How A Spinal Cord Injury Solicitor Could Help You
In this guide, we will look at how a spinal cord injury solicitor could help you. You may be able to claim if you’ve suffered a spinal injury as a result of third-party negligence.
The spinal cord is a bundle of nerves that runs down the centre of your back and is connected to your brain. It’s protected by the vertebrae that make up the spine.
Spinal cord injury solicitor claims guide
The spinal cord sends messages from your brain to other parts of your body. This is how we are able to move and feel sensations around our bodies. Any injury to the spinal cord could have serious implications on your quality of life.
If you have suffered a back or spine injury that resulted from negligence, you may want to consider speaking to a solicitor about a spinal cord claim. Our solicitors can offer free legal advice in relation to your injury and can check if you are eligible to claim. To find out more, why not get in touch? You can do so by:
- Calling us on 0800 073 8804
- Talking to us through the live chat feature at the bottom-right of this screen
- Contacting us through our website
For more information on how a specialist solicitor could help you, read our guide below.
Select a Section
- A Guide To How A Spinal Cord Injury Solicitor Could Help You
- What Is A Spinal Cord Injury?
- Symptoms Of Spinal Cord Injuries
- Causes Of Spinal Cord Injuries
- What Are The Different Types Of Spinal Cord Injury?
- What Are The Effects Of Spinal Cord Injuries?
- Can A Spinal Cord Injury Be Cured?
- What Specialist Knowledge Do Spinal Cord Injury Solicitors Have?
- Who Is Eligible To Claim With A Spinal Cord Injury Solicitor?
- How Much Could A Spinal Cord Injury Solicitor Help Me To Claim?
- Special Damages For Costs Associated With Spinal Cord Injuries
- No Win No Fee Spinal Cord Injury Claims
- Start Your Claim
- Learn More
- Spinal Injury Paralysis Statistics
- Spinal Cord Injury Solicitor FAQs
A Guide To How A Spinal Cord Injury Solicitor Could Help You
Spinal cord injuries can be serious. As your spinal cord controls how your brain communicates with and controls the rest of your body, any damage to your spinal cord could result in a loss of mobility and sensation.
This guide is here to help you if you have sustained a spinal cord injury as a result of negligence. We will also look at the steps you can take next.
In addition to this, we will examine the nature of spinal cord injuries and the different symptoms they can exhibit. In this guide, we’ll also look at the effect that this kind of injury can have on your quality of life.
By calling our claims team on the number above you will be provided with free legal advice and a free case assessment. They will be able to tell you if you have a valid claim. If you have, and want to move forward, one of our solicitors may offer to work on your case on a No Win No Fee basis.
What Is A Spinal Cord Injury?
A spinal cord injury happens when the spinal cord is damaged. This type of injury can cause changes to your levels of strength and mobility and may be permanent.
These injuries can happen in a variety of settings, such as the workplace, in public, on UK roads and motorways, or on private property. This kind of injury could also occur in a number of ways. For example, you may sustain an injury:
- In a slip and fall accident
- As the result of a road traffic accident
- In a manual handling incident
- Because of an accident at work.
In order to claim, your injury would need to have been caused by a breach of duty of care. Below, we explain exactly what a duty of care is and how it can be breached.
Duty of care
In order to claim compensation, you need to show that you experienced a breach of duty of care that caused you to be injured. A duty of care is when someone has a responsibility to act in a way that ensures your safety as much as is practicable. For example, you’re owed a duty of care while at work, on the road and in public spaces.
In each of these circumstances, a different party will owe you a duty of care. For example:
- While you’re on the road, all road users owe one another a duty of care. This duty of care is outlined in the Highway Code.
- While you’re at work, your employer has a duty of care towards you. This is set out in the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.
- The Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957 outlines the duty of care that those in control of public places have towards those that use them for the intended purpose.
If you’re injured in an accident that happened because of a breach of duty of care, you may be able to claim. Because of this, you may wish to speak to a spinal cord injury solicitor to discuss your case.
Read on for more information about the symptoms that a spinal cord injury can result in.
Symptoms Of Spinal Cord Injuries
Doctors will judge the severity of your spinal cord injuries by examining your spinal cord and will look for the lowest part of the cord that has stayed undamaged. This is referred to as the “neurological level” of the injury. After this assessment, they can deem your spinal cord injury to be complete or incomplete.
- Complete: This is when all feeling is completely lost below the point in which the spinal cord injury occurred.
- Incomplete: This is where some sensory or motor function remains.
Some other symptoms of spinal cord injury can include:
- Difficulty breathing
- Loss of movement
- Loss of control over bodily functions
- Inability to feel
- Exaggerated reflexes or spasms
- An impact on sexual function
- Pain or stinging sensation
If you have been involved in an accident, you should always seek medical attention right away. This will allow you the best chances of getting the treatment you need for your injuries.
