How Much Compensation Can I Claim For A Back Injury?

By Danielle Jordan. Last Updated 5th December 2023. This guide is for those seeking free legal advice on making a back injury claim. It also offers guidance on how much may be offered in spinal injury compensation payouts. A spinal cord injury can cause temporary or permanent immobility. If you have suffered this type of injury because of negligent behaviour by another party, you may be entitled to claim compensation.

Within this guide, we’ll talk through the various types of back and spinal injuries and how they can be caused. We will also explain when and how you can start a claim for back injury compensation. Also covered in this guide are whiplash injuries and claiming with a No Win No Fee solicitor. We’ll also answer some frequently asked questions such as:

• How much is my back injury compensation claim worth?
• How can I prove my back injury at work?
• What is the average payout for a spinal cord injury?
• How much compensation for a back injury at work?

Back injury compensation claims

If you have a question at any point while reading this guide, you are welcome to contact our specialist advisors. They can discuss different aspects of making a back or spinal injury compensation claim with you, including potentially working with No Win No Fee solicitors. You can reach them through the following methods:

• By calling 0800 073 8804
• Or you can write to us
• Or chat to our team via our live chat, bottom right

Select a Section:

1. How Much Is A Back Injury Worth?
2. Am I Eligible To Make A Claim For A Back Injury?
3. Claiming Compensation For A Back Injury At Work
4. Claiming Compensation For A Back Injury After A Car Accident
5. Compensation For A Back Injury In A Public Place
6. What Evidence Do I Need To Make A Back Injury Claim?
7. Back Injury Claims – Connect With Our No Win No Fee Solicitors

How Much Is A Back Injury Claim Worth?

If you are successfully awarded compensation for a back injury, your settlement will include general damages.

This is the head of claim that compensates for the pain and suffering the claimant has experienced due to their injury. Those valuing this head of spinal injury or back injury compensation claims may refer to a document called the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG) to help them. This publication contains guideline compensation brackets for various injuries.

In the table below, we have included some of the amounts listed that correlate to back and spinal injuries. Please only use it as a guide. Additionally, we have added an example figure for how much compensation you could receive for multiple serious injuries plus any special damages you might be entitled to. This figure does not represent the value of your potential compensation claim.

Special damages is the other head of claim that you may be awarded. This provides you with compensation for the financial losses you have experienced due to your back and/or spinal injury, such as:

• A loss of earnings if you took time off work to recover.
• Medical expenses, such as paying for prescriptions or private medical treatment.
• Travel costs, such as taking taxis to medical appointments.

To receive a free valuation of your claim, or to learn more about using a back injury compensation calculator in the UK, you can contact our advisors.

Am I Eligible To Claim For A Back Injury?

In order to form the basis of a valid back injury claim, including for a spinal cord injury or soft tissue injuries, you must be able to prove that:

• Another party owed you a duty of care,
• They failed to uphold this duty,
• As a result, you suffered a back or spinal injury.

The three criteria listed above form the foundation of negligence in personal injury claims. If you can prove the occurrence of negligence, then you may be able to claim compensation for a back injury.

The duty of care owed to you can differ in different situations. In the following sections, we’ll go into more detail on who owes you a duty of care at work, on the road, or in public and what this duty entails.

Read on to learn more about making a compensation claim for a back injury or a spinal cord injury, or contact our team of advisors today to get started.

How Long Do I Have To Make Back Injury Claims?

Are you aware that personal injury claims, including a back injury compensation claim, normally have time limits of 3 years? This limitation period, which is legally enforced by the Limitation Act 1980, usually applies from the date your injury occurred.

In some cases the rules for the limitation period can work differently. If the injured party is a child, then the three-year time limit won’t start until the child turns 18. It is the day when the potential claimant becomes old enough to start a claim on their own behalf. Before the claimant turns 18, a litigation friend could potentially be appointed to make legal proceedings on their behalf.

A limitation period for claiming usually doesn’t apply if the injured party lacks the mental capacity to start a compensation claim on their own. If this circumstance does apply, then a representative close to the injured person may be able to claim on their behalf as a litigation friend.

