How Much Compensation Can I Claim For An Abdominal Injury?

By Daniel Archer. Last Updated 14th April 2022. Welcome to our guide to abdominal injury claims. If you have suffered an abdominal injury, such as damage to an internal organ or the soft tissue of the abdomen, you may be entitled to claim compensation for your suffering.

These claims can arise from a variety of different causes and injury types. The most common cause of abdominal injuries is blunt force trauma. However, organs can be damaged as a result of a surgical error. Courts have long recognised the impact on a victim’s life the effects of damage to one or more internal organs can have. Any (potentially lengthy) recovery period will be factored into the amount of compensation awarded.

For a free consultation about your case with one of our specialist advisors, you can get in touch by:

• Calling 0800 073 8804 today
• Completing a contact form
• Using our chat feature

Time limits for abdominal injury claims

All personal injury claims, which include abdominal injury claims, have time limits within which they can be made. In general, this time limit is up to 3 years after either the date of the accident or the date that you realised you experience some form of damage as a result of it (date of knowledge). This time limit is stated in the Limitation Act 1980.

In some situations, exceptions can apply to this 3-year time limit. For example, if a claimant lacks the mental ability required in order to make a claim, the time limit is frozen until they are able to do so. In the meantime, however, they could always appoint a litigation friend to make their claim on behalf of them. At this point, the usual time limit would begin to come into effect, leaving the litigation friend with the 3-year limitation period to make legal proceedings.

To learn whether you could make a claim within the specified time limit for your case, please get in touch today for a free consultation. In the meantime, please read on to begin our abdominal injury claims guide.

Select a Section

1. A Guide to Making an Abdominal Injury Claim

2. Common Types of Abdominal Injury

3. Workplace Abdominal Injury Claims

4. Abdominal Injury After a Car Accident

5. Criminal Abdominal Injuries

6. No Win No Fee Abdominal Injury Claims

7. How to Make an Abdominal Injury Claim

8. Useful Links

9. Abdominal Injury Claims FAQs

A Guide To Making An Abdominal Injury Claim

Welcome to our guide on abdominal injury claims. Abdominal injuries can be complex, affecting multiple organs and/or the surrounding soft tissues. Some internal organs can be damaged easily via penetration or blunt force trauma.

However, when symptoms are not immediately apparent, it can take time to get the right diagnosis. This delay can lead to complications and further internal damage whilst the problem is being discovered. As such, getting a comprehensive diagnosis and abdominal injury assessment is your number one priority after an abdominal injury. Expert medical reports will also add weight to your case.

The amount which you can claim for an abdominal injury will vary, depending on the organ or organs affected and the severity of the injury. It will also be affected by the overall long-term prognosis. Below is a guide to previous compensation awards.

Injury	Description	Amount
Female reproductive system	(a) Infertility by disease or injury with scarring, pain and severe depression	£107,810 to £158,970
Illness	Food poisoning - Serious, but short lived	£8,950 to £18,020
Bowels	Cases that result in double incontentience	Up to £172,860
Bowels	Injuries that penetrate and leave some last damage, but they eventually heal	£11,820 to £22,970
Bladder	Control seriously impaired with some incontinence and pain	£60,050 to £75,010
Digestive System	Stab wounds/lacerations	£6,190 to £11,820
Spleen	Complete loss with an ongoing risk of internal infection	£19,510 to £24,680
Hernia	With lasting pain and/or your physical activities being limited	£13,970 to £22,680

Please note, these figures are provided as an example. Actual compensation amounts may vary.

Common Types Of Abdominal Injury

Many diseases or injuries which affect the abdomen (and associated internal organs) can be very serious. These can affect your quality of life and an abdominal injury during pregnancy can be dangerous, even fatal, to both mother and baby. The abdomen includes most of the major organs, such as the bladder, kidneys and liver. For women, this also includes the reproductive system.

Abdominal injuries can be caused by injury, illness, employer negligence and even surgical error. Common types of abdominal injury include the following;

• Food poisoning: This is the most common type of abdominal injury. There are thousands of cases of food poisoning across the UK every year. Often food poisoning is caused by bacteria in food that has been stored or cooked improperly, or when restaurant staff have poor hygiene.
• Kidney damage: The kidney removes toxins from your body. If they experience trauma, are affected by a disease or are exposed to certain chemical pollutants their function can be impaired.
• Stab wounds: These can be caused by objects piercing or stabbing the abdomen, severely injuring the internal organs. Such injuries can be life-threatening and life-changing. Victims can have to change their diet and lifestyle after this.

