Suffering an accident that leads to paralysis is instantly life changing. Your voluntary movement can be permanently lost, as well as bowel or urinary function. Additionally, paralysis can impact the senses, respiratory or cardiovascular systems and even cause severe psychological distress. Not just this, but experiencing a paralysing injury can hugely impact your ability to carry out daily duties. Suddenly, you may now be unable to work, leading to increased stress regarding lost earnings. Paralysis injury claims can help you seek compensation that can be used to assist you in the aftermath of your paralysis accident.
We understand that compensation can by no means undo the harm caused by your injury, but it can be used to financially fund rehabilitative assistance, private medical costs or even cover the lost wages. We also understand that starting a claim can feel very overwhelming or daunting. But, with our friendly and knowledgeable advisors, you can rest assured that you’d have support from the very beginning. Our advisory team is on hand to help you, whether this is discussing the options available or addressing any worries you may have about starting your own claim; they’re here to help.
Offering a free case consultation means that you can explore the options available to you, with no pressure of continuing with a claim. Our advisors will first listen to you, assess the validity of your claim and discuss the next steps. Once merit has been established, they can then connect you with one of our specialist solicitors, with years of experience helping clients with serious injury claims.
Get In Touch
To get started with your own case today, you can reach our advisors by:
- Calling us on 0800 073 8801
- Contacting us online
- Speaking to an advisor using our live chat option
4.8 (948 reviews)Select A Section
- Am I Eligible To Make A Paralysis Injury Claim?
- Paralysis Injury Claim Time Limits
- Providing Evidence Of Your Paralysis Injury Claim
- How Will The Value Of A Paralysis Claim Be Determined?
- Can Paralysis Injury Claims Cover Special Damages?
- What Could I Claim For Being Paralysed?
- No Win No Fee Serious Injury Claims For Paralysis
- Discover More About Paralysis Injury Claims
Am I Eligible To Make A Paralysis Injury Claim?
To be eligible to make a paralysis injury claim, the incident must satisfy the following criteria in order to have merit:
- You were owed a duty of care
An organisation, business or individual owes you a legal responsibility to take reasonable steps in protecting your wellbeing and safety in specific circumstances. The duty of care owed to you in certain cases will vary depending on the nature of your accident and the governing legislation, which we explore further in our guide.
- This duty was breached
This occurs when the responsible party fails to act in accordance with their duty of care, and fails to act in a way that a reasonable person would. This could include ignoring safety procedures, making avoidable reckless mistakes or not adhering to the legislation that places this legal responsibility upon them.
- You suffered a paralysis injury as a result
The final step in determining your eligibility is to show that you suffered a physical or psychological injury or illness. This can encompass minor, short-term injuries or life-changing injuries such as paralysis.
Below, we discuss how paralysis can be caused in different types of accidents, and what legislation provides you with the right to make a claim:
Paralysis Caused By Accidents On The Road
As we mentioned above, the duty of care owed to you in different scenarios is dependent on the legislation that applies. Whilst on the roads, all users have a duty of care to use the roads in a way that avoids causing harm to other road users.
Road users must also uphold the guidance laid down in the Highway Code and the Road Traffic Act 1988 as part of their legal obligations. An example of how a road traffic accident could lead to paralysis may be if:
- Another driver is distracted looking at their phone. This causes them to lose control of their vehicle and crash into your car at high impact. The immediate force of impact causes irreversible spinal cord damage, resulting in paralysis.
Paralysis Caused By Accidents In The Workplace
Whilst at work, our employers owe us a duty of care to take all reasonable steps to ensure your health and wellbeing at work. This duty of care is established under the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, which places this legal responsibility on all employers.
An accident at work could lead to paralysis if:
- You were told to work on a ladder which was defective. This had previously been reported to your employer, yet no maintenance had been done to fix the ladder. One of the top rungs of the ladder gave way when you stepped up, causing you to fall from a height. You ended up suffering severe neck injuries, and suffered long-term spinal injuries which led to paralysis.
Paralysis Caused By Accidents In Public
Sometimes in public places, accidents can happen that are completely out of our control. In these situations, the person or organisation responsible for a public space owes you a duty of care to ensure that you are reasonably safe when using their space. This legal responsibility is established under the Occupiers Liability Act 1957.
An example of how a public liability claim could result in paralysis is if:
- When in the gym, you are using a smith machine that hasn’t been properly maintained. This causes a cable to snap from tension, resulting in a crush injury from the weights loaded on the machine. This traumatic impact to your back causes an immediate spinal cord injury, resulting in permanent loss of movement.
