Spinal injuries can have extremely serious consequences. Your spine is made up of a column of vertebrae (also known as the backbone) which surround your spinal cord. The spinal cord is connected to the brain and must be healthy and undamaged in order for the nervous system to work properly. If your spinal cord is damaged in any way, then the brain cannot transmit messages to the rest of the body through it, resulting in paralysis and a loss of feeling. The severity of the effects will depend on the injury. For some people a spinal injury results in partial inability to move, but for others, the paralysis will be complete.
Another form of spinal injury is that which damages the bones and muscles of the lower part of the spine. This is known as a lumbar spinal injury. If the actual cord is not damaged, the results are less serious, but can still make your life difficult. At the other end of the scale whiplash, one of the most common road traffic injuries, is also a form of spinal injury.
Grounds for a claim
You have grounds for a personal injury claim if you were hurt in circumstances where someone else could have prevented the incident, or had a duty of care towards you and failed to maintain that duty. Situations that could lead to a failure of duty of care and consequent spinal injuries include:
- Road accidents in which the collision was not your fault
- Violence or assault to your person
- Sports injuries which could have been avoided by better supervision or more sensible behaviour by other players
- Accidents at work that resulted from a lack of training in the operation of machinery or other tasks
- Accidents resulting from an unsafe working environment
- Injuries received in police custody
- Medical negligence, in which your injury was caused either directly by or through inattention from a medical professional.
In all of these cases, whether it is a doctor, an employer, a criminal, a police officer or just another individual, they do hold responsibility for your injury, and it is your right to ask for compensation.
Why should I make a spinal injury claim?
Recovering from a spinal injury and adjusting to life with one is no simple matter. You may need to use a wheelchair or hire care and help for yourself or any dependants, you may have to modify your home to make it more accessible, and the psychological impact of suddenly decreased mobility can be huge. It is not fair or easy to deal with this on your own, and with the help of a specialist injury lawyer you should be able to get financial aid and advice about resources for anyone in your situation.
Receiving your compensation
As we are ‘no win, no fee’ solicitors, InjuryLawyers4U will always make sure you receive the full amount of compensation you are entitled to. We will let you know about any other relevant compensation, such as accident claims, and guide you through the process with as much help as you need. For advice and information on making a spinal injury claim, you can either call us on 0333 400 4445 or use the contact form to the right of the page and we’ll call you straight back.
