Personal injury advice from
Thompsons Solicitors
Serious Injury Claim Advice
If you or a member of your family is suffering from a very serious injury, such as a severe brain injury or spinal injury, and this was caused by someone else’s negligence, our specialist personal injury lawyers may be able to help you recover compensation. Contact us today on 0800 032 8511 for sympathetic, confidential claim advice, or by completing a claim enquiry form online.
Catastrophic Injuries
Spinal Injuries and Spinal Cord Injuries
Brain Injuries
Severe Burns
Loss of a Limb / Limbs
Loss of Sight / Blindness
How to make a Serious Injury Claim
Serious Injury Compensation
Specialist Personal Injury Lawyers
Successful Serious Injury Cases
Useful Serioius Injury Links
Catastrophic Injuries
A catastrophic injury is, as the name suggests, a serious injury that causes the sufferer very long term or permanent loss of capacity, affecting them in their day to day life. For example, serious spinal injuries including paralysis, severe burns, the loss of a limb and brain injuries.
Thankfully these types of injury only occur in a very small percentage of accidents, or perhaps where there is medical or clinical negligence, however for those involved they can be devastating. It is therefore essential that the claimant and their family receive the optimum amount of compensation, to enable them to re-build their lives and cope with the long term effects of such a traumatic injury.
There are various types of accident that can result in catastrophic injuries, including accidents in the workplace, car accidents, accidents at home and motorcycle accidents and medical negligence.
If someone has suffered a very serious injury, there may be a requirement for ongoing medical care or rehabilitation, housing modifications or equipment, so it is vital that the case is thoroughly investigated.
Spinal Injuries and Spinal Cord Injuries
Spinal injuries and spinal cord injuries (often referred to as SCI) can be devastating both to the victims and their families. They can, in some cases, result in permanent paralysis or disability and an SCI will almost always require extensive medical treatment.
Such injuries only occur in a small percentage of accidents, however if you or someone close to you is suffering a spinal injury through the fault of another party, you will want to ensure that the matter is investigated thoroughly.
It is of utmost importance that anyone suffering a spinal injury due to negligence is compensated, not only in relation to their injuries, but also for any present and future losses that they suffer as a result. Compensation can ensure that the victim of an SCI is able to meet the cost of any treatment, equipment and care that they require.
Our lawyers have extensive experience in recovering compensation for the victims of spinal injuries and can provide specialist advice, assistance and guidance in helping you to pursue your serious injury claim to the best possible outcome. They recovered £3.4 million in compensation for a client with an SCI caused by a road accident, the highest ever award of compensation in a personal injury case at the time. Since then they have gone on to be successful in many other serious injury cases, resulting in multi-million pound settlements of damages.
Brain Injuries
Unfortunately there are a small number of accidents in which the victim suffers very serious head injuries, causing damage to the brain (often known as a traumatic brain injury, or TBI).
Some brain injuries can result in varying degrees of permanent disability, cognitive or behavioural problems, so in these cases it is vital that the claimant and their family receive the optimum amount of compensation. This can help to meet the often significant costs of care requirements and medical treatment necessary to cope with the long term effects of damage to the brain. Compensation payments can also take into account present and future financial losses, such as loss of earnings, loss of pension or transport costs.
Severe Burns
Burns can be caused in a number of ways, for example by contact with fire, extreme heat or cold, electricity, steam, hot liquids or caustic chemical substances. In the majority of cases, where only small areas of the body are affected and the damage is superficial, burns are not serious and will heal well with minimal impact on the victim's life. There may be residual scarring however and these injuries are compensatable.
Very severe burns however, especially those that cover a large percentage of the body, can be extremely serious or even fatal. A person with severe burns is vulnerable to infection and shock and can be left with permanent scarring, disability and the need for long-term or lifelong treatment, both to deal with the physical consequences (e.g skin grafts) and the deep emotional and psychological after effects that remain.
A victim of serious burns will often require extensive physiotherapy, reconstructive surgery, care and assistance with their daily routine and sometimes modifications to their home. Compensation can be invaluable in ensuring that the costs of these requirements are met.
Loss of a Limb / Limbs
The loss of a limb can be an extremely traumatic experience. Amputations may have to be carried out for a variety of reasons. If injuries sustained in an accident are so severe that they cannot be repaired and the function of a limb cannot be restored, doctors may feel that the best course of action is to remove the limb.
