A serious injury is usually life changing. It can alter your life physically and may also impact you mentally. Specialist care and support may become necessary, and you may also have to rethink your employment, living arrangements, personal care, and daily activities. For some people, serious injury will put an end to their working lives. This is why serious injury compensation claims are important.
Some common examples of serious injuries include:
- Amputations
- Brain and head injuries
- Paralysis
- Injuries to internal organs
- Burns and skin damage
- Back and spinal injuries
Any type of accident has the potential to cause catastrophic injury, therefore causes of serious injuries can be varied and can include motorcycle accidents, falls from height, public accidents, accidents at work and road traffic accidents.
Making a Serious Injury Compensation Claim
We understand that after you have had an accident, especially a serious accident, the last thing you may want to do is make a claim. However, anyone who sustains a serious injury will be facing a less-independent future in which they will require expert care and support. On a practical level, they may have to change jobs or give up work altogether which can place a strain on their finances. Specialist equipment such as wheelchairs, prosthetics or visual aids may be needed, and modifications may need to be made to the family home. Some injured persons will require 24-hour ongoing support. The solicitors we work with can help you cover some of the financial costs associated with a serious injury. These costs include:
- Continuing treatments such as physiotherapy
- Rehabilitation
- Mobility aids
- Changes to your home or vehicle
- Other equipment that can make life easier
- Loss of earnings
Are There Any Time Limits for Making Serious Injury Compensation Claims?
Court proceedings for serious injury claims must be issued within three years of the accident or the date on which you became aware that you had suffered a serious injury as a result of the accident if this is later.
For children, the three-year period does not start to run until the child’s 18th birthday.
Can Serious Injury Claims Be Made on Behalf of Someone Else?
If the injuries are too serious for a person to bring their own claim, perhaps due to brain injury, then a claim may be made on their behalf. Such Claimants are known as “protected parties.”
The person who makes a claim on behalf of a protected party is called a “litigation friend.” The litigation friend will be responsible for conducting the claim and negotiating the compensation settlement in the best interests of the protected party. In cases of incapacity, the three-year window for making a claim does not start to run until the injured person recovers the ability to conduct litigation for themselves.
How We Can Help
Here at The Compensation Experts we work with solicitors who have years of experience dealing with personal injury claims. This includes serious injury claims. So contact us today by filling in our contact form. Or call us on 01614138765 to speak to one of our friendly knowledgeable advisors.