By Stephen Hudson. Last Updated 2nd October 2024. If you have been involved in a serious accident, you could have sustained life changing injuries. In certain circumstances, you might be eligible to claim compensation for the effect these injuries have on your life.
As a result of a life-changing injury, you may have had:
- To take an extended period of time off work, or leave work altogether.
- To undergo lengthy and ongoing medical treatment.
- Required care in a specialist facility or the home.
In order to claim for these items, you must satisfy certain eligibility criteria. We’ll discuss what this is as well as take a look at when you could file a life changing injury claim on behalf of a loved one.
Additionally, we explain what a life altering injury is and how one could occur. We also look at the different ways in which you could be compensated for wider and long-term impacts, such as a permanent disability.
This guide concludes with a look at how you could claim for a catastrophic injury with the support of a specialist No Win No Fee solicitor.
If you have suffered a life altering injury our team could help you. Contact Legal Expert today to discuss whether you meet the eligibility to make a life changing injury claim. To discuss claiming for traumatic or catastrophic injuries:
- Call us on 0800 073 8804.
- Start a claim online by filling out our form.
- Use our live support chat.
Browse Our Guide
- Can I Claim For A Life Changing Injury?
- What Are Examples Of Life Changing Injuries?
- Can I Claim On Someone Else’s Behalf For A Life Changing Injury?
- How Much Compensation For Life Changing Injuries?
- Why Claim For A Serious Accident On A No Win No Fee Basis?
- More Resources About Claiming For Life Altering Injuries
Can I Claim For A Life Changing Injury?
Life changing injuries may also be called life altering or catastrophic injuries. Such injuries could have a serious and long-term impact. They may lead to a permanent disability (physical or mental) and could leave victims with a reduced life-expectancy and dependent on others for care. You could suffer a life-changing injury in accidents at work, a road traffic accident, a public liability accident or as a result of clinical negligence.
Life Changing Injury Claims Eligibility
In order to claim for a life changing injury, you will need to prove that it was caused by a liable party’s action or inaction, causing some form of foreseeable harm. In many areas of life, you are owed a duty of care. It is a legal obligation that is placed on individuals or organisations to protect others. When that duty of care is breached, causing harm, a compensation claim is possible.
There are various situations in daily life when you are owed a duty of care. These include:
- At work. Your employer must take reasonable and practicable steps to ensure your reasonable safety.
- Navigating the roads. All road users, including vehicle drivers, motorcycle riders, cyclists and pedestrians, must use the roads in a safe and responsible manner to avoid damage and injury both to themselves and others.
- In public places. Occupiers (the individual or organisation in charge of a space) must ensure your reasonable safety while using that space for its intended purpose.
- Undergoing medical treatment. All healthcare professionals automatically owe you a duty of care to meet the minimum expected standard of care when they agree to treat you.
In order to have good grounds to seek compensation for your life altering injury, you must be able to prove that:
- You were owed a duty of care in the situation. For example, while carrying out your work duties.
- There was a breach of this duty. For example, your employer should provide you with free training for any work related tasks you are expected to carry out.
- You sustained injuries because of this breach. For example, due to lack of training, you suffered catastrophic injuries, such as a traumatic hand amputation, when unblocking equipment because you did not know to shut it down entirely before doing so.
You may also make a compensation claim on behalf of another person who has suffered life-altering injuries and who is unable to claim on their own behalf. We discuss claiming on behalf of another party later in this guide.
Contact Legal Expert today to find out how a No Win No Fee solicitor could help you.
What Are Examples Of Life Changing Injuries?
In the following sections, we look at examples of life changing injuries. Although there is no specific definition of a life-changing injury, such injuries may have a serious impact on the injured person, their family, and those around them.
Spinal Cord Injuries
Spinal cord injuries cause temporary or permanent damage to the spine. Symptoms could include loss of sensation and muscle function or loss of autonomic function in parts of the body below the point of the injury. Spinal cord damage could result in a paralysis injury, such as tetraplegia or paraplegia.