Serious infections, conditions such as diabetes and illnesses including cancers and meningitis can also lead to circumstances where amputation is necessary, either to control the progression of a disease or infection, or when a lack of circulation has caused tissue to die. There can be associated nerve damage which is both painful and distressing, resulting in so-called ‘phantom limb’ symptoms whereby the victim feels pain and discomfort, pins and needles and itching of the limb, even though the limb has been surgically removed.
Following the loss of a limb, a person will usually undergo extensive rehabilitation and may require the use of a wheelchair, prosthetic limb or other mobility aids. Housing or accommodation changes may be needed. They may also be unable to return to work in their former capacity, if at all. These factors can all be taken into account by your solicitor when negotiating a suitable amount of compensation.
Loss of Sight / Blindness
A partial or total loss of sight can occur when there is a direct injury to the eye or eyes in an accident, or an indirect injury as in the case of some head injuries and facial injuries. Blindness can occur in just one or both eyes but complete blindness has a catastrophic effect upon one’s life and livelihood. The loss of vision in one eye can also leave a person feeling extremely vulnerable and anxious in terms of the desire to preserve and protect their residual vision. There can also be a resultant sensitivity to light and temperatures. Some eye injuries can leave the eye socket itself vulnerable to infections which can be very uncomfortable and difficult to treat.
The progression of certain diseases can also result in a loss of sight. Accidents can aggravate or accelerate those eye diseases and if these matters are medically proven compensation may be recoverable. Severe blows or jerks to ones neck or head can cause haemorrhages in the eye or blood vessels to burst leading to loss of sight. In some cases, it may even be necessary for the eye to be surgically removed. There are a range of prosthetic eyes (false eyes) that can be obtained under the NHS or privately but the latter can be costly.
A person who has lost most or all of their vision will require a lot of support in adapting their life to meet their needs. For example; housing modifications may be required, they may need to re-learn tasks because they can no longer rely on their sight, care and assistance will often be necessary and mobility and communication aids can help. In many cases the injured person will be unable to continue working in the same capacity as before, so there can also be a substantial loss of earnings and pension.
There can be additional costs for car, life and travel insurance. Communication aids may be costly and will need maintenance and renewal. Retraining for employment can be costly, protracted and the outcome of that can have profound implications for future earnings and pension entitlement
Some eye injuries and prosthetics (false eyes) may leave the injured person feeling anxious and embarrassed particularly if the facial or eye injury has caused some disfigurement. Counselling may be necessary where there is anxiety, loss of confidence, embarrassment or even perhaps resultant agoraphobia where there is a desire to avoid contact with people.
In a compensation claim for blindness or a loss of sight, all these factors will be considered by your lawyer when assessing the amount of damages that you should receive.
How to Make a Serious Injury Claim
In the event that you or someone close to you suffers a serious injury, you will want to ensure that any claim is dealt with by an expert injury lawyer with experience in your type of case. This will ensure that you are given sound legal advice and support through each step of the process.
Our lawyers have made successful compensation claims for many victims of very serious injuries, recovering settlements ranging from one hundred thousand pounds to several million pounds, including what was at the time the highest ever award of damages in a personal injury case (£3.4 million) for a road accident victim. They can also advise on any benefits that you may be entitled to.
For any case of this nature, a senior partner is appointed to take charge of the matter, with a team to assist them. Keeping in close contact with the claimant and their family, they can help to arrange interim damages to cover more immediate costs and pursue the case as efficiently as possible.
In every case, medical evidence will be required, and in any personal injury claim it is necessary to show that the person you are making a claim against owed you a duty of care, that they breached that duty of care (were negligent), and that the injury you sustained was a reasonably foreseeable consequence of that negligence.
It is therefore important to seek the advice and assistance of a specialist lawyer with experience in recovering compensation for those suffering serious injuries at the earliest opportunity. They can collate and prepare all of the necessary evidence to put forward the claim and deal with the matter on their client’s behalf to achieve the best possible outcome.
For further information about the claims process and answers to some frequently asked questions, visit our questions answered section.
Serious Injury Compensation
There are two elements to a compensation award.
