A trip over a dangerous hazard or a slip on a wet floor can leave you falling to the ground, and doing what we all do when we are falling – instinctively put out your arms to break your fall! Whilst this vital instinctive defensive mechanism can minimise the damage to your body, you are likely to suffer a hard knock at the very least, if not a break in any area of your arm caused by the impact of the fall.
The common injuries we see here are fractures and dislocations to the wrists, fingers, and elbows, unless you’re luck enough to escape with soft tissue damage instead. The soft tissue injuries you can get can be equally as damaging and may leave you feeling tender for quite some time. If you suffer from ligament damage you could be in an even worse position as many ligament ruptures can be impossible to repair, leaving you needing some from of reconstructive surgery.
With a serious injury you will likely lose the function of your arm for quite some time. Now, unless you have ever had this kind of injury or are suffering from it now, it’s difficult to imagine what life might be like with the use of only one arm. Just try and think of the vast amount of things you will have difficulty in doing…
With the use of only one arm, you will probably find difficulties with most everyday tasks, such as washing and dressing, cooking, cleaning, shopping, etc. In fact, how will you drive your car? You will need someone to assist you with your shopping and will be restricted as to how far you can go.
Worse still, how will you work? No matter what type of job you are in, you probably use your hands. Office based work will involve typing which will be considerably slowed down with the use of only one arm. Even shuffling through papers could become a difficult chore. If you work with your hands and arms, you face even greater difficulties. But more to the point, if you commute to work, you’re still in the same position as you were before – unable to actually get to work!
If you’re lucky enough to receive a good amount of company sick pay, then you should hopefully be OK financially. But if you don’t, you face some potentially serious financial consequences. I appreciate that everything I’ve said so far is a little dark, and the last thing I want to do is concern or worry anyone; but these things need to be considered when you are put in to a position where you are temporarily disabled.
If the cause of your injuries or accident was through no fault of your own, I have some good news for you – you may be entitled to make claim for personal injury compensation. All of these things I have mentioned above are taken in to account when valuing the case. The bigger the impact on your life, the more the claim is generally worth. Any financial losses such as lost earnings medication expenses, or travel expenses to and from appointments can also be included in the claim.
The problem, of course, is the short term concerns. Cases take time to settle. So you need to get an expert specialist personal injury lawyer to act for you on the case to make sure that it is dealt with in the most efficient and quickest manner possible. Expert personal injury only lawyers like us only represent personal injury victims – so we are the experts, and we know how to make the claims process as fast and efficient as possible.
We can also apply for interim payments, which are part payments you receive early to help you out with any financial problems your injury has caused you. That’s why it’s wise to get a lawyer sooner rather than later.
For expert advice and representation, call our free claims helpline on 0800 634 75 75. We are not just lawyers – we understand your position and will do all we can to help you out. We have been helping accident victims for years, and understand the difficult position you may have been put in.
If you’re lucky enough to speak with me (or you can ask for me directly), I will certainly be able to help you out as not only an employee of a leading personal injury law firm, but also as a client, and man who recently suffered serious trauma to my leg – multi ligament reconstruction surgery to the knee, leaving me with nerve damage and potentially a permanent condition caused foot drop. So I know how you feel. If you are reading this as a serious injury sufferer, I know how you feel, I have been there (well, Im still currently there in many respects as I’m only three months post surgery), and I can certainly try my best to help you out!
So don’t hesitate to get in touch.