Suffering a spinal injury can be a traumatic event and can a devastating impact on a person’s life, as well as their families’ lives. Although spine injury compensation cannot change what has happened, it can be used to help injured parties and their families to get their lives back on track.

Beacon Law has a team of specialist spinal injury solicitors on hand to help you through the process of claiming compensation for spinal injuries.

Contact us today to speak to a specialist solicitor about starting a spinal injury claim.

Types of spinal injury

Spinal injuries can vary significantly in terms of severity, location, and impact on the body. Here’s an overview of the different types of spinal injuries:

Spinal Cord Injuries (SCI)

These are serious injuries that can cause permanent changes in strength, sensation, and other body functions below the site of the injury.

Complete SCI: This occurs when there is a total loss of sensory and motor function below the level of injury.

Incomplete SCI: This occurs when there is some remaining sensory or motor function below the level of injury. There are several types of incomplete SCIs, including:

Anterior Cord Syndrome: Damage to the front of the spinal cord, affecting motor control and pain and temperature sensation.

Central Cord Syndrome: Damage to the centre of the spinal cord, often affecting the arms more than the legs.

Brown-Séquard Syndrome: Damage to one side of the spinal cord, causing loss of movement on the same side as the injury and loss of pain and temperature sensation on the opposite side.

Posterior Cord Syndrome: Damage to the back of the spinal cord, affecting coordination and proprioception.

Vertebral injuries

These involve damage to the vertebrae, which can affect the spinal cord.

Fractures: Breaks or cracks in the vertebrae. Types include:

• Compression Fracture: The vertebra is compressed due to trauma or osteoporosis.
• Burst Fracture: The vertebra is severely compressed and fractured in multiple places.
• Chance Fracture: A horizontal fracture through the vertebral body, usually due to flexion distraction injuries.

Dislocations: Occur when vertebrae are displaced or misaligned.

Spondylolisthesis: One vertebra slips forward over the one below it.

Soft Tissue Injuries

These involve damage to the muscles, ligaments, and discs surrounding the spine.

Herniated Disc: The soft inner gel of the disc protrudes through the tougher exterior, possibly compressing nearby nerves.

Bulging Disc: Similar to a herniated disc, but the inner gel does not completely break through.

Sprains and Strains: Injuries to ligaments (sprains) or muscles and tendons (strains).

Specific Regions of Spinal Injuries

Injuries can also be classified based on their location along the spine:

Cervical Spine Injuries (C1-C7): Affecting the neck region, these can lead to quadriplegia or tetraplegia, impacting all four limbs and torso.

Thoracic Spine Injuries (T1-T12): Affecting the upper back, these can lead to paraplegia, impacting the torso and legs.

Lumbar Spine Injuries (L1-L5): Affecting the lower back, these can also lead to paraplegia, but typically impact the legs and lower body.

Sacral Spine Injuries (S1-S5): Affecting the pelvic region, these can impact bladder and bowel control, sexual function, and lower limbs.

Other Classifications

Primary vs. Secondary Injuries:

• Primary Injury: The initial mechanical injury to the spinal cord.
• Secondary Injury: Subsequent damage that occurs after the initial injury, such as inflammation, bleeding, or cell death.

Common causes of spinal injuries

Spinal injuries can happen for a number of reasons. Most often they are caused in accidents or due to negligence. Common examples of accidents that may lead to a spinal cord injury claim include:

• Road traffic accidents: this can include cars, motorcycles, cycles and lorries. Experiencing a collision can cause serious neck injuries and traumatic damage to the spine.
• Slip, trip and and fall accidents: Falls from heights or falls on slippery surfaces can lead to spinal cord injuries.
• Sports accidents: Certain high-impact sports, such as football, rugby, and hockey, can lead to spinal cord injuries, especially if proper safety equipment is not used.
• Criminal assaults: Physical violence, such as assaults and domestic abuse, can result in spinal cord injuries.
• Accidents at work: Workers in certain industries, such as construction and manufacturing, are at higher risk of suffering spinal cord injuries due to the nature of their work.
• Clinical negligence: Negligence by medical professionals can lead to spinal cord injuries during surgical procedures or other medical treatments. Our medical negligence team have the experience and expertise to assist you in making a claim against a medical professional.

The above list is not exhaustive of the many accidents which could cause these types of injuries. For legal advice and assistance on making a spine injury compensation claim, get in touch with our team today.

Spine injury compensation claims process

The first thing a person should do after suffering an accident that has resulted in a spinal injury is seek the most appropriate medical treatment, whether it be at a hospital or your local GP. It is important to document all of your injuries and keep hold of any official documentation outlining your diagnosis and/or medical treatments.

