When you or a loved one suffers a spinal injury due to an incident where someone else is fully or partially at fault, you can claim compensation.
Our specialist spinal cord injury lawyers understand the struggles you may face now, and in the future, and are here to ensure you receive the compensation necessary to live the fullest life possible.
Serious spinal cord injuries are often life changing, either permanently or for an extended period of time. You may need ongoing specialist care, mobility support, medical equipment, home adaptations and your earnings may be affected. All of those things come at a cost and a spinal injury claim is often the only way to meet all the additional financial demands.
Our specialist solicitors have extensive experience in this area and are in touch with expert clinicians who can advise on what is available to improve your life. We explore every aspect of your specific need to set you up for the very best future possible.
We help people with cases involving:
Our spine injury lawyers understand
Spinal cord injuries are extraordinarily complex, which is part of the reason they are so difficult to come to terms with.
There are many different types of spinal cord injury – each with different short-term and long-term outlooks.
A spinal injury is a life-changing event which can turn your world upside down – whether you are the patient or a loved one. Patients may well require long-term physical support, which can put a huge strain on family units.
It is important to remember you are never alone when bringing a legal claim for spinal injury compensation.
Whilst every case is different and each individual unique, we can use our experience in helping others to help you. Our job is to help you find the best possible care and equipment and fight for the compensation you need to fund it. Our connections in the therapeutic, rehabilitation and disability aids worlds mean we are able to identify things that would be likely to significantly improve your life and ensure your claim includes those.
Rebecca achieves her dream of horse riding again after being paralysed in a car crash
We supported Rebecca to make a significant claim after the Spinal Injuries Association told her about Enable Law.
We understood Rebecca’s desire to live as full a life as possible - and that getting back on a horse was a part of that. We worked with her, Riding for the Disabled and clinical experts to make it happen.
Rebecca said: “They were all pulling together to get me to fulfill my dream of getting back on a horse again. I was told it would never happen because of my level of injury.
“That was all through the help of Enable Law getting me the best compensation I could have hoped for.
“It has allowed me now to live comfortably and to have everything to benefit my health.”
Spinal cord injuries are highly individual. Each one is unique and outcomes can vary from full recovery to permanent total paralysis.
It is part of what makes spinal cord injuries so emotionally challenging and difficult to come to terms with, and why an expert spinal injury lawyer is essential.
Any return of movement generally happens within the first year of injury, though improvements can continue for several years. The return of feeling and sensitivity is less common. Spinal injury claims are often able to fund additional rehabilitation and specialised equipment, which can be useful when trying to regain mobility.
What happens when the spinal cord is damaged?
The spinal cord is like a highway of nerves.
Its job is to relay messages from the brain to the body and back again. Damage to this information highway means the messages sent from the brain are not received by the body (and vice versa), resulting in the loss of feeling, function and movement in certain parts of the anatomy.
Spinal cord injuries are classified in two ways:
how badly the spinal cord has been damaged (complete or incomplete)
the specific location of the injury on the spinal cord
How much compensation will I get for a spinal injury?
Claims are decided in two parts.
One part is a general damages amount, which is a compensation payment for the injury itself. There are very specific guidelines on the maximum payments awarded depending on how bad the injury is, how much capacity the injured party has lost and if there is ongoing pain.
The other part relates to special damages. This is much more unique to the individual and depends very much on what your solicitor has helped you to identify as the things you’ll need (or could access) in order to live as full and easy life as possible. Each requirement will need to be proven and the price of it evidenced in order for money to be awarded to allow that element to be paid for within the claim. A specialist solicitor will know how to find out what specific help and support is or could be available for you and will include that within your claim.
It’s very difficult to predict how much special damages could amount to. Special damages may be significantly higher than general damages. The entire claim can be tens or hundreds of thousands or more.
It’s also worth emphasising that what is classified as a ‘moderate’ injury within general damages guidelines is often still life changing.
A guide to general damages for spinal injuries (which form only part of a claim):
Injury suffered
How this injury may have impacted on a person
Guideline general damages amounts (please note, special damages will also form part of a claim and these may far exceed general damage amounts)
Tetraplegia (also known as Quadriplegia)
The highest payment amount will be for injured parties who have ongoing physical pain or have suffered a significant impact on their senses or ability to communicate
Mid-range payments are likely to be for those people who are not in physical pain, have full awareness of their disability, continue to be able to hear, speak and see and have a life expectancy of 25 or more years.
