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Spinal Cord Injury compensation claims

 Expert claims solicitors helping you to adjust to life after spinal cord injury

Our specialist claims solicitors are leaders in their fields, with decades of experience claiming compensation for clients who have sustained a spinal cord injury as a result of an accident or medical negligence. Our dedicated personal injury solicitors have significant expertise in acting for clients involved in motorcycle, other road traffic accidents, heavy industry and agricultural accidents. While our specialist medical negligence solicitors have considerable experience representing those who have a spinal cord injury as a result of a medical mistake.

Through our extensive experience, we have developed relationships with leading barristers and experts in the field including surgeons, rehabilitation specialists, architects, employment consultants and Occupational Therapists who can help with provision of equipment to maximise independence. This means we can quickly assemble a team of specialists to fully investigate the consequences of your injury on your life and maximise the value of compensation due to you.

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The impact of spinal cord damage

The outcomes associated with spinal cord injuries vary greatly according to the severity of the injury and where along the spinal column the spinal cord has been injured.

The full extent of the paralysis will depend upon the exact level of the injury and whether there has been a complete or incomplete lesion of the spinal cord. A complete spinal cord injury means that there is total paralysis below the level of the injury. An incomplete injury will result in impaired functioning below the level of the injury.

While loss of sensation and movement are the most common effects of spinal cord injuries, other physical changes as a result of the injury may include: breathing difficulties (where the spinal cord is damaged in the neck) bowel and bladder dysfunction, sexual dysfunction, loss of fertility, the inability to regulate blood pressure and chronic pain.

Trauma is a common cause of spinal cord injury. The most common of the incidents giving rise to spinal cord injury are falls, road traffic accidents and sports.

Your spinal cord injury compensation claim questions answered

How much compensation will I get?

In terms of thinking about how much compensation you will get, it’s important to note that every case is different. In our jurisdiction, we have a system that’s what we call a compensatory system. The object of bringing the claim is to put you back in the same position you would have been in, as best money can, as if you’ve never had the accident. So it’s impossible to say for any given case at the outset how much money people will get.

What we will do is we will look at all sorts of things that make up the value of the claim. So if you’ve been unable to work and had a loss of earnings, we’ll calculate that. We’ll make sure that we’re getting good advice from experts as to the cost of all the equipment, prosthetics, wheelchairs and everything else that you might need. We’ll also be able to include things like the claim for costs for care and assistance, for things that you can no longer mange yourself. But as I say, every case is individually assessed, and we will look at your case on an individual basis.

Why should I use Clarke Willmott?

When deciding what lawyer you want to instruct and if you’re considering instructing Clarke Willmott it’s important to know about us, that we are truly specialists in what we do. Our team only handles cases involving serious injury, and that’s what we’ve done for a number of years. It’s also the case that as individual lawyers, we have areas of our own specialisation. And for example, I have worked in the field of amputation for a long time. I am very familiar with all the different types of injury.

The other important thing is that what we want to do is to make a difference to to the client. The main focus we have will be on rehabilitation. It will be on accessing services, accessing treatment. The object will be to make sure that our client get the best possible medical outcome as well as the best possible legal outcome

If I have a claim, how long will it take?

One thing that concerns people who are bringing a claim is how long it’s all going to take? When are they going to get their compensation.  And there is really two things to say about that. The first is this: If we can establish liability on your behalf, we can prove that someone else is at least partly to blame for your injuries, we can usually get interim payments on account of damages quite quickly so we can start to help you with financial concerns or to fund the things that you need at the earliest part of your case.

In terms of how long the whole claim will take, that is actually very dependant upon the medical position and how well you are going to recover from your injuries and when we’re going to know how well you’ve recovered from your injuries. Everybody’s injury is different. Some people can reach a final position within a matter of a few months or a year or so, other people require much more lengthy rehabilitation, perhaps a number of other medical procedures. And this is important because we will only want to try to settle your claim when we can reasonably predict the future. And in doing so, that makes sure that we get the right level of compensation for you.

Would this be a no win, no fee type of claim?

One of the big things that concerns people when thinking about contacting a lawyer is how much is it going to cost them. And what we can do, is we can reassure you on that at the very start because we will be looking for the best solution for you. That can include working with you to see if you’ve already got any existing insurance cover that will cover your legal costs.

