We provide immediate support and unsurpassed experience in compensation, rehabilitation and aftercare for serious injuries. Our serious injury solicitors are here to advise and support you and your family throughout this difficult time.
Serious injury – also known as catastrophic injury – is a term used to describe any injury which has long-term effects; that is, an injury which causes permanent or life-changing disabilities. Due to the nature of these injuries, they often have a devastating and traumatic impact on the survivor and their families.
Injuries that are classed as ‘serious’ include head and brain injuries, loss of limbs, complex multiple injuries (involving several serious aspects), injuries to the eye causing significant sight loss or blindness, spinal cord injuries, chronic pain, burns, or crushing injuries.
The impact of such injuries is often wide-ranging; it's common for people to require extensive support, care and rehabilitation, and many people worry about the potential impact on their future finances if they're unable to return to work.
No amount of compensation after serious injury can change what has happened or make up for the pain and suffering. However, it can help to ease financial pressure, and provide the resources for future loss of earnings, ongoing medical treatment, rehabilitation, and adaptations needed to enable a survivor to live their life to the fullest.
What serious injury claims can we support you with?
As serious injury law experts, we understand just how much life can change, and we work hard to make the claims process as easy as possible to ensure our clients get the best outcome. We're often able to secure interim payments (made before a claim is settled to help fund necessary costs along the way) and access to rehabilitation to improve quality of life.
Our specialist solicitors have many years of experience in a range of serious injury compensation claims including:
Amputations and limb damage: losing a limb, or losing the use of a limb, dramatically alters a person’s ability to work and enjoy their life as they did before their injury. Their mobility is restricted and activities that have previously been enjoyed become challenging.
Burns, scars and lacerations: These types of injuries have the potential to severely impact your life and finances in the long-term due to the recovery and rehabilitation time they require.
Chronic pain: Living with chronic pain is often incredibly distressing. One of the most difficult aspects is that there may be no outward sign of the pain people experience.
Eye injuries: These injuries can lead to significant sight loss or complete blindness, which can present enormous challenges and require life-changing adaptations.
Fatal incidents: Losing a loved one due to someone else’s negligence is devastating, and while financial security is often the last thing on anyone’s mind, such a loss can leave families in difficult financial situations.
Head and brain injuries: The effects of head and brain injuries can be far-reaching and, in many situations, life-changing. While it's possible to make a full recovery from such injuries, many will require specialist care for the rest of their lives, as well as ongoing therapies and medical treatment.
Spinal cord injuries: These injuries can range in severity from limited mobility to paralysis. Rehabilitation is critical to outcomes after spinal cord injury with the aim of achieving as much independence as possible.
What is considered as part of a serious injury compensation claim?
Making a serious injury claim isn’t likely to be the first thing on your mind after suffering an injury. However, it can be an important step in the recovery process for many different reasons, including securing funds for rehabilitation and treatment. In addition to the compensation for the pain, suffering and loss of amenity caused by the injury we also ensure that all financial losses caused by the injury are expertly calculated and projected into the future. Serious injury compensation can be sought for:
A loss of earnings if you’re unable to continue working, including potential losses to your pension
Costs associated with your rehabilitation and ongoing medical treatment
Costs associated with adaptations you may need to make to your home, or if you need to move house due to your injuries
The cost of any professional care you may have had or will need to receive in future, even if a family member or friend provides this
Any equipment or aids to support you in living your life and maximising independence, such as mobility devices or prosthetics
Jack's story
Jack was left paralysed from the chest down after he was involved in a hit-and-run collision. Slater and Gordon's serious injury lawyers not only helped him recover compensation but also helped him get his life back on track.
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Could I receive financial support before my serious injury claim has settled?
Our serious injury law experts are committed to supporting our clients through every stage of recovery. We work tirelessly to ensure all our clients have access to high-quality rehabilitation and support, giving them the best possible chance of recovery and a positive prognosis, leading to a better quality of life.
One of the many ways we do this is by pursuing interim payments to provide early access to the treatment and rehabilitation needed to maximise recovery potential. We work closely with a network of trusted providers to achieve this and collaborate with the other party’s insurers, so your claim can progress as quickly and efficiently as possible.
In a recent traumatic brain injury case, our principal lawyer Crystal Eaton quickly secured a substantial early interim payment to help with the costs and travel expenses when our client needed to receive care through being admitted to a highly specialised neurobehavioural rehabilitation centre.