£304,630 to £379,100
Paraplegia
Level of award within the bracket is likely to be influenced by:
● presence of and extent of pain
● degree of dependence on others
● whether depression is a factor
● age and life expectancy
● impact on sexual function.
Cases where progressive paralysis is present or may occur, such as from the spinal cord progressive disease syringomyelia, may take claims to a higher bracket.
£205,580 to £266,740
Where death for unrelated reasons occurs a short time after paraplegia is suffered
A lower sum will be awarded in this case with account taken of how old the injured party was and other factors.
£46,300 in the case of a young adult where death occurs within around two years
Severe neck injury
Neck injury associated with incomplete paraplegia or permanent spastic quadripligia.
Around £139,210
Severe back injuries
Involving damage to the spinal cord and nerve roots causing:
● severe pain
● severe disability
● incomplete paralysis
● significantly impaired bladder, bowel and sexual function.
£85,470 to £151,070
‘Moderate’ neck injuries
Including:
● fractures or dislocation that may require spinal fusion
● chronic conditions involving soft tissue injury to the neck and back
This bracket is for injuries where the injury has led to markedly impaired function and limitations.
It may include cases where symptoms of a pre-existing issue have been made worse.
£23,460 to £36,120
‘Moderate’ back injuries
At the lower end back injuries where recovery is made within three months.
The higher end would be injuries where there is some residual disability. Examples may be:
● a compression/crush fracture of the lumbar vertebrae where there is a substantial risk of osteoarthritis and constant pain and discomfort
● a prolapsed intervertebral disc requiring surgery.
Up to £2,300 for injuries classified as least severe up to £36,390 in the higher end of this category
Our specialist spinal injury lawyers support people in all kinds of spinal injury cases, including:
Talk to a Specialist Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer Now
Obtaining compensation is complicated and requires the help of an expert spinal injury lawyer, who will be able to determine the effects an injury will have both now and in the future.
Our team of spinal injury solicitors have been able to help many clients with their spinal cord injury lawsuit. Call us today and find out if we can help you obtain spinal injury compensation.
Spinal injuries can be caused by medical mistakes, or through trauma like car accidents or sports injuries.
An injury to your spine can change your life forever, but if it was caused by another’s negligence, a serious injury or medical negligence solicitor could help
A spinal injury claim can help you access treatments and rehabilitation which would not be available to others
Speak to a spinal injury specialist today to find out what kind of help they can provide
Spinal cord injuries are extraordinarily complex, which is part of the reason they are so difficult to come to terms with. There are many different types of spinal cord injury – each with different short-term and long-term outlooks.
The spinal cord is like a highway of nerves. Its job is to relay messages from the brain to the body and back again. Damage to this information highway means the messages sent from the brain are not received by the body (and vice versa), resulting in the loss of feeling, function and movement in certain parts of the anatomy.
Spinal cord injuries are classified in two ways:
How badly the spinal cord has been damaged (complete or incomplete);
the specific location of the injury on the spinal cord.
On this page we tell you about:
Complete and Incomplete Spinal Cord Injuries
Spinal cord injuries are separated into two categories: complete and incomplete. Complete spinal cord injuries result in a total loss of feeling and motor function (movement) in the body below the point of injury.
With incomplete spinal cord injuries, the spinal cord is only partially damaged. Some nervous signals will still be able to travel past the injured area, meaning partial feeling and/or motor skills will be preserved below the point of injury.
Incomplete spinal cord injuries can be divided into four sub-types. These categories relate to the part of the spinal cord that is damaged: front, back, middle or side. (Remember, incomplete spinal cord injuries are not as severe as complete spinal cord injuries.)
Central cord syndrome
As the name suggests, central cord syndrome relates to damage to the centre (or middle) of the spinal cord. It is characterised by loss of function in the arms, with retention of feeling and motor function in the legs. Central cord syndrome is almost always associated with neck injuries.
Anterior cord syndrome (Beck’s syndrome)
Anterior cord syndrome relates to damage to the front of the spinal cord. It is characterised by the loss of movement below the level of injury as well as loss of sensitivity to pain and temperature. Touch sensitivity remains intact.