The alternative and most common way that we proceed with cases is on a no win, no fee basis. Which means that  there is little or no risk to the client. They are regulated by our regulator and so you can guarantee that it will be a proper product, you’ll be given full advice at the outset so that you can decide whether you want to proceed, but financially there should be very little risk, in fact no risk to you.

Can you make a claim for spinal cord injury compensation claim?

There’s no question that spinal cord injury is life changing. However, with constant advances in science and technology it’s often possible to return to an independent life and a successful compensation claim can help make this happen.

You could be entitled to make a claim if you have a spinal cord injury as a result of:

  • A road traffic accident – including car and motorcycle accidents, or as a pedestrian
  • An accident at work often involving dangerous machinery or a fall from height
  • Delayed or misdiagnosis of an infection, bone tumour or cauda equina
  • Surgical error

If you’re entitled to compensation for your spinal cord injury, we will liaise with third party insurers and seek to arrange for an independent immediate-needs assessment as soon as possible. Where we can, we will ensure any adaptations are made swiftly so you can quickly return to independently managing your life.
We’ll also seek to obtain interim payments at an early stage to help alleviate any immediate financial strain so you can concentrate on your recuperation and rehabilitation.

Types of spinal cord injury compensation claims

Here are some of the different types of claims that could be included in your overall compensation claim

  • Pain and suffering and loss of amenity – often referred to as general damages.
  • Lifelong cost of aids and equipment – to maximise your independence and quality of life. We will arrange for an occupational therapist to assess your needs and include the lifelong costs in your claim.
  • Costs to maximise mobility – from wheelchairs for a variety of different situations, through to adapted vehicles, again to include lifelong costs
  • Medical treatment – if you require specific medical treatment, it’s often possible to recover the costs of having it done privately, if safe and appropriate to do so, so waiting lists can be avoided.
  • Care and assistance – for help with shopping, cleaning, cooking, DIY, gardening and other day-to-day tasks that you would otherwise have done.
  • Rehabilitation and occupational therapy
  • Cost of moving or adapting your home 
  • Past and future loss of earnings and loss of pension
  • Provisional Damages – in some cases where there is a risk of deterioration at some point in the future, we can ask the Court to allow you to return to Court to seek further damages if that happens

Reasons to choose Clarke Willmott for your spinal cord injury compensation claim

  • Winning record – excellent track record of winning compensation claims, some worth several million pounds.
  • Recognised injury and legal experts – accredited by the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers, Action Against Medical Accidents (AVMA), independent bodies who rigorously assess us to ensure we provide quality and value for money.
  • Spinal Cord Injury Experts – not only are we experts in the law, we’re also well informed about the causes and consequences of spinal cord injuries. Our team regularly attend specialist rehabilitation courses.
  • Equipment, Accommodation and Transport experts – we ensure you get the best advice as to the most suitable equipment for your needs, help you choose a supplier and ensure all the costs are paid by the third-party insurer.
  • Case Management and support – we work closely with expert Case Managers who can co-ordinate the provision of services, support and equipment to maximise your independence
  • Help to fund your claim – we can help you explore your funding options including ‘no win no fee’.
  • Partner led service – where many firms may use unqualified case handlers, at Clarke Willmott your claim will be overseen by a partner who is also one of our most senior lawyers, to ensure you receive the best possible service and advice.
  • Support step-by-step – we understand that questionnaires and form filling can be confusing and time consuming. That’s why we offer face-to-face meetings to talk you through the paperwork and help you complete it.

Contact our Spinal Cord Injury claims solicitors

Get in touch online or call 0800 316 8892 to arrange a free no-obligation consultation with a specialist spinal cord injury solicitor, who will help you understand whether your claim is likely to have a positive outcome for you.

We represent clients nationwide from our offices in Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, London, Manchester, Southampton and Taunton and can meet wherever convenient to you including at your home or even in hospital.

Your key contacts

Email Lee Hart
Lee Hart photo

Lee Hart

Personal Injury Team Manager

Taunton
Lee works closely with severely injured people and their families, leading them through the claims process and ensuring they get the best treatment, rehabilitation and care so that they can get their lives back on track as quickly as possible.
View profile for Lee Hart >

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