Causes Of Spinal Cord Injuries
A spinal cord injury can be caused by damage or trauma to discs, ligaments or vertebrae. This could happen as a result of a sudden high-impact blow to your spine. This could, for example, occur in a car accident. If the other driver acted in a way that breached their duty of care, you might be able to claim.
A spinal injury could also occur as a result of a slip, trip or fall or being hit by a moving or falling object. This could happen at work or in a public place. If the accident was caused by the negligence of the party who owed you a duty of care, you could receive compensation.
Injuries can also be worsened in the days or weeks after the initial trauma. For example, the accumulation of fluid, as well as internal bleeding, can put additional pressure on the spinal cord, which has the potential to cause further injury.
Even if a spinal cord injury is on the lower end of the severity scale, it can still have life-long complications. It might affect your mobility, sensation and quality of life. It might also lead to financial costs that you had not prepared for; for example, you might need to add a ramp to your home if you now use a wheelchair.
If your life has been affected by a spinal cord injury caused by negligence, you could claim. Speak to our team today to see if you could be connected with a spinal cord injury solicitor.
What Are The Different Types Of Spinal Cord Injury?
Perhaps the most severe complication that a spinal cord injury would cause would be paralysis. This can take three forms: tetraplegia, triplegia and paraplegia.
Tetraplegia paralyzes the hands, arms, torso, legs, and pelvic organs.
Paraplegia will cause paralysis in the torso, pelvic organs, and legs.
Triplegia will cause paralysis in the legs, torso, and organs related to the pelvis. It differs from both tetraplegia and paraplegia in that only one upper limb is affected, so you would still have use of one arm and hand.
If you would like more information in relation to your injuries and how you may be able to make a claim, speak to one of our advisors today. If your claim is valid, you could be connected with one of our personal injury solicitors.
What Are The Effects Of Spinal Cord Injuries?
A spinal cord injury has the potential to be life-changing. The effects of an injury of this nature might stop you from being able to do the things you enjoyed before your accident.
If you sustain an injury that results in paraplegia, you may still retain the use of your arms and upper body. However, paraplegia results in a loss of function in the lower body.
Paralysis of the upper or lower body might stop you from doing the things that you usually do, like playing sports or gardening. Furthermore, you might be left unable to drive as a result. This might mean that you’re reliant on public transport, taxis or lifts from friends and family members.
Across all types of spinal cord injuries, there is often a loss of sexual capacity. This could affect your quality of life and, if you were planning on having children, may make this more difficult. You may also experience a loss of control over bodily functions.
There is a wide range of effects that could occur as a result of paralysis. If your quality of life has been affected, you could receive compensation for the impact your injury has had on you. For more information on how a spinal cord injury solicitor could help, speak to an advisor today.
Can A Spinal Cord Injury Be Cured?
Largely, this depends completely on your type of injury and its severity. Getting immediate medical care after a spinal cord injury is immensely important. This will give the best chance of making a recovery.
Your doctor may recommend a course of physical therapy for you to undergo. This is designed to strengthen muscles and also to sharpen fine motor skills that may have been diminished as a result of your injury.
Your doctor may also prescribe you muscle relaxant medication which is designed to mitigate any muscle spasms that may occur as a result of your injury.
Your care will also be focused on preventing further issues from arising. For example, you might be at risk of bedsores, respiratory infections and blood clots.
You may also choose to undergo therapy or counselling to help you with the mental and emotional components of your injury. This may help to make day-to-day life easier as you adjust to your new circumstances.
What Specialist Knowledge Do Spinal Cord Injury Solicitors Have?
Spinal cord injury solicitors will no doubt have extensive knowledge in this area. They will aim to make the claims process as simple as possible if you have sustained a spinal cord injury.
Our solicitors have experience with spinal cord injuries. Furthermore, they can arrange a medical appointment for you in your local area. This can save you time and stress as it can be difficult to travel long distances while injured.
They will also handle your case in a compassionate and understanding manner. They understand that this will be a difficult time for you and will aim to get you the outcome you deserve from your claim.
To find out more, get in touch with one of our advisors. If your claim has a good chance of success, a solicitor could be appointed to you.
Who Is Eligible To Claim With A Spinal Cord Injury Solicitor?
You could be eligible to claim for a spinal cord injury if you sustained it in an accident that was caused by the negligence of someone who was responsible for your safety. However, there are some situations where the injured person cannot claim themselves.
For example, a child may have been involved in an accident that caused a spinal cord injury. As they are under 18, they’re not legally able to pursue a claim on their own behalf.
While they’re under 18, a litigation friend can claim for them at any point. This is someone appointed to act on their behalf. Once they turn 18, they have 3 years to make a claim if one has not already been made.
