By Megan Black. Last Updated 26th November 2024. Throughout this guide, we are going to discuss post-traumatic stress disorder solicitors in length. In doing so, we will provide free legal advice and outline how a personal injury solicitor could offer to handle your case.
Post-traumatic stress disorder is a serious disorder and can manifest itself in different ways, depending on the person it has affected and the incident that has caused it. Whether you have been diagnosed with PTSD due to being in combat, or as a result of a serious accident, or even due to abuse you have been subjected to, specialist post-traumatic stress disorder solicitors could help you claim compensation. This guide tells you all you need to know about PTSD lawyers and how you can start a claim for compensation with an experienced specialist solicitor.
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If we think you have a valid claim, we could connect you with one of our expert post traumatic stress disorder solicitors.
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Select a Section
- When Could I Claim With Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Solicitors?
- How Long Do You Have To Claim For A Post Traumatic Stress Disorder?
- Common Types Of PTSD Claims Our Solicitors Handle
- How Much Compensation Could I Receive For PTSD?
- No Win No Fee Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Solicitors
- Call For Free Advice
When Could I Claim With Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Solicitors?
In order to form the basis of a valid personal injury claim, your case must meet three main criteria:
- You were owed a duty of care by someone.
- They failed to fulfil this duty.
- Because of this, you suffered a physical or psychological injury, such as post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
When these three factors combine, this is known as negligence.
You are owed a duty of care in various situations. For example, you are owed a duty of care by your employer. as outlined in the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. It states that they must take all reasonably practicable steps to ensure your safety while in the workplace and performing work-related duties.
The duty of care for road users is set out in the Road Traffic Act 1988. Per their duty of care, they must use the roads safely and avoid causing harm to others and themselves. Furthermore, they must follow the rules set out for them in the Highway Code to promote road safety.
If you can prove that you suffered a psychological injury due to someone else breaching the duty of care they owed you, you may be eligible to make a personal injury claim.
To receive free advice for your potential claim or to learn more about how PTSD claim solicitors could help you, contact our team today.
How Long Do You Have To Claim For Post Traumatic Stress Disorder?
If you’re thinking about making a claim for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), it’s important to familiarise yourself with the claim time limits that could affect your ability to claim compensation.
All personal injury claims have a time limit of 3 years within which legal proceedings can be made for them. This means that you have up to 3 years from when the accident that triggered your PTSD happened to make a claim.
However, as PTSD is a complex psychological condition that can present symptoms sometime after the incident that triggered it, extensions to this time limit can be granted. For example, if you suffered PTSD after this 3-year period had already lapsed, you may still be eligible for compensation as you only just realised that you were affected.
Extensions could also be granted in cases of historic abuse, for example, where the victim doesn’t realise how they’ve been impacted until some time later when symptoms of PTSD begin to appear as a result of their trauma.
For a free consultation on whether you could have grounds to claim within the claims time limit, please get in touch today.
Common Types Of PTSD Claims Our Solicitors Handle
Whilst many different events can cause PTSD, there are two main areas that are more common than others. Firstly, it is quite common for military personnel to suffer PTSD, especially if they have seen active service. Whilst there was once a stigma attached to speaking out about mental health conditions, PTSD in the military is no longer a ‘secret’ battle that soldiers have to face.
With more support available to military personnel than before, as well as much more of an understanding of PTSD and the effects that it can have on service personnel, claims for PTSD from those who have served their country in The Army, the MOD, RAF, or the Royal Navy are more common than they were before.
The other common cause of PTSD that specialist solicitors work on is violent crime. This involved in most cases filing claims to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority. Many victims of violent attacks have been known to suffer PTSD.
Whether it is a physical or a sexual assault, you must choose a solicitor that has experience in dealing with CICA as well as one that understands your PTSD, as this will mean they are able to put together a claim that shows an accurate picture of your suffering as well as backing this up with legal arguments to gain you the compensation you deserve.
