A spinal cord injury claim in Edmonton recovers the lifetime cost of the injury: future care, equipment and home changes, lost earning capacity, and pain and suffering, which is not limited by the minor injury cap. Section B accident benefits cover only $50,000 of treatment within 2 years, so the long-term costs depend on a claim against those responsible. Start within 2 years.
Last reviewed September 16, 2026. General legal information for Alberta, not legal advice.
Spinal injuries we see in claims
- Complete and incomplete spinal cord injuries, including paraplegia and tetraplegia.
- Vertebral fractures and dislocations, with or without cord damage.
- Nerve root injuries causing weakness, numbness or loss of function.
- Spinal injuries needing surgery, such as fusion or decompression.
Under Alberta’s Minor Injury Regulation, a whiplash injury with a fracture or dislocation of the spine, or with objective neurological signs, is not a capped injury. Serious spinal injuries are valued without the cap.
Spinal cord injury care in Edmonton
- Surgery and acute care. The Royal Alexandra Hospital’s spine unit cares for patients who need surgery for conditions affecting the spinal cord and spine, with multi-system trauma patients cared for by the trauma service.
- Inpatient rehabilitation. The Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital runs the Adult Spinal Cord Injury and General Neurology Inpatient Program.
- Community support. Spinal Cord Injury Alberta has an Edmonton office at 11010 101 Street.
Rehabilitation goals, equipment prescriptions and discharge plans from these programs are some of the most useful evidence in a spinal cord injury claim, because they describe what life after discharge actually requires.
The lifetime costs a claim must capture
| Cost | Examples |
|---|---|
| Attendant and personal care | Daily help with dressing, bathing, transfers and bowel and bladder care |
| Equipment | Wheelchairs, cushions, lifts, and replacing them over a lifetime |
| Home | Ramps, widened doors, accessible bathrooms, or a different home |
| Vehicle | Hand controls, lifts or an adapted van |
| Therapy and medical | Physiotherapy, occupational therapy, medications, specialist follow-up |
| Income | Lost earnings now and reduced earning capacity for life |
These are projected by a life care plan prepared with treating clinicians and occupational therapists, then costed. Getting the plan right is often the difference between a settlement that lasts and one that runs out.
What Section B pays, and where it stops
Section B accident benefits pay reasonable medical and rehabilitation expenses incurred within 2 years of the crash, to a limit of $50,000 per person. The regulation includes medically necessary equipment and home or vehicle modifications, when your attending physician and the insurer’s medical advisor agree they are essential. The weekly disability benefit is the lesser of $600 or 80% of gross earnings, for up to 104 weeks.
For a spinal cord injury, those limits are reached quickly. They are the start of the recovery, not the answer to it.
Deadlines for Edmonton spinal cord injury claims
- Section B claim form to the insurer within 30 days of the accident.
- Hit and run: notice to the Administrator under the Motor Vehicle Accident Claims Act within 90 days.
- Lawsuit: generally within 2 years of discovering the injury and its cause, filed at the Edmonton Law Courts.
Spinal cord injury claims and Care-First
Care-First and your Edmonton claim
Alberta has announced January 1, 2027 as the start of its Care-First auto insurance system. The new Automobile Insurance Act itself starts on proclamation, so confirm the date that applies.
An Edmonton crash that happens before the switch keeps today’s rules: a lawsuit against the at-fault driver, the minor injury cap and Section B benefits all still apply.
A crash after it is handled mainly through insurance benefits. Lawsuits are allowed only in situations the Act lists, such as a driver found guilty of a prescribed offence, and disagreements about benefits are heard by the Alberta Automobile Care-first Tribunal. How tort claims change under Care-First.
Sources
- Alberta Health Services, Royal Alexandra Hospital spine surgery unit
- Alberta Health Services, Glenrose Adult Spinal Cord Injury and General Neurology Inpatient Program
- Spinal Cord Injury Alberta, Contact
- Minor Injury Regulation, Alta Reg 123/2004 (Alberta King’s Printer)
- Automobile Accident Insurance Benefits Regulation, Alta Reg 352/1972, Schedule A (Section B)
- Motor Vehicle Accident Claims Act, RSA 2000 c M-22
- Limitations Act, RSA 2000 c L-12
- Court of King’s Bench of Alberta, Edmonton Law Courts
- Automobile Insurance Act, SA 2025 c A-47 (Care-First)
- Government of Alberta, Care-First auto insurance