Our personal injury lawyers can then talk you through the process of making a claim, including the time limit regulations and an evaluation on the chances of your claim being successful. It is then important to gather all relevant evidence that can be used to support your claim for compensation. Evidence could include medical records, police reports, witness statements, CCTV footage and photographs of the scene of the accident.

Our team of spinal cord injury solicitors will then file the claim on your behalf and inform all of the relevant parties to the case, such as the person responsible for your injury or their insurance company.

We work tirelessly to achieve the best outcomes for our clients, and negotiate on their behalf to obtain the most appropriate compensation and medical care for their injuries.

If a settlement cannot be reached between the parties then a claim can be progressed to court for a judge to decide the final outcome of the case.

The process of making a personal injury claim can be complex, and it’s important to work with an experienced solicitor who can guide you through the process and help you achieve a successful outcome.

Our spinal injury claim solicitors are highly experienced and offer no win no fee agreements, meaning you will not have to worry about the legal costs of making a claim if you are not successful.

Who can make a claim?

If you or a loved one have suffered a spinal injury due to another party’s negligence, you may be eligible to pursue compensation. This includes instances where the party is fully or partially responsible.

In cases where the spinal injury results in brain damage and the affected individual is no longer capable of making a claim, a family member can act on their behalf.

If you believe that you have a case for compensation, reach out to Beacon Law. Our experienced personal injury lawyers will offer expert advice on spinal injury compensation claims.

Time limits on making a spine injury compensation claim

It’s important to be aware of the time limits for filing a personal injury compensation claim. In general, the deadline is 3 years from the date of the incident. However, there are exceptions:

• Minors have until their 21st birthday to file a claim. Until then, a legal representative can file on their behalf.
• If the claimant lacks mental capacity, they can file at any time once they regain it.
• In the event of a fatal accident, close family members have 3 years from the victim’s death to claim compensation for their loss.

Compensation amounts for a spinal injury

Compensation payment amounts for a spinal cord injury can be hard to predict as every case and every injury are different. Generally, the more severe an injury, the higher the amount of compensation awarded. It ultimately depends on the severity of the injury alongside the long-term care or lifestyle modifications required to help the claimant adjust to their new way of living.

As well as compensation for their serious injuries, a claimant may also be awarded special damages which are to cover any additional financial losses they have suffered as a result of their acquired injuries. This includes having to take time off work, specialist medical expenses, travel costs and ongoing care costs. It is important to keep records and receipts for expenses such as these in order for your solicitor to claim for special damages.

In cases where immediate funds are needed, interim payments may be made. This is where a portion of the future compensation amount is paid to the claimant in advance. Interim payments are likely to be made if the claimant is unable to work due to their injury, or if they need to cover immediate expenses after the accident.

In conclusion, compensation for spinal injury victims is meant to restore their pre-accident state and takes into account the type, severity and impact of injuries, as well as any financial losses incurred.

How much will it cost to make a claim?

If you’re considering making a spinal injury compensation claim, you may be concerned about the cost of legal fees and litigation expenses. Beacon Law offers a no win, no fee agreement for all personal injury and medical negligence cases. This type of agreement can be particularly advantageous for spinal injury claimants who may face significant financial losses, such as loss of earnings and medical expenses. By entering into a no win, no fee agreement, clients can pursue compensation without worrying about the cost of legal representation.

A no win, no fee agreement, also known as a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA), is an arrangement between a solicitor and a client where the solicitor agrees to take on the case without requiring upfront payment. If the case is unsuccessful, the client is not responsible for paying the solicitor’s fees. If the case is successful, the solicitor will receive a success fee, which is deducted from the client’s final damages.

How can Beacon Law assist?

Beacon Law is a specialist personal injury law firm with ample experience of dealing with spine injury compensation cases. Our expertise in this area of law means we can provide an exceptional standard of service to our clients, and we work tirelessly to ensure we achieve the best possible outcome and highest level of compensation for your injuries.

Our personal injury solicitors are able to provide expert legal advice for many types of claims, including spinal injuries that have been caused as a result of medical negligence, accidents at work, road traffic accidents, and many more.

Beacon Law is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. To find out more about our no win, no fee claims funding and legal fees, please have a look at the funding section on our website.

If you are in search of an experienced spinal injury claim solicitors, then please contact us today on 0330 1332 857 to start your claim or complete our contact form at the top of the page to request a call back from a member of our personal injury team.