Other cases involve PTSD accident solicitors who work on compensation claims for those who have developed the condition after an accident.
How Much Compensation Could I Receive For PTSD?
You may be wondering how much compensation you could be paid. There is no limit and no set figure because every case is unique and payouts are calculated on a case-by-case basis. One thing that it’s important to know is that our Post Traumatic Stress Disorder solicitors will do everything they can to secure the maximum payout.
Your PTSD claim payout can address up to two ‘heads’ of loss. They are:
- General damages, or compensation accounting for the impact of the accident on your mental health. It can also address physical harm and factors like loss of amenity, meaning your loss of ability to do things that you could before the incident.
- Special damages, the potential second head that covers financial loss, if you have any. That could include a loss of earnings you build up by missing work, or psychological therapy fees.
Proof of financial loss, like payslips and receipts, will be needed if you want to seek a special damages payment.
For general damages, those working out the payout will calculate a total. They might refer to documents like the medical evidence that PTSD claim solicitors can help clients gather, or a document called the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG).
We’ve created a table using the JCG. It is a collection of compensation guidelines for different types of psychiatric and physical harm. Please note, however, that the first entry has not come from the JCG.
Injury | Compensation Bracket | |
---|---|---|
Serious Psychiatric Harm Plus Financial Loss | Very Significant | Up to £200,000 and above |
Psychological Distress | Severe | £66,920 to £141,240 |
Moderately Severe | £23,270 to £66,920 | |
Moderate | £7,150 to £23,270 | |
Less Severe | £1,880 to £7,150 | |
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder | Severe | £73,050 to £122,850 |
Moderately Severe | £28,250 to £73,050 | |
Moderate | £9,980 to £28,250 | |
Less Severe | £4,820 to £9,980 |
To see whether you could claim compensation with one of our solicitors, you can contact our advisors.
No Win No Fee Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Solicitors
If you have a valid case, one of our solicitors could help you with making a PTSD claim. Our solicitors also generally offer their services on a No Win No Fee basis under the terms and conditions of a Conditional Fee Agreement.
With this arrangement in place, you will not need to pay anything to your solicitor for them to begin working on your case. Additionally, no payment will be required for their services while your claim is still progressing or if it fails.
Should your claim be a success, however, your solicitor will be due a success fee. They will take this out of the compensation awarded to you as a small, legally limited percentage.
To see if one of our PTSD lawyers could help you with making a personal injury claim for your psychological injury, you can contact a member of our team. They can be reached by:
- Calling 0800 073 8804
- Using our live chat.
- Completing our ‘claim online’ form for a callback.
Helpful Links
- PTSD and driving –The government can issue a fine if you have not informed them about certain medical conditions that can affect your ability to drive. PTSD can affect driving, so it is essential to read the information here and complete an M1 form if necessary.
- NHS guide to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder – This guide, published by the NHS, details PTSD, the symptoms, how it is treated and offers a brief history of PTSD.
- Guide to PTSD claims – Our detailed guide to PTSD claims offers guidance and advice for those who have suffered or are suffering from PTSD, including a PTSD claim calculator and want to make a claim for compensation for this condition. Please note that the PTSD claims compensation calculator works as a general guide and does not guarantee claimants the exact sums mentioned.
- No Win No Fee Guide – Take a look at our guide to learn more information about a No Win No Fee guide.
- Fatal Road Traffic Accident Guide – Why not take a look at our guide where we discuss how a personal injury solicitor could offer to handle your fatal road traffic accident claim.
- Forklift Truck Accident Claims – A helpful guide on forklift truck accidents at work.
Other personal injury claim guides
- How to find No Win No Fee solicitors
- Birth Injury Claims Guide
- ABH Compensation Claims Guide
- CoolSculpting/Fat Freezing Negligence Compensation And Injury Claims
- Liposuction Negligence Claims Guide
- Psychiatric Injury Compensation Case Study
Thank you for taking the time to read our guide on post traumatic stress disorder solicitors.