Catastrophic and serious injuries
Catastrophic injuries are defined as any serious injury
that results in permanent disability, long-term medical problems
or shortened-life expectancy.
If you have or member of your family have been involved in an accident that was
not your fault and have suffered serious injuries you may be able to
claim compensation. Have a chat with our specialist serious injury team
to find out where you stand today.
Key Information:
Call us now on 0808 129 3320
Email us using our Online Enquiry Form
What are the common causes of serious injury?
- Building site accidents eg falls from ladders and scaffolding
- Motorbike road traffic accidents
- Accidents at work eg factories
- Criminal injuries as a direct result of an assault eg head injuries or stabbings/knife
wounds
Types of serious injury
Brain/head injuries:
Brain injuries appear in all shapes and sizes and are always
very distressing for all concerned. If you have been unfortunate enough
to have a head injury you will probably have lost consciousness
at some point or received a concussion.
Traumatic brain injuries
(TBI) result from physical trauma to the head causing brain
damage. However, the damage is not only physical, but cognitive, emotional,
and can affect social abilities.
Further information is available in our
brain / head injury section.
Spinal cord injuries
Injuries to your spine are extremely serious and result in the
loss of sensation and motor ability. Possible causes
include bruising, loss of blood to the spinal cord, or pressure on the spinal
cord.
The spinal cord is made up of nerves that
carry nerve impulses to and from the brain to the
rest of the body enabling movement. The spinal cord is protected
by rings of bone which are called vertebra. These bones make up
the spinal column eg back bones.
Amputations
In certain instances amputation is deemed the only course of action
to save your life. Amputees have to face the
tragic effects of loss of limbs eg legs, arms and
in rare cases, hands.
Dealing with the psychological trauma as well as the emotional
discomfort can be a heavy burden to bear. It is also commonplace to
experience "Phantom Limbs" eg where you can feel parts of your
body that are longer there.
Paralysis
Imagine waking up and not being able to move, this is the reality
that some victims of negligence have had to face. Paralysis
is the loss of muscle function in an affected area.
There are many variants of paralysis, including stroke (weakness
all over the body) hemiplegia (weakness on one side of the body)
– these can be the result of brain/head injuries. Damage
to the spinal cord can cause paraplegia (loss
of motor/sensory function to the lower half of your body), or even quadriplegia
(paralysis affecting all 4 limbs, but not always total paralysis or loss of function).
Severe burns
Burns can cause horrendous psychological and emotional distress
to you and you need to concentrate all your strength on recovery.
Burns are categorised into 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th degree, with
4th being the most severe.
Multiple fractures
Multiple fractures are the result of many bone fractures localised in one area.
They are extremely painful and can often take a great deal
of time to heal.
We can help
Our dedicated team of catastrophic/serious injury lawyers want
to help improve your quality of life and give you the financial
support you need. Contact us now by calling 0808 129 3320 or use the
online enquiry form and we will call you back.
Client aged 58 was employed as a part time rural postman with Royal Mail in Lincoln.
When exiting a sub postoffice/shop he caught his foot in a wire basket which had
not been stored properly.
He fell onto the pavement fracturing his knee. Liability was agreed with the insurers
who accepted that the sub postoffice shop had failed to provide our client with
a safe passage to and from the shop contrary to the Occupier’s liability Act. The
claimant underwent surgery and appeared to be making a recovery, however his knee
subsequently locked whilst walking and he suffered a serious fracture to his leg.
The sub postoffice/shop’s insurers refused to accept that the 2nd fracture was caused
by the 1st injury.
A Judge at Lincoln County Court held that the 2nd more serious fracture was because
the claimant’s knee locked and this was as a result of the original fracture to
the knee. The client underwent an extremely painful and invasive Knee replacement
operation which sadly failed such that he needed an above knee amputation. The claimant
lost his job and is unlikely to work again.
Damages of £335,000 were recovered on behalf of the claimant who was a credit to
represent.
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