Serious and Catastrophic Injury Solicitors

What is a serious injury claim?

A serious or catastrophic injury claim is a personal injury claim arising from an injury so severe that it has a long-term or permanent effect on your life. These claims are very different from everyday injury claims: the values involved are higher, the medical issues more complex, and the focus is firmly on your future needs, often for the rest of your life.

Catastrophic injuries we help with include:

• Traumatic brain and head injuries
• Spinal cord injuries and paralysis
• Amputations and loss of limb function
• Severe and complex fractures
• Serious burns and scarring
• Multiple injuries with long-term consequences

How we help

In serious injury cases, getting the right support in place early can make a real difference to your recovery. We work to arrange rehabilitation and professional case management as soon as possible, often before liability has been finally resolved, drawing on the Rehabilitation Code that encourages claimants and insurers to cooperate on recovery.

We build your claim around your long-term needs, instructing experts in fields such as neurology, neuropsychology, care, occupational therapy, accommodation and employment. This ensures that the full lifelong impact of your injury, both on you and on the family members who care for you, is properly understood and valued.

Interim and periodical payments

Because serious injury claims can take time to resolve, we pursue interim payments wherever possible. Where liability is admitted or strong, the court can order the defendant to make an advance payment so you are not left waiting for funds you need now, for example to pay for rehabilitation, care, equipment or adapted accommodation.

When the claim is settled, compensation may be structured in two ways:

• A lump sum to cover general damages and quantifiable past and future losses.
• Periodical payments (a PPO), which provide regular, index-linked, tax-free payments for life to fund ongoing care and treatment, removing the risk that a lump sum is exhausted.

What your compensation can cover

A successful claim can cover the full lifelong impact of your injury, including:

• Pain, suffering and loss of amenity (general damages)
• Past and future loss of earnings and pension
• The cost of professional care, support workers and case management
• Rehabilitation, therapy and ongoing medical treatment
• Specialist equipment, aids, assistive technology and home adaptations
• Suitable accommodation where your home can no longer meet your needs

Time limits

In most serious injury cases you have three years from the date of the accident to start court proceedings, under the Limitation Act 1980. The time limit for children runs from their 18th birthday, and for those who lack the mental capacity to manage their affairs, the limitation period may not run at all while that incapacity continues, which is common after a severe brain injury. Even so, the sooner a claim begins, the sooner rehabilitation and interim funding can be secured.

Why choose MID Legal

Catastrophic injury claims demand both legal expertise and genuine understanding of the upheaval an injury brings to an entire family. Our personal injury team focuses on your recovery as much as your compensation, working to secure early rehabilitation, interim payments and a settlement structured for lifelong security. We coordinate the experts, deal with the insurers and guide you and your family through every stage. Contact us today for a free, no-obligation assessment of your claim.