Spine Injury Compensation Claim Solicitors

What types of spinal injuries are there?

According to Spinal Injuries Association analysis, 2,500 people are injured or diagnosed with a spinal cord injury every year - one every four hours, and around 50,000 overall. These spinal injuries can come in many forms:

• Fractured spine: Compensation claims can focus on the vertebrae, or spinal bones, which protect the spinal cord. The injury can affect the cervical vertebrae in the neck, thoracic vertebrae in the middle of the back, lumbar vertebrae in the lower back, sacral vertebrae connected to the back of the pelvis, and the coccyx below that.
• Spinal cord injuries: When the spinal cord itself is damaged, potentially causing paralysis.
• Herniated discs: Between each vertebra there are soft, cushioning discs that can be damaged in an accident.
• Whiplash: During car accidents, the neck and muscle tissues can be damaged.
• Spondylolisthesis: When a vertebra is fractured and moved out of position
• Spinal stenosis: Accidents can cause people with narrowed spinal columns to develop symptomatic spinal stenosis.
• Brachial neuritis: The brachial plexus is a group of spinal nerves between the shoulders that can cause an injury called brachial neuritis if damaged.

Spinal injuries are also characterised in two ways: 

• Complete spinal injuries: Where the damage to sense or movement is total. 
• Incomplete spinal injuries: Where the spine still maintains some of its feeling or movement. This means the effects differ between people with incomplete injuries.

All the above spinal injuries can also be affected by cancer; medical negligence, such as surgical mistakes, anaesthesia errors, and other incorrect treatment; and misdiagnosis, like the incorrect identification of a spinal injury that led to further damage.

What are the main causes of spinal cord injuries?

There are several main causes of spinal cord injuries and damage to the other bones, nerves, and tissues that make up the spine. According to Statista figures, the most common causes of spinal cord injuries in the UK in 2015 were falls, followed by road traffic accidents; sport; being knocked over, collisions, or lifting; unspecified trauma; and sharp trauma and assault.

Whatever the cause of the spinal injury, the success of the claim will hinge on the specifics: what injury was sustained, how serious it was, and how it affected your life. If you get in touch with our team of spinal injury solicitors, they will be able to tell you there and then whether you have a case - contact us today.

How much will my spinal injury claim be worth?

Due to the changeable nature of spinal injuries and the different effects they have on sufferers, it's impossible to put an exact estimate on how much claims for them are worth. A person seeking lumbar spine injury compensation that's incomplete may have very different symptoms to another person with an injured thoracic region, for example.

In line with the 15th edition Judicial College Guidelines, as set out by the Ministry of Justice, our spinal injury solicitors will consider your specific symptoms, how they have affected your physical and mental wellbeing, if they have stopped you from working, and how they have impacted your other finances. These will all factor into your claim for a spinal injury and eventual compensation.

For instance, if you have reduced feeling in your toes due to an incomplete lumbar spine injury and you can still work, you may receive less compensation than a person who cannot work because they have lost complete control of their arms and legs due to a neck vertebra injury.

To understand what you could receive, contact our spinal injury solicitors or use our simple claims calculator.

Am I eligible for a spinal injury claim?

If a person has experienced a spinal injury in the past three years and it wasn't their fault, they can make a spinal injury claim. This applies to both you or someone close to you who you may claim for on their behalf. You'll find out whether you're eligible when you first contact our experts.

What's more, because of the risk-free way no win no fee claims are organised, you don't need to pay anything upfront or any fees at all if you lose. We will manage the process on a No Win No Fee basis. So, if you win your case, we'll charge you a fixed fee which varies depending on the value of your claim. If you lose your case, you'll not pay a penny as our solicitors will pay for all the costs involved in running the case and take on all he associated risk - so there's nothing for you to worry about and no financial risk to you.

How can I start a spinal cord injury claim?

There are three main ways to start a spinal cord injury claim with ClaimsPeople:

• Contact us free via phone on 0800 587 0344. We're open every day of the week until late. During your call, we'll let you know whether we think you may have a successful claim and give you advice on how to proceed.

• Fill in a form online and we'll call you back, free of charge.
• Find out how much spinal injury compensation you might get with our calculator, then choose whether you want to claim.

How does ClaimsPeople's spinal injury claims process work?

If we accept your spinal injury compensation claim, we'll process your case as follows:

1. You will have an appointment with your spinal injury lawyer, during which they will learn more about what happened, your injury, and its effects. Typically, they will ask for various pieces of evidence, like medical records, photographs, and any correspondence between yourself and the person or organisation you're claiming against.
2. Once they feel confident in understanding your spinal injury claim, your solicitor will contact those responsible.
3. If the other party accepts they caused your injury, compensation will be arranged. If not, your spinal injury solicitor will enter negotiations on your behalf, keeping you in the know throughout the process.
4. If you lose your case you will pay nothing. If you win, your solicitor's fee will be deducted from your compensation as agreed at the start of the claim.

How long will my spinal injury claim take to settle?

It's impossible to say exactly how long it will take for your spinal injury claim to be settled as multiple factors are at play, like the time it takes to gather evidence and the actions of the offending person or organisation during the claims process.

However, we will make sure your claim is constantly and rigorously being pursued. You'll be given updates throughout the process, so you're never left in the dark regarding your claim for a spinal injury.

What if my spinal injury claim is not successful?

In the unlikely event your case is unsuccessful and you don't receive spinal injury compensation, you won't have to pay a thing. 

In most cases we put in place an insurance policy known as 'After the Event insurance' (ATE) on your behalf to cover any additional costs, such as court fees and medical report fees or barristers' charges. This ensures that if you lose your case, you won't pay anything - including your policy fees, if your case is lost. The great news is there are no upfront costs to pay to make sure your claim is fully protected.