insurers later challenge:
- Ask for copies of key medical documentation (ER notes, imaging reports, discharge summaries, and follow-up neurology or surgery records).
- Write down a detailed timeline while memory is fresh—what happened, where you were, weather/road conditions, and who witnessed the incident.
- Keep receipts and appointment records related to transportation, home assistance, medical equipment, and therapy.
- Be careful with recorded statements from insurance companies. What seems harmless can become a dispute later about causation or severity.
In Minnesota, claims are time-sensitive, and missing documentation can slow down evidence gathering or weaken the story of how the injury occurred and what it has taken from your life.