Our serious injury solicitors have also helped:
A client who suffered a lower leg amputation after a catastrophic injury at work received a seven-figure settlement, including substantial interim payments to provide home adjustments, a prosthetic limb, and support in returning to employment
Steven Gilmore, a former scaffolder, received £60,000 in interim payments while his case progresses after suffering severe injuries following an accident in which he was electrocuted at work
How to make a serious injury claim
To start a claim, you should contact a member of our serious injury law team to discuss the specifics of your case. We will take a full account from you of what has happened and the circumstances surrounding your accident. We can then advise you of your legal rights and guide you through the claims process in more detail.
The next step of the process is collecting evidence of the accident that caused your injury to establish liability (that is, that someone else’s negligence resulted in your injury). Types of evidence could include photographs of the scene, witness statements, and medical reports.
If the evidence provided suggests that your accident was a result of someone else’s negligence and we can prove that they are liable, we will be able to support you in your case. The majority of serious injury cases we pursue are funded by a No Win No Fee agreement, which means there are no upfront costs and no financial risk on your part.
Our team will then need to provide medical evidence of the injury you have suffered, including a final prognosis of your condition. In serious injury cases, this will comprise a number of detailed medical examinations to ensure the evidence is there to progress a successful claim. All of your needs are fully and comprehensively assessed, so they can be factored into the settlement.
Really helpful and always on the other side of the phone if needed. Quick and easy service.
Ashley
Excellent communication, in constant contact with the latest info regarding your case.
David
Everything is moving along quickly and smoothly. Good professional service I'm glad I chose Slater and Gordon.
Kenny Jackson
Why choose Slater and Gordon’s serious injury solicitors
Dealing with serious injuries can be a daunting and difficult process, which is why you must have the support of trusted and experienced serious injury solicitors.
At Slater and Gordon, we go beyond the provision of legal expertise, working tirelessly to provide a holistic approach to your recovery and ensuring you get the best possible rehabilitation, interim payments, compensation and further care. We strive to be more than just lawyers, building a trusted and experienced support network across the field of rehabilitation. We can appoint the right experts in each case and the unique circumstances behind it, to maximise the recovery potential for every client.
We’re able to do this because of the strong expertise of our team, including our in-house rehabilitation coordinator and our specialist serious injury lawyers. They have many years of experience and have gained millions of pounds in compensation for people who have experienced a serious injury.
Many of our serious injury solicitors are experts within their field; many hold APIL (Association of Personal Injury Lawyers) accreditations and have been continuously ranked in Chambers and Partners and the Legal 500. Our Head of Serious Injury for the South, Tracey Benson, has seen her dedication to clients acknowledged through many testimonials in both of these prestigious publications. Our Head of Serious Injury for the North, Matthew Tomlinson, has also been ranked as a Band 1 leader in the field of personal injury by Chambers and Partners.
A serious injury is an injury that causes a permanent or life-changing effect. This includes head or brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, loss of limbs, fatal injuries, eye injuries, chronic pain, and burns, scars or lacerations.
If your injury doesn’t fall under any of these types, it could be classed as a personal injury and you may still be entitled to compensation if the injury was a result of someone else’s negligence.
How much compensation could I receive for a serious injury claim?
Every serious injury claim is different, and the amount of compensation you could be owed ultimately depends upon a variety of factors, from long-term prognosis to the cost of any care required.
Our specialist serious injury solicitors will consider every aspect of your case in detail to determine how much compensation you could be awarded. We will work tirelessly to ensure you get the settlement you deserve.
The time limit for most injury claims is three years from the date you were injured, though there are certain exceptions to the rule; for instance, if you are claiming on behalf of a child or someone with diminished mental capacity, or if the injury occurred while you were abroad.
It is always best to speak to a serious injury solicitor as soon as you are able, to ensure your case is dealt with as quickly as possible.
Can I make a No Win No Fee serious injury claim?
The majority of the serious injury cases we pursue are done so on a No Win No Fee basis, which means there are no upfront costs, and no financial risk to you if your claim is unsuccessful.
How long does a serious injury claim take?
Every serious injury compensation claim is different, and how long the case takes can be dependent on a number of factors, including the circumstances that led to the injury and how straightforward it is to establish liability. It’s best to speak to a specialist serious injury solicitor, who will review your case in more detail.
Can I make a serious injury claim on behalf of somebody else?
If a loved one has experienced a serious injury, they may not be in a position claim compensation for themselves. This could be because the injured person is a child, or the injury has resulted in diminished mental capacity. In either case, the law allows you to claim on behalf of the injured party, to ensure they get the compensation they deserve.
Really helpful and always on the other side of the phone if needed. Quick and easy service. Ashley
Everything is moving along quickly and smoothly. Good professional service I'm glad I chose Slater and Gordon. Kenny Jackson