Nerve Injury Compensation Solicitors

What is the nervous system?

The human nervous system is made up of two parts - the central nervous system (CNS) and the peripheral nervous system (PNS).

The CNS involves the brain and the spinal cord, while the PNS is a body-wide system that includes all cells that carry information to or from the CNS. The PNS transmits information between your CNS (the brain and spinal cord) and the rest of your body, including organs, limbs, and digits. The PNS also includes the somatic nervous system, which controls your voluntary movements, such as walking and talking, and your automatic nervous system, which controls activities such as breathing, digesting food and your pulse.

What are the potential consequences of nerve injuries?

Nerve injuries can be extremely serious. Depending on which part(s) of the body were involved, effects can range from tingling or burning sensations, numbness or loss of sensation, extreme pain, or, in the worst cases, paralysis.

Injuries to the CNS includes injuries to the nerves in the brain and the spinal cord. Traumatic spinal cord injuries can cause paralysis and can be life changing.

When the nerves that make up the PNS are affected, the consequences may range from mildly problematic to seriously life-limiting. Because the PNS is a body-wide system, the symptoms experienced will depend on which nerves were affected, and in which part of the body. Injuries sustained to the CNS can affect the nerves of the PNS by blocking their ability to pass messages through the spinal cord to the brain. The different types of nerves in the PNS include:

1. The motor nerves

These are the nerves that allow us to consciously control our bodies. They allow us to walk, to talk, and to move our limbs and digits freely as desired. Depending on the severity of the damage, injuries to the motor nerves can prevent us from controlling our bodies and moving freely.

2. The sensory nerves

The sensory nerves communicate information gathered from the sensory organs to the brains, where it can be processed and acted upon. The sensory organs include the eyes, the ears, the nose, the tongue, and the skin. Damage to the nerves that transport information from these organs can cause a myriad of symptoms, including difficulty seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, or detecting temperature changes or painful stimuli.

3. The automatic nerves

The automatic nerves form part of the PNS and control activities that happen automatically and without our conscious input. Such activities include breathing, maintaining our heart rate and blood pressure and digesting food. When these nerves are injured and subsequently damaged, the consequences may be severe, affecting victims' abilities to breathe, control their blood pressure, or regulate their temperature.

One of the most serious and life-changing potential consequences of nerve injuries is paralysis. Paralysis can be either temporary or permanent, and it can affect people in different ways depending on where the nerve injury occurred. The different types of paralysis include:

Monoplegia: only one area of the body is affected, for example, one arm or one leg.

Hemiplegia: one arm and one leg on the same side of the body are affected.

Paraplegia: the legs are paralysed, sometimes along with the hips and organs in the lower abdomen.

Quadriplegia: the arms and the legs are affected, potentially along with the muscles in the trunk and the organs within it.

Damage to the nerves in the spinal cord, which is a key element of the CNS, is the most common cause of paraplegia.

What are the symptoms of nerve injuries?

The symptoms that manifest after a nerve injury depend on which part of the body was injured in the incident and which type of nerve was affected.

Symptoms of an automatic injury can include an inability to detect pain in the chest; sweating too much (a condition known as hyperhidrosis) or too little (anhidrosis), having dry eyes, dry mouth, experiencing constipation or bladder problems, being unable to control your body's temperature or heart rate, and experiencing sexually related problems.

Symptoms of motor nerve injures can include weakness, muscle loss, paralysis or pain, or involuntary twitching of the muscles.

Symptoms of sensory nerve injury include either an increase in pain experiences or a decrease in pain experiences; numbness, tingling, or burning sensations; or, if the sensory nerves leading to the ears are affected, a loss of balance, or a reduction in positional awareness.

Paralysis is a life-changing symptom of spinal injuries that have affected the nerves' ability to transmit themselves via the spinal cord and reach the brain. If paralysis is felt, doctors will investigate its cause as a matter of urgency.

What are the causes of nerve damage?

Nerve injures can occur naturally as a consequence of some illnesses, but they can also be caused by accidents. In accidents, nerve injuries are typically caused when trauma is sustained to the brain, the spine, the torso, or the limbs.

Accidents at work, such as falls from height, can cause serious injuries to the nerves of the spinal cord. Individuals who regularly vibrating tools as part of their job are at risk of sustaining nerve injuries such as vibration white finger if they are not given adequate training and protection by their employers.

