Spinal Injury Claims

Spinal injuries can change your life forever. It can affect your work, family, and relationships, and you may not be able to live as independently as you would like.

If you or a loved one has suffered a spinal cord injury, you may need extra care and support, rehabilitation, physiotherapy, specialist equipment, and adaptations made to your home and car.

Our spinal injury solicitors have years of experience helping people with spinal injuries to claim maximum compensation. We are here to help you access the best medical treatment, specialist rehabilitation, and care and support you need to move on with your life.

We will investigate your spinal cord injury claim, and if anyone was at fault, we will work hard to secure you the compensation you deserve.

Our spinal cord injury lawyers are experts in assessing the impact of life-changing injuries and understand the support you will need now and in the future.

We will ensure your spinal injury compensation helps you with the financial impact of your spinal cord injury, including:

• Loss of income
• Future loss of earnings
• Travel costs to medical appointments and therapy
• Other additional expenses

Your spinal injury claim can also pay for services that will support your recovery or make your daily life easier, including:

• Private healthcare
• Specialist rehabilitation and physiotherapy
• Essential adaptations to your home or car
• Special equipment or mobility devices

Our regional offices in Bristol, Cardiff, the Isle of Wight, Plymouth, Salisbury, Southampton, and Swindon, offer a personal and professional service to spinal cord injury survivors throughout England and Wales.

We offer No Win No Fee funding, which means there is no financial risk to you or any hidden, unexpected costs. In the highly unlikely event, your claim is unsuccessful, you will not have to pay a penny. Find out more information about No Win No Fee.

Call our spinal injury solicitors now on Freephone 0345 357 9645, email customersupport@simpsonmillar.co.uk or complete our online enquiry form for free, ‘no strings attached’ expert spinal injury legal advice.

Our Expertise with Spinal Injury Claims

Spinal injuries can happen in an instant and change your life forever. In the UK, a spinal cord injury paralyses someone every four hours.

At Novum Law, our expert spinal injury team has helped many people who’ve suffered spinal injuries due to:

• Road traffic accidents, including car crashes and accidents involving cyclists, motorcyclists, and pedestrians
• Work accidents
• Medical negligence
• Accidents in public places
• Falls from height
• Accidents abroad
• Criminal assault
• Military accidents

Our expert solicitors help adults and children with spinal injuries of all levels and types, including those who are paraplegic, tetraplegic, and quadriplegic. We can also help you make a medical negligence claim if you develop cauda equina syndrome due to negligent spinal surgery or if your diagnosis and treatment are delayed.

We are proud to be trusted business members of the Spinal Injuries Association, and the Cauda Equina Spinal Injury Group and will help you make a spinal injury claim with sensitivity, professionalism, and empathy.

How making a spinal injury claim works

Book a free initial consultation with our expert spinal injury solicitors

While no amount of compensation can make up for a severe spinal injury and any paralysis you may experience, making a spinal cord injury claim can help you access the justice and compensation you deserve.

We offer a free initial consultation if you or a family member has suffered a spinal cord injury due to someone else’s negligence and think you may have a claim.

Call us now on Freephone 0345 357 9645, email customersupport@simpsonmillar.co.uk or complete our online enquiry form for a free chat and expert spinal injury legal advice.

No Win No Fee spinal injury compensation claims

We offer No Win No Fee funding, which means there is no financial risk to you or any hidden, unexpected costs. In the highly unlikely event, your spinal injury claim is unsuccessful, you will not have to pay a penny. Find out more information about No Win No Fee.

 

Investigating your spinal injury claim

If you or a family member has been severely injured in an accident or been harmed due to medical negligence and has suffered a spinal cord injury, contact our expert spinal injury solicitors today.

Every spinal injury claim is different. Our team will listen to what happened to you and give their FREE expert opinion on whether you have grounds for a successful spinal injury compensation claim.

We will investigate your claim thoroughly and gather the evidence needed to build a strong case. Our spinal injury lawyers will obtain and review your medical records to establish the severity of your injury. We will also gather all the witness evidence needed, including detailed statements from you (and your partner, if applicable).

Once we have all your medical notes and detailed witness statements, we will then work with leading independent medical experts to ensure your compensation considers your pain and suffering, the impact on the quality of your life, and the financial impact of your injury, including future care costs.

Working out how much spinal injury compensation you are owed

The compensation you receive will depend on your circumstances and the severity of your spinal injury.  It may cover:

• General damages – for your pain, suffering, distress, and loss of amenity (the impact on the quality of your life)
• Special damages – covers any loss of earnings for the time you have had to spend away from work now or in the future, the cost of specialist medical treatment and rehabilitation, the cost of travel to hospital appointments, housing adaptations needed, specialist equipment, and any therapy and counselling costs

Find out more about how we calculate compensation.

Time limits for spinal claims

The standard time limit for starting a spinal cord injury claim is three years from the date you were injured. If your spinal injury is due to medical negligence, you have three years from the date you realised negligent treatment caused your injury.

