Compensation for a Spinal Injury
Suffering a spinal cord injury can be a life-changing event, impacting on almost every aspect of your life. If the accident was not your fault, then financial compensation is often necessary to ensure you receive the help and support you may need in order to live a long and happy life, whether that is adapting your home, arranging rehabilitation, helping to get you mobile or even getting some help with the garden.
Although the spinal cord is well protected, the spinal cord can be damaged, usually by a sudden, traumatic blow to the spine. Sudden trauma may be sustained in a road traffic accident, a fall or an accident at work. Damage to the cord can vary from minor, by way of bruising to serious damage by way of partial or complete tears of the cord, each of which will impact on you in different ways.
If your spinal cord is damaged, but not severed completely then it may be that you have a partial loss of feeling and movement below the level of the injury. However, if the cord is severed completely then the sections below the injury will stop receiving the important messages past by the spinal nerves, disconnecting the brain, resulting in a complete loss of sensation and function.
Whatever level of spinal injury that you sustain, Poole Alcock’s specialist personal injury solicitors can assist you to claim appropriate compensation from any negligent party involved in your accident.
Because these injuries are often serious, it is essential that you have the help and support of an expert team to help you with your spinal injury claim. Our personal injury department is an APIL Accredited Practice and our specialist solicitors include members of the Law Society Personal Injury Accreditation Scheme and APIL Senior Litigators.
In addition to the aid provided by our specialist solicitors, we will engage the services of specialist experts to assist us with dealing with your spinal injury claim. These experts will often include, spinal surgeons (to prepare a medical report detailing your injuries), barristers, occupational therapists, rehabilitation experts and care providers.
Time Limit
Court proceedings must normally be commenced within 3 years of the date of your accident. If court proceedings are not commenced within the 3 year period then your claim will be out of time. Although a court does have the discretion to allow court proceedings to be commenced and to continue after the 3 year period has expired this must not, and cannot, be relied on.
The 3 year period is different if, for example, the person injured was under 18 years of age at the time of their injury. In this case the 3 year period does not commence until their 18th birthday.
Funding your claim
If your claim has reasonable prospects of success then we will be happy to act for you on a ‘No Win, No Fee’ basis. We will make enquiries to ensure ‘No Win, No Fee’ is appropriate to you. We will be happy to discuss other funding options with you.
Free consultation
If you have been involved in an accident which was not your fault, and suffered a spinal injury, then please contact us immediately. We will be happy to help and provide free initial advice.
There is no obligation to make a claim – you decide whether or not you wish to go ahead.
Poole Alcock’s personal injury department is accredited by the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL) and our expert solicitors include members of the Law Society Personal Injury Accreditation Scheme and APIL Senior Litigators.
