Spinal cord injuries claims

A spinal cord injury is a traumatic, life changing event. The consequences of this last for a life time and place a great deal of stress upon the injured person and their family.

If you sustain a spinal cord injury then you will face dramatic changes in your life which require your coming to terms with them. This is a difficult thing to do as it involves making readjustments to the way you do things and accepting that life will be different from now on.

These permanent changes in your lifestyle cause a great deal of distress to you and your relatives. The consequences of this include:

• Changing your job or having to give up work altogether
• Having to modify your home or move to a new property which is designed for your needs.
• Arranging specialist nursing care which may be required on a 24 hour basis.
• Additional costs such as rehabilitation, physiotherapy etc.

In many cases the costs of these have to be met by the family.

There is the pain and discomfort of the spinal injury but this is then followed by the worry of how you will manage from now on. If an injury has resulted in paralysis then this means adjusting to life in a wheelchair which takes time to become accustomed to.

Causes of a spinal cord injury

The spinal cord can be damaged in a variety of ways which includes:

• Road accident, e.g. motorbike collision
• Sports activity, e.g. injury whilst playing rugby
• Physical assault, e.g. act of violence
• Workplace accident, e.g. slip or fall

If you have experienced a spinal cord injury as a result of any of these then you may be able to claim compensation. But with any claim for compensation there is the issue of negligence and any decision will rest upon this.

Making a claim for compensation for a spinal cord injury

A claim for compensation has a greater chance of success if you can prove that your injury occurred through no fault of your own. The onus is on proving that it occurred due to someone’s lack of care or attention to safety at that time.

A spinal injury claim involves the services of a personal injury lawyer, solicitor or a claims management company who will investigate this. They will examine the causes of the accident, any evidence obtained at the time plus a medical report from your doctor.

The aim is to obtain compensation for you if you have been injured due to negligence. This will pay for treatment, rehabilitation and personal care to improve your quality of life. In some cases this may improve the actual injury.

This compensation will cover any loss of earnings, pension rights and suitability for state benefits.

A spinal injury is something that many people have to live with for the rest of their lives. This means learning to cope with the changes it brings and dealing with any challenges on a daily basis.

The claims process is discussed in detail in our making a claim for compensation section.

Time limit for claiming compensation for a spinal cord injury

There is a time limit of 3 years for many personal injury claims but this can vary according to the type of claim, the accident itself and your injury.

Time limits vary in cases of personal injury and children or if the injury was sustained in an accident abroad.

Seek advice about this from a personal injury lawyer, solicitor or claims assessor.