Spinal injury claims

Who can make a spinal injury compensation claim?

Anyone who has suffered a severe spinal injury affecting their neck and/or back as a result of medical negligence, or an accident, whether at home, work, on the road, or anywhere else.

What are the common causes of spinal cord injury?

Spinal cord injuries can result from damage to the spinal cord itself or to the vertebrae, ligaments or discs that make up your spinal column. This damage can happen suddenly through a traumatic impact, such as a road traffic accident, or over time (nontraumatic), caused by disease or medical negligence.

Traumatic spinal cord injuries

Traumatic spinal cord injuries occur from sudden blows to your spine that fracture, dislocate or compress the vertebrae (the bones of the spine), or from cuts to your spinal cord.

Common causes include:

• Road traffic accidents – including cycling and motorbike accidents.
• Falls – including accidents at work, in the home or elsewhere
• Acts of violence such as stabbing or shootings
• Sports and recreation activities, particularly impact sports such as rugby, horse riding or diving
• Construction injuries

Traumatic injuries can deteriorate over the days and weeks that follow the injury, due to secondary effects such as bleeding, swelling and fluid accumulation.

Nontraumatic spinal injuries

Nontraumatic spinal cord injuries can result from diseases such as arthritis, osteoporosis or cancer, that cause the spinal cord or column to degenerate. You could also suffer a spinal cord injury due to serious inflammation or infection, sometimes caused by medical negligence and surgical errors.

Making a spinal injury claim with Shoosmiths

If you have a spinal cord injury and want to investigate whether you can claim compensation, our expert personal injury and clinical negligence solicitors are here to help. We make it a priority to get to know you and understand the physical, psychological and financial impact of your injury to ensure we know how best we can help you.

We want to make sure your case gets off to the right start, so don’t worry, our no-obligation initial chat is free, whether on the phone, on video call, at one of our offices, at your home, or anywhere else that is convenient for you.

Our expert team are dedicated to prioritising your interests and wellbeing, putting you first. We work to recover the maximum amount of compensation for you, to reflect your pain, suffering and financial losses. We will always be honest with you, which can mean advising you if we think your case might not be successful. The best way to find out if you have a claim is to get in touch to begin the process:

1. Contact us – call us on 03700 868687 or message the team
2. Grounds for a claim – we will assess and discuss whether your claim will be successful
3. We come to you – we will meet you wherever is most convenient, including at home or even in the hospital, to talk you through the process.
4. Funding your claim – no win no fee, legal aid etc.
5. Gathering evidence – we will gather medical records, witness statements and other documents to support your claim and calculate the compensation you should recover.

For us, the number one reason why we think clients should choose Shoosmiths is our dedication to our clients. Our reputation is built on the successes we have achieved, fighting on behalf of our clients. With our vast experience of dealing with spinal cord injury claims, we have a genuine appreciation of what the injury can mean for individuals and those closest to them. We offer extensive support in many different ways to our clients:

• Ensuring the right medical and rehabilitation services and support structures are in place.
• Obtaining interim payments from Defendants, to cover the costs of care, rehabilitation and other essential needs.
• Introducing clients to relevant charities and support groups, and services that can offer information and advice. This can be so important for someone adjusting to living with the effects of a life-changing injury.
• Putting clients in touch with colleagues in other areas of law, such as our conveyancing team, should you need to move home to a more suitable property, or our Court of Protection team, if you need to put in place a deputyship or lasting power of attorney.
• We will be fighting at our client’s side throughout their recovery and rehabilitation, helping them to rebuild their life.

What does spinal injury compensation cover?

Spinal injury claims are highly complex and technical, which is why having an expert solicitor is crucial to identify all potential past and future costs, to ensure you get the appropriate level of compensation for your injury. Your compensation may include:

• Any past and future treatment costs.
• Long-term care and rehabilitation, depending on the severity of the injury.
• Specialist transport or equipment.
• Lost earnings, if you cannot return to work or your work prospects are affected.
• Modifications to your home, or purchasing a new adapted home, that meets your needs.

The level and amount you receive in compensation will depend on the severity of your injury and the extent of care and support you need to live your life with independence and autonomy.

What are the different types of spinal cord injury?

The position of the damage to the spinal cord influences the resulting impacts on your body.

Healthcare professionals use certain terminology to describe the level and type of injury sustained.

Paraplegia - If you damage the spinal cord in your back, you may suffer paraplegia, which affects the movement and sensation in your legs and possibly your stomach muscles.

Tetraplegia - Damage higher up the spinal cord in your neck is known as tetraplegia and can impact all four limbs as well as muscles in your stomach and chest.

Complete Spinal Cord Injury - If your injury is complete, this means that there will be no function below  the level of the spinal cord injury, which will affect movement and sensation, with both sides of your body affected.

Incomplete Cord Spinal Injury - If you still have some function or sensation below the damaged part of the spinal cord, your injury  is incomplete, and this is due to the brain being able to send some signals below the level of injury.

Cauda Equina Syndrome - Cauda equina syndrome (CES) is a rare, yet severe, disorder in the lower back. The consequences can be life-changing for you and those closest to you.

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