Posterior cord syndrome
Posterior cord syndrome relates to damage to the back of the spinal cord. It has the opposite impacts of anterior cord syndrome (above) and is characterised by loss of feeling below the level of injury but retention of movement as well as normal alertness to pain and temperature.[/expand]
Brown-Séquard syndrome
Brown-Séquard syndrome relates to damage inflicted on one side of the spinal cord. On the injured side, the body loses motor function but retains sensation. On the opposite side to the injury, sensation is lost but motor function is preserved.[/expand]
Location of Spinal Cord Injuries
The location of the spinal cord injury determines how much of the body is impacted. The higher (closer to the head) the injury, the greater the extent of damage. Generally speaking spinal cord injuries result in a total or partial loss of feeling and motor function below the point of injury. Therefore neck injuries are almost always the most severe.
The spinal cord is divided into four sections:
Cervical
Thoracic
Lumbar
Sacral
These sections are protected by 33 vertebrae. Each one is named according to the part of the spinal cord that it protects. For example, the cervical spinal cord has eight vertebrae. The highest (closest to the head) is C1 and the lowest is C8.
This gives medical professionals a way to classify exactly where a spinal cord injury is located. For example, a C5 spinal cord injury will be located at the fifth vertebrae in the cervical section, while a T8 spinal cord injury will be located at the eighth vertebrae in the thoracic section.
Cervical (C1 – C8) Spinal Cord Injuries
Damage to the high cervical part of the spinal cord (C1 – C4) is the most severe type of spinal cord injury. The nerves that control breathing emerge at C4, so the patient may need a ventilator. Ability to speak may be impaired together with paralysis of all four limbs (referred to as tetraplegia or quadriplegia). Patients will likely be unable to control bowel and bladder movements. The outlook is better for the low cervical section (C5 – C8). Speech and breathing will function almost normally and a degree of arm movement will be retained.
C5 spinal cord injury – patient will be able to raise arms and bend elbows, but will likely have total or partial paralysis of wrists, hands, trunk and legs
C6 spinal cord injury – some wrist function will be preserved
C7 spinal cord injury – normal movement of the shoulder and some movement of arms and hands will be preserved
C8 spinal cord injury – may be able to grasp and release objects with hands[/expand]
Thoracic (T1 – T12) Spinal Cord Injuries
Injuries to the thoracic section of the spinal cord are less common, due to the additional protection offered by the rib cage. Thoracic spinal cord injuries are characterised by paralysis of the legs with retention of regular arm function (paraplegia). For this reason, patients with this type of spinal cord injury will most likely use a manual wheelchair. The lower the thoracic injury, the more upper body movement will be retained. Loss of bowel and bladder function is common.[/expand]
Lumbar (L1 – L5) Spinal Cord Injuries
Lumbar injuries generally affect movement and sensation below the hips as well as bowel and bladder function. Full body function will be preserved above the hips, including breathing, speech and arm movement. Injuries to the upper part of the lumbar (L1 – L2) may be referred to as conus medullaris.
Sacral (S1 – S5) Spinal Cord Injuries
Sacral-level injuries, down in the lower back, are characterised by loss of bowel and bladder function and partial paralysis of the legs – although patients may be able to walk unaided. The spinal cord doesn’t actually reach as low as this part of the back. By this point it has fragmented in to a bundle of nerve roots called the cauda equina. Damage to these roots is called cauda equina syndrome and is less severe than an injury to the actual spinal cord. That is because these roots are part of the peripheral nervous system, which has a greater capacity for healing than the central nervous system (spinal cord and brain).
What is the prognosis?
Spinal cord injuries are highly individual. Each one is unique and outcomes can vary from full recovery to permanent total paralysis. Again, that is part of what makes spinal cord injuries so emotionally challenging and difficult to come to terms with. Any return of movement generally happens within the first year of injury, though improvements can continue for several years. The return of feeling and sensitivity is less common.
You are never alone. We can help you.
Spinal cord injuries are life-changing events and can turn your world upside down – whether you are the patient or a loved one. Patients may require long-term physical support, which can put a huge strain on family units. The important thing to remember is that when you’re bringing a legal claim, you are never alone.
Many spinal cord injuries are tragic twists of fate. Sadly, others could have been avoided. If your injuries are a result of somebody else’s negligence, you could be entitled to compensation, which can lay the foundations for a brighter future, provide some respite and pay for professional care to take some of the weight off friends and family.
A team of physical therapists, occupational therapists, recreational therapists, nurses, social workers and psychologists will craft a personalised rehabilitation plan that will help you and your family begin the process of readjusting to a new way of life.
Obtaining compensation is complicated and requires the input of a legal specialist. You have to determine the effects an injury will have both now and in the future. Call us today on 08000 448 488, and find out how we can help you.
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