The first, called general damages, is for the pain and suffering you may have gone through and any loss of amenity (perhaps an inability to drive, do D.I.Y., play sports). The award for loss of amenity can be for a short period after an accident or for ever if that is what the medical evidence supports.
The second element of a compensation award, for your losses and expenses, is known as special damages and aims to put you back in a position financially as if the accident had never occurred. It is important to keep receipts for any expenditure you have related to the accident so that these can be reclaimed.
In serious cases, where a person may no longer be able to continue their employment, this can be taken into account. Costs for care, equipment, transport and housing modifications can also be factored into the calculations. If the person is still able to work but not in the same role as before, particularly if they held a public service role such as a doctor or police officer, an extra amount may be awarded for loss of ‘congenial employment’. A court can also make a financial award to recognise that an injured worker's prospects on the open labour market may be limited.
As the process of making a claim can take time, it is sometimes necessary for the claimant to receive what is known as an ‘interim payment’ to tide them over financially until the case is fully settled.
This could be to cover the costs of medical treatment or care, transport, or even equipment required to adapt a home in the case of very serious injuries.
In cases involving very serious injuries, where the amount of damages is likely to be significant, compensation may be paid to the injured individual either as a lump sum, via periodic payments or as a combination of both.
Specialist Personal Injury Lawyers
The Legal Line's lawyers are experts in all areas of personal injury, with a wealth of experience in recovering compensation for the victims of serious injuries and the families of people involved in fatal accidents. They can provide specialist accident claim advice, assistance and guidance in helping you to pursue your claim to the best possible outcome.
Serious injury claims can be complicated and are a specialist area of work. Our Serious Injuries Unit has been assisting those affected by catastrophic injuries for many years and has access to medical experts who can make assessments of the extent of the injury, provide reports and advise on your case.
Successful Serious Injury Cases
Below you will find case summaries and links to details of some of the cases our lawyers have dealt with involving serious injuries:
Night club owner liable for attack on firefighter
Compensation for man paralysed in car accident
Paralysed worker's £2.4m payout
Health worker wins £390,000 with help from The Legal Line’s Solicitors
Serious Injury Compensation for Groundsman Injured in Workplace Accident
Substantial Settlement for Serious Injury at Work
Substantial Compensation Settlement in Serious Injury Claim
Clinical Negligence Compensation After Lack of Treatment Results in Amputation
£828,000 Compensation for Injured Motorcyclist
Our Lawyers Secure £600,000 Compensation for Victim of Serious Workplace Accident
Employee’s Thumb Amputated by Drill in Accident at Work
Council Worker Compensated for Severe Crush Injury in Accident at Work
Serious Injury Compensation for Pedestrian Who Lost Leg in Road Accident
- During
his birth, our client was deprived of oxygen due to clinical negligence
on the part of the medical staff involved. A recording of his heartbeat
showed that it was slowing due to lack of oxygen, however the staff did
not recognise that he was in distress and failed to ensure that he was
delivered as quickly as possible.
As a result of the delay our client suffered significant brain damage and developed severe cerebral palsy. His condition is such that he requires 24 hour care, as he is unable to walk or communicate, is partially sighted, intellectually impaired and has a reduced life expectancy.
Our specialist serious injury lawyers acted on his behalf in a compensation claim in respect of this birth injury. A substantial lump sum in damages was awarded, in addition to six-figure annual payments throughout his lifetime. The compensation will cover the costs of his medical treatment, expenses, care, accommodation and adaptations to suit his specific needs.
Further articles about some of the many cases we have pursued on behalf of seriously injured people can be found in our news and success stories sections.
Useful Serioius Injury Links
Headway - Charity supporting those affected by brain injuries.
Spinal Injuries Association - Information and support for those suffering a spinal injury and those that care for them.
BASIC - Brain and Spinal Injuries Centre, a charity and information resource for those with brain or spinal injuries.
Child Brain Injury Trust - Offering support and information on acquired brain injury in children.
Limbless Association - Advice and assistance for people without one or more limbs.
Dan's Fund for Burns - Help and information for burn survivors.
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Testimonials
"Thanks to the Thompsons team and their negotiating skills, the funds are there to make sure Robin is looked after for the rest of his life."
Dave
Robin's Dad
Personal Injury News