There are some exceptions to the three-year time limit. For example, if you are making a spinal injury claim on behalf of your child, you can start the claim at any time before their 18th birthday. Once they are 18, they have until they are 21 to make a claim themselves.

Other exceptions include:

• Mental capacity – if you are making a spinal injury claim for someone who lacks the mental capacity to make their own decisions, there is no time limit.
• Criminal assault – claims made through the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority have a two-year time limit.
• Accidents abroad – if your accident happened outside the UK, you may have a shorter time to make a spinal injury claim.

If you have any questions about time limits, you can call us on Freephone 0345 357 9645 or email customersupport@simpsonmillar.co.uk.

Settling a spinal injury claim out of court

We settle most spinal injury compensation claims out of court. Our expert team will always try and negotiate claims without the need to go to court. However, if the defendant does not accept responsibility or disagrees with the level of compensation we have calculated you need, we will start court proceedings. If this happens, our expert spinal injury solicitors will support you throughout the process.

Taking your spinal injury claim to court

If we do have to issue court proceedings (for example, because no settlement agreement is reached informally), we will guide you through the process and ensure you understand what is happening each step of the way.

In many spinal injury cases, the claims settle before the official court hearing date. For the small minority that does not, there is nothing to worry about. We will instruct a specialist barrister to represent you at the final hearing, and our expert solicitor will be with you to support you on the day.

 

Frequently Asked Questions about spinal injury claims

What is a spinal cord injury?

A spinal cord injury (or spinal injury) affects the nerves that carry messages from our brain to the rest of the body. These messages help us move, feel sensations and control vital functions, such as breathing, blood pressure, bladder, and bowels. When the spinal cord is injured, it disrupts the communication between our brain and the rest of our body, resulting in a loss of movement and sensation from below the level of injury.

What are the types of spinal cord injury?

Spinal cord injuries can be divided into two types of injury – complete and incomplete. A complete injury means there are no sensations or motor functions below the level of the injury. If you have an incomplete spinal injury, you retain some function and feelings below the level of the injury.

What does paraplegic mean?

If you are paraplegic, you have paralysis in the lower half of your body. This results in mobility problems, and you may need to use a wheelchair. There are currently no treatments to reverse paraplegia, but it is possible to reduce some of the symptoms and complications.

What does quadriplegic mean?

Quadriplegia (also called tetraplegia) refers to paralysis from the neck down, including the trunk, legs, and arms. If you are quadriplegic, you cannot move or feel all four of your limbs. This can significantly reduce your independence.

What are the effects of spinal cord injury?

The severity of spinal injuries varies from person to person, even those who’ve damaged their spinal cord in the same place. The higher up your spine the damage is, the more movement and sensation tends to be lost. The effects of spinal injury include:

• Problems walking
• Loss of control of the bladder or bowels
• Inability to move the arms or legs
• Numbness, tingling feelings or pains caused by nerve damage in the spinal cord
• Unconsciousness
• Headaches
• Difficulty breathing, coughing, or clearing secretions from your lungs
• Pain, pressure, and stiffness in the back or neck area
• Unnatural or difficult positioning of the head
• Muscle spasms
• Changes in sexual function

Why does spinal cord injury cause paralysis?

The spinal cord is the brain’s relay system transmitting messages throughout the body. If the spinal cord is damaged due to a spinal cord injury, it can cause a disruption of signals to areas of the body, resulting in paralysis.

What is cauda equina syndrome?

Cauda equina syndrome is a severe condition that happens when the collection of nerves at the bottom of the spine (known as the cauda equina) becomes compressed. It is a medical emergency requiring prompt surgical intervention to prevent permanent damage, such as paralysis of the legs, loss of bladder and bowel control, sexual function, and other serious, life-changing injuries.

Cauda equina syndrome can be caused by a delay in diagnosis and treatment or due to negligent surgery. If this happens, you may be able to make a medical negligence compensation claim.

How much spinal injury compensation will I receive?

Every spinal injury claim is different. The exact compensation you can claim will depend on your personal circumstances. Your compensation may include: any pain and suffering experienced, financial losses incurred, including the cost of travelling to hospital appointments, any specialist equipment or home adaptations you need, and any loss of earnings (including future loss of earnings) and pension. For a free initial consultation, call our expert spinal injury team on Freephone 0345 357 9645 or online for a free, no-obligation chat.

I’m not happy with my law firm. Can you take over from my current solicitor?

Yes. If your current law firm is not giving you the service and support you need during your spinal injury compensation claim, you can change solicitors. At Novum Law, our expert team has a strong track record of successfully taking over claims from other law firms and securing maximum compensation.

Do you have a question we have not answered?

If you have a question that is not listed above, please visit our FAQs page. Alternatively, please get in touch, and we will be happy to answer your query.

Please book your free initial consultation with our expert spinal injury solicitors

Our specialist solicitors in Bristol, Cardiff, the Isle of Wight, Plymouth, Salisbury, Southampton and Swindon offer a professional, sensitive and empathetic service. We are here to listen and happy to help. To start the process of making your compensation claim, contact us on Freephone 0345 357 9645 or online for a free, no-obligation chat.