The spine is, of course, one of the worst areas of the body you can damage – primarily when the injury is serious. So in a spinal injury compensation claim it is as important to choose the right lawyer to represent you as it is making the claim itself.
If you are looking in to making a claim for personal injury for a spine injury accident, read on for vital advice about what you can claim for, what you could get paid out, and how you can make sure you maximise the amount you receive by instructing the best law firm for you.
Spine Injury Compensation – What can I claim for?
You can claim for the pain, suffering, and loss of amenity caused, as well as any losses and expenses caused too. Serious spinal injuries will often lead to significant difficulties with mobility in the short term and perhaps the long term if the injury is a bad one. Any fracture or dislocated disc can result in significant pain and difficulty in achieving most every day things.
When it comes to losses and expenses it is all about how much you have had to pay or have financially lost as a result of the injury. Common examples are:
- Lost earnings from time off work
- Private rehabilitation services (which can be claimed back and saves you having to wait for the NHS)
- Medication costs – over the counter and prescription
- Lumbar supports, braces, specialist pillows, or any other adaptations and equipment you have had to buy to make life more comfortable
- Care and assistance claims – where we can claim an hourly rate for help received from friends and family etc
How much is a spine injury claim worth?
It is all about the individual suffering and pain caused, and you do need medical evidence and a specialist injury lawyer representing you for a claim to properly value the injury; but the below guide can give you a very rough idea. I’ll order it from least severe to the most severe:
- Minor spine injuries such as a simple prolapsed disc – £5,600 to £8,900
- Frequently moderate spine injuries such as prolapsed discs necessitating laminectomy or resulting in repeated relapses – £8,900 to £19,850
- More severe moderate spine injury cases such as compression/crush fracture of the lumbar vertebrae, or spondylolisthesis, or prolapsed intervertebral disc requiring surgery, or damage to an intervertebral disc with nerve root irritation – £19,850 to £27,700
In the severe spine injury category the bracket and payouts can of course vary, and it is all about the individual case:
- Disc lesions or fractures of discs or of vertebral bodies leading to chronic and significant conditions – £27,700 to £49,800
- Spine injuries resulting in nerve root damage with associated loss of sensation, impaired mobility, impaired bladder and bowel function, sexual difficulties and unsightly scarring – £53,000 to £63,000
- Most severe injuries involving damage to the spinal cord and nerve roots, leading to a combination of very serious consequences such as severe pain and disability with a combination of incomplete paralysis and significantly impaired bladder, bowel and sexual function – £65,000 to £115,000
The above information is from the official guidelines we use to value claims from the back injuries category.
How to maximise a claim
The law changed last year – the government stopped lawyers recovering all fees from the opponent and they slashed the amount that can be recovered as well. Here are the facts:
- Many lawyers charge the maximum 25% for the Success Fee
- Many lawyers have additional percentages to cover other fees leading to overall deductions in the 40% region
- Many law firms have upfront costs for insurance or admin fees
- Most no win, no fee agreements may not be genuine as you may have upfront payments or have to pay for the insurance whether the case wins or loses
Want a better deal? How’s this:
- Flexible deductions and 100% agreements for some cases
- No additional percentages – just the Success Fee that the government stopped us recovering
- No upfront charges for the vast, vast, vast majority of cases (I say majority as private work undertaken can have upfront costs)
- A ‘self insurance’ policy where you don’t pay a premium but have the benefit of being covered in the same way insurance covers you
- A genuine no win, no fee
That pretty much addresses some of the issues that many law firms have by using The Injury Lawyers safe way to claim! Call 0800 634 7575 today.