Serious injury claims solicitors

Serious injury claims, also known as catastrophic injury or large loss claims, include life changing injuries such as spinal injury, severe head/brain injury, amputation, traumatic injuries and fatal accidents.

These complex claims often take a long time to resolve and require specialist Solicitors with expert legal knowledge and experience. Serious injury claims often involve significant sums of money which need to compensate the individual for the losses incurred.

Serious injury accidents often result in permanent restricted mobility which causes the victim to have to alter the way they live their life.

A change of jobs may be needed, or sometimes it will not be possible to continue working. The injured individual and their family may need to consider moving home to a more suitable property and they may also need to consider ongoing permanent care requirements.

Early medical treatments and rehabilitation support are of utmost importance, along with expert legal advice from specialist Serious Injury Claims Solicitors.

Co-op Legal Services works hard to ensure that our clients receive the best legal advice and support from our teams of expert Personal Injury Solicitors, Litigation Lawyers, Legal Executives, Case Handlers and staff.

Serious injury compensation claims explained

If a serious injury has been sustained because of someone else's actions or negligence, a Serious Injury Compensation Claim can make a real difference, removing the burden on the injured person and their family.

The purpose of a Serious Injury Claim is to compensate for and minimise the impact that the serious injury has on the injured person's life. Through rehabilitation and compensation, the aim is to get them back, as far as is possible, to the position they were in before the accident.

During a Serious Injury Claim, the Solicitor will collate comprehensive information on all aspects of the accident and the resulting injuries. They will gather evidence of exactly how the accident occurred, including photographs and witness statements where possible. They will also arrange for specialist medical assessments to determine the extent of the injuries and arrange the appropriate treatment and rehabilitation to be undertaken.

Once they have gathered all the necessary information, the Solicitor will calculate a fair amount of compensation for the injuries. They will then negotiate with the other side to achieve a settlement. If the other side denies fault, then the Solicitor will begin litigation.

A serious injury compensation payment sets out to:

• Compensate the injured person and their loved ones for the pain and suffering that they have endured as a result of the accident
• Cover any out of pocket expenses they have incurred because of the injury e.g. prescription costs and taxi fares
• Cover the cost of rehabilitation and ongoing medical treatment
• Cover any loss of earnings that have been suffered by the injured person and their loved ones
• Cover the cost of any adaptations that are needed to the injured person's home, or (if applicable) the cost of moving to a new home that better accommodates their needs
• Cover the cost of any adaptations that are required to be made to the injured person's workplace
• Cover the costs of either family care or professional care needs
• Compensate the injured person and for the reduction in their quality of life

What is a serious injury?

A serious injury will often have long lasting, catastrophic effects and may even be life changing. These injuries are also referred to as catastrophic injuries or major trauma injuries. A serious injury could result in a disability, the loss of a limb or it could cause lasting psychological damage.

Serious and catastrophic injuries often impact not only on the life of the injured person, but also the lives of their loved ones. For example, if the injured person requires round-the-clock care and can no longer carry out certain tasks independently, then they may be reliant on their loved ones for short-term or long-term care. They may also need to make adjustments to their home and make changes to their daily life, including their work.

Whilst there is no specific definition of what constitutes a serious injury in the UK, it is generally accepted that the following would describe a serious injury:

• An injury that causes a person to be detained in hospital as an in-patient for an extended period, and which may have required surgery
• An injury which will have lasting or even permanent implications for the injured person and that will have an impact upon their ability to work or which involve a change to their level of independence
• An injury which causes death 30 or more days after the accident

Serious injury examples

The most common types of serious injuries that our Serious Injury Solicitors see include:

• amputation (the loss of a limb or digit)
• psychological injuries
• spinal injuries
• orthopaedic injuries (joints, ligaments, muscles, tendons, bones and nerves)
• head and brain injuries
• injuries caused by medical negligence
• chronic pain or fibromyalgia
• cauda equina syndrome
• severe post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• strokes or heart attacks
• multiple fractures
• severe burns or scalding
• extensive scarring
• blindness
• fatality

Common causes of serious injury

Serious injuries can be caused in any number of ways, but some of the most common causes of serious injuries include road accidents (including dangerous driving), medical negligence, accidents at work, accidents in public places and accidents on holiday.

We offer free legal advice and a free expert assessment of a serious injury claim. Our free claim assessment service will help you understand whether there is a reasonable chance of successfully pursuing the claim.

As part of the largest Co-operative organisation in the UK, Co-op Legal Services works to ensure that our clients receive the best legal advice and support services available from our teams of personal injury and clinical negligence solicitors, legal executives and staff.

We are regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) and several of our Personal Injury Solicitors are members of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL).

Co-op Legal Services has over 600 staff working in different businesses with offices in Manchester, Bristol, Stratford-upon-Avon, Sheffield and London.