Brain injury – personal injury compensation following a car accident or car crash

Brain injury accidents are usually a life altering event for both the victim and their family. Each year thousands of people suffer from a brain injury and many of which result in a permanent disability.

In the case of a serious brain injury it can be many years for the full effect of the injury to be known. Unlike other injuries brain injury can have a devastating impact on a person’s life - understanding and coping with the effects can be difficult for the individual and their loved ones and can put enormous pressure on the family and people around them.

We appreciate that in some cases no amount of personal injury compensation can restore a person's life to how it was before an accident or injury. One of our primary objectives is to ensure that our clients obtain the very best treatment and rehabilitation to help them take the important steps towards regaining an independent life. We are experienced in dealing with all types of personal injury claim and can arrange for you to receive the best possible treatment and rehabilitation services for your personal injury. As specialists we are able to identify any permanent or future problems that are likely to result from the brain injury and ensure you receive the best possible award for your personal injury compensation.

If you have suffered a brain injury in a car accident or any another type of accident that was not your fault, we can help you make a personal injury claim. Our solicitors are experts in dealing with brain injury accident compensation and have helped hundred of people make a personal injury claim, in various circumstances, including a car accident, motorcycle accident, shaken baby, sports injury, slip, trip, fall and violence.

Regardless of the circumstances in which your injury occurred it is essential for you to seek advice from a specialist brain injury solicitor. Our specialist brain injury solicitors will ensure that all the issues relating to your care and assistance in the future are considered as part of your compensation claim.

Key considerations for a serious brain injury claim:

• Rehabilitation and treatment costs
  
  
• Adaptations to your home or the purchase of a new home
  
  
• Current and future care and case management need
  
  
• Future employment and possible retraining
  
  
• Specialised equipment including transport and wheelchairs
  
  
• Tax efficient planning to preserve your settlement

Appointing the right solicitor following a brain injury can mean the difference between thousands of pounds of compensation. Our solicitors work on a no win, no fee basis and you are totally protected from all costs. If our costs associated with making your brain injury claim are not recovered in full from the person at fault's insurance company, we will write them off. More about making a brain injury claim for accident compensation…

A brain injury or other injury involving some type of blow to the head, is one of the most common types of injury following an accident in the UK . A brain injury can range from relatively minor damage to the scalp and face, such as cuts and bruising, to more serious consequences involving damage to the brain.

The most common causes of severe brain injury are car accidents, heavy falls and assault. More than one person in every ten thousand dies in the UK every year from serious brain injury. Head injury is the biggest cause of death in young men.

Loss of consciousness, even for a brief moment, is one of the clearest indications that the brain may have been affected by a blow to the head. Other indicators of injury to the brain are where a person displays a confused state of mind, involving uncertainty about time, date, and location and/or a period of memory loss for the events surrounding the brain injury. Any of these symptoms following a blow to the head should be taken seriously.

With the most severe symptoms, loss of consciousness for more than a few minutes, the person should receive immediate medical attention. With less severe symptoms the person should be monitored for a period of several hours after the head injury. Any evidence of deterioration may be a sign of the delayed effects of brain injury due to swelling or internal bleeding and require that the person receive medical attention as soon as possible.

Head injury symptoms
Symptoms that would cause concern after a brain injury can include:

• A bad headache that gets worse or doesn't go away within four to six hours after the brain injury occurred

• Drowsiness; especially if it lasts for more than two hours, or if the person is difficult to wake up. A certain amount of drowsiness is very common after a brain injury, especially in young children

• Confusion and disorientation

• Feeling or actually being sick is common following a brain injury, but if it is persistent or appears to be getting worse, it could be serious.

What to do if you or someone you know suffers a brain injury

• Call your GP immediately and tell them how the head injury occurred and describe the state of the injured person. Your doctor will then decide what to do next.

• If you cannot contact your doctor, take the injured person to the nearest hospital accident and emergency department.

• In an emergency dial 999 and ask for an ambulance. This should be reserved for more serious brain injury cases, or if the person's condition is getting worse.

What will happen at the hospital?
In the A&E or casualty department the injured person will be seen by the triage nurse, who will assess the circumstances surrounding the brain injury and determine how urgently they need to be seen by a doctor. Some cases are obviously very urgent, whereas others - even though they may seem frightening to you - may not be as bad as they appear.

What will the doctor do?
They will need full details of the accident and how the head injury was sustained. The injured person will be examined to check whether the accident has caused a brain injury. This will include an assessment of levels of consciousness, checking the eyes, movements and the strength of arms and legs, reflexes and responses.

What tests will be done?
Depending on the severity of the brain injury the doctor may order blood tests to see if there are any general medical problems or to check that the injured person's blood will clot properly. X-rays may be needed to see if the skull has been fractured, or to see if there is any glass or metal in the wound if the skin is broken. In a number of cases a CT brain scan will be performed to see if there is any bleeding inside the head, or swelling of the brain.

What if the skull is fractured?
The skull is a very strong and rigid structure. To damage it usually requires a lot of force, so a fracture is a sign that the head has received a significant head injury. Someone with a skull fracture will always be admitted to hospital for observation.

Will the skull heal?
The skull almost always heals, but this can take many months. Any pain or tenderness from the fracture will usually subside within five to ten days of receiving the brain injury as the inevitable bruising settles down. Occasionally with a skull fracture parts of the bone are pushed inwards (depressed). This may require an operation to repair it, especially if the skin over the fracture is cut.

How we can help you following a brain injury
If you (or someone you know) have suffered a brain injury in a car accident or other type of accident in the UK that was not your fault, we can help you claim accident compensation for the pain and suffering it has caused. Our personal injury solicitors specialise in brain injury compensation and will work on a no-win, no-fee basis to help you make a personal injury claim.

For free advice on how we can help you pursue a personal injury claim for your brain injury call us now on 0808 143 43 42 or complete the free claim assessment opposite.