The examples we have provided are by no means exhaustive, so if you’d like to discuss the circumstances of your own paralysis injury, please get in touch with our advisors today. Additionally, if you have any questions at this stage, please don’t hesitate to contact our advisory team to learn more.
Paralysis Injury Claim Time Limits
When making paralysis injury claims, you must ensure that your case is started within the ‘limitation period’. Under the Limitation Act 1980, most compensation claims must be started within 3 years of the date of the accident.
With this said, there are, however, a few exceptions to these time limits, which you can learn more about from our advisors by getting in touch with us today. Alternatively, you can read more about the exceptions in our dedicated guide.
Providing Evidence Of Your Paralysis Injury Claim
Providing evidence within your claim is a vital step as these documents are often used to determine liability, and assess the extent of physical or psychological damage you’ve suffered as a result of your accident.
Some examples of evidence that can be useful within paralysis injury claims can include:
- Your medical records including a copy of your GP records, a paralysis diagnosis, x-rays or results of scans or tests that you’ve undergone after your accident
- Copies of a workplace accident book or public place accident book, if your paralysis accident occurred in either of these situations
- The other drivers insurance details, contact number, registration details and any vehicle details if you were injured in a road traffic accident
- CCTV footage or dashcam footage if your accident was caught on camera
- Photographs of the accident scene, or a personal diary outlining daily symptoms, pain and any treatments
- Contact details of anyone who may have witnessed the accident
For further information about the types of evidence that would be useful in your case, you can get in touch with our advisors today. They can connect you with one of our specialist paralysis solicitors who could help gather these documents to support your claim.
What Could I Claim For Being Paralysed?
The amount of compensation you could claim for being paralysed is dependent on the type of paralysis you’ve suffered, any loss of amenity caused by your accident, and whether there is any possibility of rehabilitation.
In addition to these factors, professionals can use frameworks such as the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG) to help when valuing your claim. This document provides categories of injury types and guideline brackets of compensation to assist professionals when calculating your payout.
We’ve provided a table below with some suggestive guidelines for paralysis injuries. All figures have been taken from the JCG, apart from the top entry. Please note that this table is a guideline only, and not a guarantee of compensation, as every claim is valued on its own merits.
| Injury Type | Severity | Compensation |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple Severe Injuries + Special Damages | More than one severe injury such as a serious back and neck injury, paired with special damages including lost income, home modifications and accessibility aids | Up to £1,000,000+ |
| Paralysis Injuries | Tetraplegia (also known as Quadriplegia) - cases falling into this bracket will show the injured person's lack of ability to communicate, reduced sensory ability and significant brain damage | £396,140 to £493,000 |
| Paralysis Injuries | Paraplegia - the level awarded will be impacted by the level of depression caused, the extent of independence and the injured person's age and life expectancy | £267,340 to £346,890 |
| Paralysis Injuries | Shorter Durations - shorter durations of paralysis | £60,210 |
| Brain Damage | Very Severe - there may be some ability to follow commands, but there will be little if any sign of meaningful response to environment | £344,150 to £493,000 |
| Brain Damage | Moderately Severe - very serious disablement, with a need for round-the-clock care | £267,340 to £344,150 |
| Back Injuries | Severe (i) - damage to both the nerve endings and spinal cord, leading to multiple very serious health complications such as incomplete paralysis and limited bowel, bladder and sexual function | £111,150 to £196,450 |
| Back Injuries | Severe (ii) - damage to the nerve roots leading to associated loss of sensation, bladder and bowel impairment and impaired mobility | £90,510 to £107,910 |
| Neck Injuries | Severe (i) - a serious neck injury causing incomplete paraplegia, and permanent spastic quadriparesis | In the region of £181,020 |
| Neck Injuries | Severe (ii) - severe damage or fractures to cervical spine discs, leading to disabilities including substantial loss of movement in the neck and one or more limbs | £80,240 to £159,770 |
If you would like a more accurate estimate of how much compensation your paralysis injury claim could be worth, speak to a member of our advisory team.
How Will The Value Of A Paralysis Claim Be Determined?
The value of a paralysis claim is usually determined by calculating two different heads of loss; general damages and special damages.
As we briefly discussed above, general damages compensation can be calculated with reference to the JCG. Moreover, professionals will assess the extent of harm, pain and suffering and the wider impact of your injuries. In paralysis injury claims, daily life can look very different for most people; with the requirement for wheelchairs, accessibility modifications to the home and reduced employment prospects in a lot of cases.
All of these factors are taken into consideration when your paralysis compensation claim is being valued. Furthermore, compensation could also include special damages, which is compensation for any provable, relevant out-of-pocket expenses incurred as a result of your accident.