If you’d like to learn more about the role of a litigation friend or see whether you’re still within the relevant time limit to claim, please get in touch today for some free legal advice and support.

Claiming Compensation For A Back Injury at Work

It is important to note that, as an employee, your employer is expected to provide you with a work environment that keeps you as safe as reasonably possible.

The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 emphasises this obligation bestowed to employers. However, there are cases where you could suffer a back injury at work due to a breach of this legal obligation.

As a result, back injury claims may often be put forward. Back injury compensation is especially a potential outcome when an employer has failed to implement mechanisms that keep employees reasonably free from risk.

Such mechanisms can involve adequate training to avoid severe back injuries or health and safety protocols that support workplace safety.

But such mechanisms are no guarantee. For example, an employee could claim compensation for minor back injuries at work when their employer fails to take reasonable steps to protect them.

Claiming Compensation For A Back Injury After A Car Accident

Similarly to the sections above, in order to claim compensation for a back injury from a car accident, you must be able to prove that you were owed a duty of care, and that your injuries occurred because this duty was breached.

All road users owe each other a duty of care. This means that they must navigate the roads in a way that prevents harm to themselves and others, and it also means that they must comply with the Road Traffic Act 1988 (RTA) and the mandatory steps outlined in the  Highway Code.

If another road user breaches their duty of care, and this results in your injuries, you may be able to claim compensation for a back injury, spinal cord damage, brachial plexus damage or soft tissue injuries. Please note that with the introduction of the Whiplash Reform Programme, the way some claims valued under £5,000 has changed. Contact our team of helpful advisors today to learn more.

Compensation for a Back Injury in a Public Place

When you are in a public place, the controller of the space owes all visitors a duty of care. This means that they must take steps to ensure the reasonable safety of visitors on the premises, as outlined by the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957 (OLA).

This legislation applies to supermarkets, public parks, restaurants, and other spaces available to the public. For example, if you slip and fall on a spillage in a supermarket that wasn’t adequately signposted or cleaned up in a reasonable timeframe, and this causes you to suffer a back injury, then you may be able to make a back injury compensation claim.

To learn more about claiming compensation for back injuries, contact our team of expert advisors today.

What Evidence Do I Need To Make A Back Injury Claim?

You may be required to present supporting evidence as part the back injury claims process. To claim compensation for a back injury, you would need to collect evidence of the breach of duty of care, and how this led to your injury.

You could, for example, collect:

• Visual evidence – Such as CCTV footage or photos of the accident site or your injury.
• Witnesses – You could collect the contact details of witnesses who were at the accident scene who could corroborate your story later into the claims process.
• Medical evidence – This could be your medical records from when you were initially treated after the accident. Additionally, you may be asked to attend an independent medical assessment, which can help evaluate the full nature of your injuries and might be used in conjunction with your medical records to value your claim.

If you would like advice on the evidence to collect for your back injury claim or to find out about back injury compensation examples, then please speak to one of our advisers.

Back Injury Claims – Connect With Our No Win No Fee Solicitors

Now that you’ve learned more about the back injury claims process, you might be interested in finding a back injury solicitor. Working with a solicitor can be beneficial in a number of ways; for example, a solicitor could help you support your claim with evidence. They can also explain any complex legal jargon that may come up during the process or arrange for a medical assessment and interim payments. 

One benefit of working with one of our personal injury solicitors is that you don’t need to pay a fee for them to start working on your compensation claim for a spinal cord injury, nor do you pay a fee for their continuing services or for their work if your claim fails. This is because our solicitors work on a No Win No Fee basis under a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA).

If your compensation claim succeeds, then your solicitor will take a success fee. This is deducted from your compensation as a small percentage; however, this percentage is capped by law, which helps to make sure that you keep the majority of what you receive. 

Contact our team today to find out if one of our personal injury solicitors could help you claim for a back injury. An advisor from our team could evaluate your claim for free, and if they find it valid, they may connect you with a solicitor. To get started:

• Call us on 0800 073 8804
• Contact us online
• Use the live chat feature

If you are still looking for free legal advice on making a back injury claim, you can contact Legal Expert today using the contact details included within this guide.