As a result of a spinal injury, you could require extensive and long-term medical care and rehabilitation. You may also require support returning to normal life or adjusting to living with your injury. A spinal injury could impact your overall quality of life, mobility and independence.
You could suffer a spinal cord injury in a trip and fall accident. This could occur if a staircase with damaged steps is not taken out of use in a public place until it can be made safe.
Traumatic Head And Brain Injuries
A traumatic head or brain injury may lead to long-term physical, cognitive, behavioural and emotional changes. Such changes may severely impact a person’s ability to function independently. Someone with a traumatic brain injury may require constant care and be unable to return to everyday life.
You could sustain a head injury and brain damage if a driver fails to stop at a pedestrian crossing and runs you over.
Amputations And Loss Of Limbs
The loss of a body part such as a limb, foot, hand or digit could have a significant impact on someone’s quality of life. Whether you have experienced a traumatic amputation in an accident or required a surgical amputation as a result of an incident, such as a severe crush injury, you will need long-term medical treatment and rehabilitative care and may require prosthetics.
You could suffer a below-the-knee amputation in an accident at work if required equipment checks are not carried out. For example, if appropriate visual checks were carried out prior to operating a machine with a blade, it could have been discovered that the safety shield had been removed.
Birth Injuries
Birth injuries could occur during labour, childbirth or immediately after delivery. They could impact a mother or baby (or both) and may result in serious injuries, such as brain injuries, and life-long conditions like cerebral palsy.
For example, due to insufficient monitoring during labour, the baby suffered from a lack of oxygen, resulting in a brain injury that impacts the development of the child.
Mothers could also be left with life changing injuries, emotional harm and post-traumatic stress disorder. For example, a mother could suffer nerve damage leading to double incontinence due to a failure to intervene earlier in the labour.
Serious Burn Injuries
Serious burn injuries could include second and third degree burns. These may include chemical burns and other types of burn injuries which result in serious and long-term injuries to the skin and underlying tissues. This could result in the person experiencing physical and emotional trauma, disfigurement and scarring.
Following a burn injury, victims may require extensive treatment (such as plastic or cosmetic surgery) as well as other rehabilitative care in order to return to everyday activities.
If a kitchen does not have appropriate anti-slip flooring, you could sustain a burn or scald injury while working in it. Grease and water could contaminate the floor without proper slip-resistant flooring and shoes, and you could slip, causing hot grease to land on you, resulting in serious burns.
Loss of Sight or Loss of Hearing
Loss of vision or hearing loss could have a long term impact on victims, such as by impacting their independence and ability to socialise or work. As a result of either or both, you could require home adaptations and a carer to help you cope.
You could suffer a brain injury in a car crash caused by a driver speeding, which results in damage to your vision and hearing.
Direct any questions about life changing injury claims to an advisor from our team. They can help assess the situation that caused your injury and advise on whether or not you have good grounds to claim compensation.
Can I Claim On Someone Else’s Behalf For A Life Changing Injury?
Generally, when seeking compensation in a personal injury claim, you have three years from the date of the accident as set under the Limitation Act 1980 to start one. However, there are circumstances in which this time limit is suspended. These include:
- If the injured party does not have the mental capacity to manage their court case. In these cases, the time limit is suspended for as long as they do not have this capacity. Should they recover their capacity, then they will have three years from that date in which to start a life changing injury claim, if one was not made for them during the suspension.
- A child below the age of 18 also cannot manage their own court case. The time limit is suspended until the child’s 18th birthday, giving them three years from that date to launch a claim if one was not made for them already.
When the time limit is suspended, you could seek compensation on their behalf. However, you will need to become their litigation friend in order to do so. You will have to be a suitable person and act in the best interests of your loved one. You can apply to the court, or the court can appoint you to claim on their behalf.
Our solicitors can help you to claim on behalf of someone else. To find out more, please contact our team.
How Much Compensation For Life Changing Injuries?
