Spinal injury compensation claims

Rebuilding your life after a spine injury

Over 1,000 people each year sustain a spinal cord injury and could seek compensation. The impact of a severe spine injury can turn lives upside down. The whole family will be faced with the challenge of coming to terms with the injury and then re-building their lives. To do so, you will need lots of help and support to first recover, and then secure your financial future.

There is often a stigma attached to bringing a claim for compensation, but by doing so, you give yourself the chance of securing the best possible treatment, rehabilitation, care and support that would otherwise be out of reach. We have experienced, specialist spine injury lawyers to advise you about the merits of bringing a claim and guide you successfully through the process.

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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.

How Clarke Willmott can help

Everything we do is focused on you and your needs. Our role is not only to recover financial compensation, but to ensure you receive the best possible support and rehabilitation during and after your claim. Our goal is to help you recover from your injuries and get your life back on track as soon as possible.

Claiming compensation for your spine injury

Every case is different – the level of compensation you receive will depend on the seriousness and duration of your injuries, plus the effect they have on your everyday life and future.

In order to accurately value your claim, we will need to obtain independent evidence from medical professionals, experienced in dealing with spine injuries.

Compensation for a severe spinal cord injury can run into millions of pounds. The compensation can be either paid by way of lump sum, or a smaller lump sum and annual payments for the rest of your life (which is particularly common where there are ongoing high cost care needs).

We can also request an interim payment on your behalf from the Defendant’s insurer to ease financial pressures and allow you to concentrate on your rehabilitation.

Access to treatment and rehabilitation

A spinal cord injury must be dealt with immediately to achieve the best outcome possible. The shorter the time between the injury and treatment, the better the long-term outcome.

We can help you access rehabilitation services and medical treatment from some of the country’s top clinicians. This could include specialist consultants or surgeons, in-patient rehabilitation at a spinal treatment centre and rehabilitation following discharge from hospital.

Help with accommodation, equipment and care

We can explore the options for the accommodation and additional support that you might need, throughout your recovery and beyond. These options need to be flexible, so that you can move to more independent living as you re-learn life skills during the recovery and rehabilitation stages.

We can also support with the creation of a full care regime, including a case manager, carers and other medical professionals to assist you live as independently as possible.

Where needed, we can also arrange a bespoke wheelchair that can greatly enhance your mobility, independence and comfort. We can obtain interim payments, so you do not have to wait until the conclusion of the claim to meet the costs of a bespoke wheelchair.

Other financial and legal advice

Clarke Willmott is a full-service law firm, so unlike many other solicitors offering spine injury advice, we can give you expert guidance on any other legal matters arising from your injury, such as employment issues, the purchase of your new home adapted for your independence and managing your financial affairs.

Reasons to choose Clarke Willmott for your spine injury claim

• Recognised spine injury experts – we are accredited by the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers, Action Against Medical Accidents and the Law Society – independent bodies who rigorously assess us to ensure we provide quality and value for money.
• Help to fund your claim – we can help you explore your funding options including ‘no win no fee’ and legal aid.
• Winning record – excellent track record of winning spine injury compensation claims, some with compensation worth several million pounds.
• Partner led service – where many firms use unqualified case handlers to run your claim, at Clarke Willmott it will be overseen by a partner who is also one 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 spine injury experts

Get in touch online or call 0800 316 8892 to arrange a free consultation with a specialist spine injury solicitor, who will help you understand whether your claim is likely to have a positive outcome for you. There is no obligation to go any further after this initial meeting.

We can meet where convenient to you – either in one of our offices, at your home or even in hospital. We represent spinal injury clients nationwide from our offices in Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, London, Manchester, Southampton and Taunton.