A litigation friend can also claim on behalf of someone who doesn’t have the mental capacity to pursue their own claim. In the event that they recover their mental capacity, the time limit starts again. If they never recover, it’s indefinitely suspended.
How Much Could A Spinal Cord Injury Solicitor Help Me To Claim?
If you are curious about how much compensation you may be eligible for, you may be interested in using our compensation calculator. This can provide you with a rough figure for your injury. The table below can also help you. It depicts guidelines provided by the Judicial College based on past settlement awards.
| Injury | Nature of Incident | Possible Compensation |
|---|---|---|
| Quadriplegia | Compensation can differ depending on your level of independence. Can also include a detrimental effect on speech and senses. | £304,630 – £379,100 |
| Paraplegia | Compensation can differ depending on your level of independence and remaining function. | £205,580 – £266,740 |
| Psychiatric damage | The claimant would suffer a disabling mental injury. Work, relationships and social life would all be severely affected. | £51,460 – £108,620 |
| Back injury- Severe (i) | Will involve damage to the spinal column and nerve roots as well as damage to bowel and sexual function. | £85,470 – £151,070 |
| Back injury- Severe (ii) | Not as severe as the above category but will feature nerve root damage with reduced sensation. | £69,600 – £82,980 |
| Neck injury- Severe (i) | Neck injury associated with incomplete paraplegia or quadriparesis where the injury may leave someone with little or no neck movement. | In the region of £139,210 |
While our compensation calculator and the above table can be useful, they are not guaranteed. For free legal advice and the most relevant information related to your claim, speak to one of our advisors. You could be connected with a spinal cord injury solicitor to work on your claim.
Special Damages For Costs Associated With Spinal Cord Injuries
Compensation can be made up of two distinct categories; general damages and special damages.
General damages refer to the part of your compensation that takes into account your injuries and the effect that they have had on you. It can compensate you for both physical and psychological injuries.
This part of your claim is calculated using a medical assessment, which will be arranged for you as part of your claim. This will confirm not just the extent of your injuries but also that they’re consistent with the accident in which you were injured. Also, the report created will be used with the help of the Judicial College Guidelines to determine how much compensation you could be entitled to.
Special damages refer to compensation for monetary losses. This may include lost wages, costs incurred for travel and the costs of more long-term changes such as home adaptations. This might incorporate ramps, stairlifts, or the employment of a full or part-time carer.
To find out more about any special damages you could be owed, why not get in touch with one of our advisors today? They could connect you with a spinal cord injury solicitor to represent you on a No Win No Fee basis. Read on to find out more about what this means.
No Win No Fee Spinal Cord Injury Claims
You may be interested in starting a claim and speaking to a personal injury solicitor, but you may also be worried about the costs involved with having someone represent you in your claim. If this is the case, you may benefit from a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA). This is commonly called a No Win No Fee agreement.
This kind of agreement means that if your claim is not successful, you will not have to pay your solicitor. However, if your claim is successful, you will only be required to pay a success fee. This is legally capped, ensuring that you always get the majority of the compensation you’re awarded.
All our solicitors work on a No Win No Fee basis. To find out more, contact our advisors to discuss your case in further detail.
Start Your Claim
Spinal cord injuries are often challenging not just for the injured but for their loved ones. We understand this. Our advisors are on hand to help you. They can offer free legal advice. Furthermore, if your claim is valid, they could connect you with a spinal cord injury solicitor to represent you.
Get in touch now by:
- Calling us on 0800 073 8804
- Talking to us through the live chat feature at the bottom-right of this screen
- Contacting us through our website
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Spinal Injury Paralysis Statistics
Below, we have provided a graph showing the most common causes of spinal cord injuries, according to NHS statistics based on the period 2016/17 at the Princess Royal Spinal Injury Unit.
This graph depicts the cause of spinal cord injuries admitted to this unit in the time period shown. Over 50% of the recorded spinal injuries happened as a result of trauma.
Spinal Cord Injury Solicitor FAQs
What time limits apply to my claim?
Generally, the time bar for most personal injury claims is three years as set out in the Limitation Act 1980, but exceptions can apply. Speak to our advisors today for more information.
How long will it take to get a payout?
It is hard to give an answer to this question as every claim is different. More complex cases where liability is in dispute might take longer than simple claims where liability is clear.
Am I eligible to make a claim?
Our solicitors would not be able to say for sure until they spoke to you and heard the details of your claim. However, you may not be able to make a claim if the injury you suffered was entirely your fault. For a claim to be successful, it needs to be proved that the defendant was negligent.
Can I move my claim to you?
You may be able to, depending on what stage in the claim you are in. Speak to our advisors for more information.
How do I pay the cost of long-term care?
If you are successful in your claim, your compensation could include special damages. You could claim the cost of long-term care as special damages.
Thank you for reading our guide on how a spinal cord injury solicitor could help you.
Written by McCurry
Edited by Stocks
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