If you make a successful claim for life changing injuries, your settlement may consist of up to two heads of loss. These are general and special damages.
You will be awarded general damages to compensate for the physical pain and mental suffering sustained in the serious accident. The parties tasked with calculating general damages may refer to the guidelines published by the Judicial College to help them. This resource contains guideline amounts of compensation for different types of injury.
In the table below we have included figures from these guidelines. Additionally, we’ve provided a figure in the top row that shows you how compensation could be awarded for multiple life altering injuries and related expenses. This figure was not taken from these guidelines. As all life changing injury claims are different, this table is only provided for guidance.
| Injury | Severity | Compensation Guideline |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple serious and severe injuries with special damages. | Serious and/ or severe | Up to £1,000,000+ |
| Injuries affecting sight | (a) total blindness and deafness. | In the region of £493,000 |
| Injuries involving paralysis | (a) tetraplegia | £396,140 to £493,000 |
| Injuries involving paralysis | (b) paraplegia | £267,340 to £346,890 |
| Brain damage | (a) very severe | £344,150 to £493,000 |
| Brain damage | (b) moderately severe | £267,340 to £344,150 |
| Brain damage | (c) moderate (i) | £183,190 to £267,340 |
| Epilepsy | (a) established grand mal | £124,470 to £183,190 |
| Epilepsy | (b) established petit mal | £66,920 to £160,360 |
| Deafness and loss of speech | (a) loss of speech and total deafness. | £133,810 to £171,680 |
Can I Claim For The Long Term Effects Of Life Changing Injuries?
In addition to general damages, if you make a successful claim, your settlement may also include compensation for the financial losses caused by the life changing injuries sustained in the incident. This part of your compensation is known as special damages.
As part of your claim, you may be able to recover compensation for:
- The costs of long-term care, physiotherapy and rehabilitation.
- Adaptations to your home or vehicle.
- Mobility aids. You may require mobility aids to help you get around your home or other places.
- Lost income and earnings. Personal injury claims can include compensation for income which you have already lost due to time away from work. You may also claim for projected future lost income and earnings if your injury is expected to take a long time to heal or if you are unable to return to work.
To claim for special damages, you will need to submit evidence. For example, you could save any receipts, invoices and payslips to submit as part of the claims process.
Contact a member of our advisory team for a free valuation of your claim. They can also advise on what evidence you could save to claim under special damages.
Why Claim For A Serious Accident On A No Win No Fee Basis?
If you are eligible to claim for life changing injuries, you may wish to have the support of a solicitor during the claims process. One of our No Win No Fee solicitors could help with your case under a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA).
One of the benefits of claiming under a CFA is that your solicitor won’t ask you to make any payments for their services either upfront or while your case is being processed. Also, if your compensation claim is not successful, you usually will not need to pay for your solicitor’s work.
If your catastrophic injury claim is successful, your solicitor will charge a success fee. That means that they’ll take a small percentage from the compensation awarded. This fee is agreed with your solicitor before they start work on your case and the percentage is legally capped. This cap ensures you get to keep most of your compensation.
Contact our advisors today to learn more about claiming with a No Win No Fee solicitor for life changing injuries, the meaning behind a CFA or other aspects of the claiming process. To get in touch, you can:
- Message our team using the live-chat feature on this page.
- Send a message via our claim online form.
- Phone now on 0800 073 8804
More Resources About Claiming For Life Altering Injuries
Here we have included further resources on how to claim for life altering injuries.
- In this guide we look at when and how you could make an amputation compensation claim with a specialist solicitor.
- If you have suffered a serious injury, a serious injury claim lawyer could help to secure you a compensation settlement.
- Here we look at how to make a chemical burn injury claim.
Life-changing injury references
- NHS information on acid and chemical burn injuries.
- Guidance on claiming statutory sick pay (SSP) from the government.
- Information about getting support for birth trauma from the NHS
If you or a loved one has suffered life changing injuries due to medical negligence, an accident at work or road traffic accident, please contact our team. We are ready to help you.