Special damages can account for a large portion of your compensation, particularly in paralysis injury claims as you now might be faced with ongoing costs such as private medical appointments, therapy costs or even lost earnings. We discuss this in more depth in our section below.
Additionally, those tasked with valuing a claim can consider the prognosis of your condition and whether you contributed to the injury. Compensation can be adjusted in cases where you have contributed to the injury; for example if you’re involved in a road traffic accident where the other driver was speeding, but you failed to wear a seatbelt.
Claims of this nature will be adjusted based on the level of contributory negligence; if you’re found to have contributed to the injury by 50%, you would only receive 50% of your compensation at the end of your claim.
For further information about how general damages are valued, please get in touch with our advisors today.
Can Paralysis Injury Claims Cover Special Damages?
Paralysis injury claims payouts could also include special damages. This compensation can take into consideration any provable financial losses incurred as a result of suffering a paralysis injury and as we stated above, can form a large part of your compensation in these types of claims.
Below, we discuss some examples of these special damages in further detail:
Loss Of Income
Experiencing a paralysis injury typically comes with life-long complications. These injuries can hugely impact your physical ability to work, often leading to lost income. Additionally, your future employment prospects might be affected, especially if your job was labour intensive.
Special damages can reimburse you for lost earnings, bonuses or even pension contributions that you might have missed after your accident.
Cost Of Care
You might now require domestic assistance or professional round-the-clock care after becoming paralysed. Additionally, family members may have taken time out of work to help provide care for you. Any associated costs whether professional or gratuitous can also form a portion of special damages.
Medical Expenses
Private medical expenses, or costs such as prescriptions, further surgeries or any other associated medical costs can also be valued within special damages.
Rehabilitation And Aids
Suffering a paralysing injury now could mean you require accessibility aids such as wheelchairs, canes or any other tools that aid in your rehabilitation. The costs of these can be reimbursed as part of a successful claim.
Adaptations To Home
After suffering paralysis, you could now require ramps, wet room conversions or even lower countertops for easy sink and stove access. These can all be quite costly home adaptations, but you could recover these expenses as special damages.
Adaptations To Car
You may now need a wheelchair accessible vehicle, especially if you’ve suffered full-body paralysis. Additionally, you could require other vehicle adaptations to assist in your accessibility; any costs of these modifications can be clawed back as special damages.
Travel Expenses
Travel costs such as mobility-friendly transport, fuel or taxi costs to and from medical appointments can all be reimbursed.
Miscellaneous Costs
Any other relevant, provable costs can also be valued within special damages.
With this said, in order to recover these out-of-pocket expenses, you will need proof of the losses. This can include payslips to show lost income, invoices for costs, bank statements or receipts.
By working with one of our specialist paralysis solicitors, you would have help in gathering these important documents.
4.8 (948 reviews)No Win No Fee Serious Injury Claims For Paralysis
Our solicitors offer a No Win No Fee service through the use of a contract called a Conditional Fee Agreement. This offers some benefits to our claimants, because under this type of agreement, you’d have no upfront payments needed for a solicitor to begin working on your case. Moreover, claiming on a No Win No Fee basis also means you wouldn’t be faced with ongoing payments for your solicitor’s work whilst your claim progressed. Finally, if your claim was unsuccessful, then you wouldn’t be required to pay for our solicitors’ services.
On the other hand, if your claim was successful, then a legally limited success fee would be taken from your compensation. This is pre-agreed, and limited in line with the Conditional Fee Agreements Order 2013, to ensure that you receive the majority of your compensation.
As well as offering our services on a No Win No Fee basis, some of the services on offer from our solicitors include:
- Clear concise updates about the progression of your case
- Help with connecting you with rehabilitation specialists who can help in the aftermath of your paralysis injury
- Support with gathering vital evidence to support your claim
- Simple explanations of complex terminology, or the claims process
- A place where you feel comfortable to ask any questions you may have
- Communication and negotiation on your behalf to achieve a settlement that accurately reflects the extent to which the injury has impacted you
And this isn’t all that our solicitors offer. If you would like to learn more about how our solicitors could help you get started with a paralysis compensation claim, please get in touch with us today.
Contact Our Specialist Team
For a free case consultation, you can reach our advisors by:
- Calling us on 0800 073 8801
- Contacting us online
- Speaking to an advisor using our live chat option
Discover More About Paralysis Injury Claims
For more information, please see our other guides about:
- How to seek compensation for organ damage
- Serious injury claims for blindness
- What are some serious injury claim payouts?
Helpful External Resources
- Information on how much Statutory Sick Pay you could receive if eligible
- How to manage a period of sickness and return to work
- NHS information about paralysis
Thank you for reading our paralysis injury claims guide, we hope it’s been useful today.