Road traffic accidents can cause nerves injuries such as whiplash, which can cause the nerves in the neck to be compressed or inflamed.

Nerve damage can also occur as a secondary issue of other injuries. For example, an accident that caused someone to suffer a broken arm could cause a radial nerve injury, which occurs when the nerves in the upper arm are injured or, in some cases, severed, because of the fracture trauma.

If you have suffered a nerve injury because of an accident that was not your fault, you may be entitled to make a claim for nerve damage compensation.

How is a diagnosis made?

Diagnoses of nerve injuries must be made by trained medical professionals. If you have been involved in an accident and have experienced symptoms suggestive of a nerve injury, you should seek the help of a medical practitioner as soon as possible. During your examination, the specialist will likely begin by asking you about your symptoms and checking your reflexes to determine whether your body is able to respond as expected to particular stimuli. Your doctor may also arrange for you to undergo imaging tests, such as CT and/or MRI scans, so that they can look more deeply at the body's structures and assess for signs of injuries or abnormalities. Electromyography is another method through which medical professionals can assess whether muscles and, in turn, the nerves that control them, are working effectively. In some cases, a nerve biopsy may have to be undertaken; this involves taking a small section of the nerve out of the body and putting it under a microscope to check for visible abnormalities.

What is the treatment for nerve injuries?

Every nerve injury is different, so the treatment offered is unique to the patient. Some nerve injuries heal without much aid over a period of time; others require more intensive medical intervention in order for the injury to be fixed. The type of treatment will also likely depend on where in the body the affected nerve is and what its function is. Sadly, there are some nerve injuries, such as those which affect the CNS (the brain and the spine) that can never be cured. Even so, treatments may be offered to help manage symptoms, to reduce pain, and to ultimately improve the patient's quality of life.

Should I make a claim?

If you have suffered a nerve injury as a result of an accident that was not your fault, you may be entitled to make a claim for nerve injury compensation. Our dedicated team of compassionate, friendly and diligent advisors are available to talk through your options. We understand that making a claim can be daunting, and we are here for you every step of the way. Whether you want an informal chat, or advice on how to begin making your claim, one of our committed team members will be here to help move your nerve injury claim forward.

What can I claim compensation for?

For victims who sustained nerve injuries after being involved in accidents that weren't their fault, compensation can help them to recover what they have lost and suffered as a result of their accident. While we understand that no amount of monetary compensation can undo or make up for the suffering you will have endured, the sum you receive may be able to ease some of the financial suffering you may have encountered.

When compensation for nerve injuries is awarded, it is split into two elements: general damages and special damages. General damages are designed to compensate you financially for the pain, suffering, and loss of loss of movement and mobility that you may have suffered as a result of your nerve injury, as well as any psychological effects that your injury has had on you. Special damages, on the other hand, are intended to compensate you for any financial losses or expenses. Special damages can cover financial losses or expenses that you have already incurred, as well as financial losses or expenses that you can reasonably expect to suffer in the future because of your nerve injury. As such, nerve damage compensation can help to recover (if already incurred) and pay for (if not yet incurred):

• lost earnings caused by taking time off to recover from the injury
• travel expenses associated with visiting medical professionals
• medical bills, including consultations, medications, surgeries, and physiotherapies
• specialised treatment
• care costs (for example, if the injury is severe and the victim is no longer able to function independently)

If individuals have been left paralysed as a result of their accident, the compensation amount provided can also help to pay for any specialist help or adaptations that may improve the victim's quality of life.

How much compensation am I likely to receive?

The amount of compensation you will receive if your claim is successful will be dependent on many factors, including the severity of your injury, whether the ill-effects of your injury are likely to be temporary or permanent, and whether you need to be reimbursed for lost earnings or other financial setbacks.

Below is a general idea of how much compensation people are likely to be awarded for nerve injury compensation claims. You can also use our compensation calculator to estimate how much compensation you are likely to receive.

When can I make a claim?

If you were involved in an accident that wasn't your fault and have sustained nerve damage as a result, you typically have three years from either the date of the injury or the date of your diagnosis of nerve injury to make a claim.

There are some exceptions to the rule, for example:

• If the victim was a child, their parents may make a claim at any point until that child reaches 18 years of age.
• If, after they turn 18, no claim has ever been made on the child's behalf, they have three years from the date of their 18th birthday to bring the claim themselves.
• If the claimant has limited capacity to make decisions and begin claims, there is no limit.