Workplace Abdominal Injuries

There are many types of injuries to internal organs which can happen in the workplace. Certain industries, such as manufacturing or building and construction have particularly high risks. Major incidents which can cause organ damage include forklift crush injuries and those caused by a fall or moving object.

Abdominal Injury After Car Accident

Road traffic accidents are one of the single largest causes of injury to internal organs. These can affect drivers, passengers and pedestrians. Blunt force trauma injuries can be caused by impacts with a steering wheel or the seatbelt. People can also suffer crush injuries and wounds from glass, metal or other injuries caused by sharp objects.

Criminal Abdominal Injuries

Even if you do not know the identity of your assailant, you can still make a claim through the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority, or the CICA.

No Win No Fee Abdominal Injury Claims

No Win No Fee agreements are also known as conditional fee agreements, or CFA’s. They are a type of contract between the person making the claim, and their solicitor. The No Win No Fee agreement means that in the event of an unsuccessful claim, you will not need to pay a single penny.

They also detail any charges you will have to pay if you are successful and how they will be paid. This helps to ensure that there are never any surprises. At Legal Expert, we have no extra fees or hidden costs.

How to Make An Abdominal Injury Claim

Following an abdominal injury or illness which was not your fault, you could be entitled to compensation. At Legal Expert, we can provide all the expert advice and help that you need.

You can contact Legal Expert by:

• Calling us on 0800 073 8804 today
• Completing a contact form
• Using our chat feature

Useful Links

Health and Safety Training
Information from the Health and Safety Executive about correct health and safety training processes.

Accident At Work Claims
Find out how to make a successful abdominal injury compensation claim following an accident at work with Legal Expert.

Other Helpful Guides

• How Much Compensation For A Permanent Scar Injury?
• Cruise Ship Accident Claims
• Military And Armed Forces Injury Claims
• Sick Pay – Do I Get Paid After An Accident At Work?
• Holiday Abroad Accident Claims

Abdominal Injury Claims FAQs

What are some abdominal injuries?

The abdomen can be injured in more than one way. Injuries can be physical, so torn muscles and penetrating wounds are possible. For example, in a road traffic accident.

However, it could be that your injuries are not caused by trauma. For instance, you may have experienced food poisoning at a pub, café or restaurant. If so, then your digestive system could be affected, as they sit in your abdomen too.

It’s also possible that your abdominal injuries could have been caused by a physical attack or another violent crime.

In this case, you may be eligible to make a criminal injury claim. These are processed in a slightly different way so please call our team for more information.

How long after an injury can I make a claim?

Personal injury claims typically have a time limit of 3 years.

How do you assess for abdominal injury?

If you believe you may have suffered an abdominal injury, it’s best to get checked out by a medical professional as soon as possible.

How long do abdominal injury compensation claims take?

The answer to this question can depend on the variables involved. Some injuries may have been sustained in more complex scenarios than others. In these instances, the amount of time it takes to investigate and settle a claim could take longer.

Inversely, a claim could be more straightforward. Therefore, the timescale may be shorter. The best way to find out is to speak directly with our advisors.

How do I prove that my abdominal trauma was caused by negligence?

There are a number of pieces of evidence that you can gather to help support your claim. The more you gather, the better. Examples include:

• CCTV footage – you have the right to request the footage if you appear it. Video evidence

  could highlight whether someone acted negligently by failing to take reasonable steps to keep you safe from harm.

• Photographs – capturing the visual evidence of your injuries or the cause of your injuries can also be useful.
• Witness contact details – if there are others who witnessed your injury, or were injured in a similar way, then they could help corroborate your story.
• Independent medical assessment – this would need to be carried out as part of making your claim. The assessment can help in valuing your claim. Additionally, the medical expert carrying out the assessment will provide an in-depth report on your injuries, including how they were caused.

Reach out to us today if you have any questions about the evidence required for abdomen/stomach injury claims.

Should I accept the first offer of compensation?

If you work with our panel of personal injury lawyers, they can handle your claim every step of the way to help you get the compensation you deserve.

Thanks for reading our abdominal injury claims guide.