Paralysis is one of the most serious injuries with dramatic impacts on both the daily lives of the injured person and their families. A paralysis compensation claim is about more than receiving a payout for the injuries resulting from a third party’s negligent actions, along with the financial losses themselves. For many claimants, it can support the healing journey and provide an acknowledgement of the effects such harm has on a person and their loved ones.
At Legal Expert, we understand these effects well. Our solicitors have years of experience across a range of serious injury claims, and yours, or your loved one’s, could benefit from this expertise next. Whether you would like to connect with rehabilitation specialists or need assistance with collecting evidence, one of our expert personal injury solicitors will be there every step of the way.
Key Takeaways
- Per the NHS, paralysis occurs when you cannot move part of or all of your body.
- Paralysis can be temporary or permanent and comes in various forms and severities, including paraplegia, tetraplegia, and hemiplegia.
- A paralysing injury may result from slips and trips, as well as car collisions, falls from height, and defective heavy machinery.
- Compensation for paralysis reflects not only the initial injuries but the significant impact that being partially or fully immobile will have on your daily life.
- Our solicitors can help clients gather evidence and navigate the claims process more broadly under a highly desirable No Win No Fee contract.
For questions, concerns or a free eligibility check, Legal Expert operates an around-the-clock advice service so you can speak to us whenever it suits you. Get in touch today via:
- Call us on 0800 073 8804.
- You can also contact us online by completing a callback form.
- Open the live chat window on screen.
4.8 (466 reviews) The Average Paralysis Compensation Claim Payouts
Per the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG), average paralysis compensation claim payouts range between £60,210 for shorter durations and up to £493,000 for a very severe form. The JCG is a document that may be used by solicitors and other legal professionals alongside relevant medical evidence to determine potential payouts, as it contains suggested compensation for various injuries.
We have taken some of the JCG brackets related to paralysis and used them to create this table.
Compensation Table
Please be aware that the first entry in this compensation table is not a JCG figure, and that this information is intended as guidance only.
| Injury Type | Severity | Guideline |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple Very Severe Injuries + Special Damages | Special damages may be for lost income, rehabilitative care, and medical expenses | Up to £5,000,000+ |
| Injuries Involving Paralysis | Tetraplegia (a) - Factors Considered Include Respiratory Issues and Degree of Residual Movement | £396,140 to £493,000 |
| Paraplegia (b) - Award Will Reflect Level of Independence and Pain Presence | £267,340 to £346,890 | |
| Shorter Durations (c) - Where Death Occurs within a Short Period | £60,210 | |
| Brain Damage | Very Severe (a) - Little/No Environmental Response or Language Function | £344,150 to £493,000 |
| Moderately Severe (b) - Substantial Dependence on Others | £267,340 to £344,150 | |
| Moderate (c)(i) - Moderate to Severe Intellectual Deficit | £183,190 to £267,340 | |
| Back Injuries | Severe (a)(i) - Damage to Spinal Cord and Nerve Roots | £111,150 to £196,450 |
| Severe (a)(ii) - Nerve Root Damage and Sensation Loss | £90,510 to £107,910 | |
| Neck Injuries | Severe (a)(i) - Incomplete Paraplegia | In the region of £181,020 |
| Severe (a)(ii) - Serious Fractures or Spinal Disc Damage | £80,240 to £159,770 |
If you’d like to have a more tailored discussion of paralysis compensation payouts, you can have a chat with one of our friendly advisors at any time during the week.
How Is The Amount Of Compensation For Paralysis Determined?
The amount of compensation for paralysis is determined by examining the severity of the injuries and the impact on your daily life, including the ability to work, the need for care, and associated private medical expenses. Compensation for physical and psychological injuries is covered under general damages, which can be calculated by using the JCG alongside medical evidence.
Any financial losses stemming from the injury, such as the aforementioned costs of care and medical treatment, can be claimed for under special damages; we’ll cover these in the next section.
For general damages, various factors can influence payouts, including:
- The extent of and type of paralysis: paraplegia, tetraplegia, or localised to a single limb.
- The level of pain or loss of sensation.
- Impact on bladder, bowel, and sexual function.
- Psychological damage, such as depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
- Any reduction in your ability to partake in hobbies, leisure activities, sports, and social events. This is referred to as a loss of amenity.
Our advisors can provide a more detailed explanation of how a paralysis compensation claim payout is calculated. Get in touch with the team today via the contact details given below.
What Else Can Compensation Help With After Paralysis?
Compensation can help cover the cost of your rehabilitation, private medical treatments, and additional support after paralysis. By their very nature, paralysis injuries impact mobility, independence, and various daily tasks. Getting the right support can be costly, but special damages can reimburse claimants for this financial impact.
Various examples of special damages have been given in this section. It should be pointed out that they can account for both past and future losses, meaning payouts can be higher than general damages.
Lost Earnings
Payouts for lost earnings can encompass income, pension contributions, and missed bonuses. Even temporary paralysis can impact your ability to work, so the reduction in pay can be substantial. More long-term paralysis may result in you being unable to return to work at all, or having to take a different role or reduced hours. These future losses can also be covered.
Care Costs
Being paralysed can affect your ability to do a variety of daily tasks and lead to lifelong care costs. For instance, you may need support from professional carers or loved ones to assist with preparing meals, supporting dependents, cleaning, or doing DIY and gardening tasks if you cannot do these safely on your own.
Medical Expenses
Prescriptions, physiotherapy, occupational therapy and other private healthcare are all medical expenses which can quickly add up for someone with paralysis. Whether your paralysis is temporary and you need ongoing physiotherapy or require major spinal surgery, your compensation can cover the medical bills resulting from your injuries.
Rehabilitation And Recovery
We touched on this above, but any loss of mobility will require ongoing rehabilitation and recovery support over the short and long term. This support can include physiotherapy sessions, as well as speech and occupational therapy.
Home Adaptations
Even in cases of temporary paralysis, home adaptations like ramps for wheelchairs, additional handrails, and accessible bathroom installations are often necessary. Getting these features installed safely and to the right standards can be expensive, but special damages can help claimants recover these costs.
Adaptations To Car
At some point, you or your loved one may require adaptations to your car to accommodate your paralysis injury and support continued independent living. These features might include hand-operated acceleration and braking, as well as vehicle cameras for safe manoeuvring.
Travel Costs
In cases where the injured person cannot drive at all, the cost of public and private transport to hospital appointments, physiotherapy sessions, and their place of residence can be reimbursed as part of the payout. Moreover, special damages can cover the financial impact of paying for petrol and parking fees.
Miscellaneous Expenses
There can be many other, more miscellaneous expenses, including the repair or replacement of personal property that was damaged in the accident, for example. We should also point out that we haven’t covered every possible example of special damages in this section. However, no matter what costs have been incurred, they can only be claimed for if there is evidence of them, such as receipts and bank statements.
To get a more detailed idea of what special damages could be included in a claim, speak to our advisors today.
Who Can Claim Compensation For Paralysis?
Anyone can claim compensation for paralysis if it can be demonstrated that a third party was responsible for the injury through their negligent acts (or failure to act). Essentially, this involves establishing that someone else failed to fulfil the duty of care they owed to you or a loved one. A duty of care refers to a legal responsibility for the safety of others, and, as you’ll see below, this obligation can vary depending on the circumstances.
The general eligibility requirements have been provided here:
- You were owed a duty of care by a third party.
- This duty was breached in some way.
- That breach resulted in a serious accident in which you or a loved one became paralysed.
Can I Make A Claim On Behalf Of A Paralysed Loved One?
Yes, you can definitely make a claim on behalf of a paralysed loved one if they are unable to claim for themselves. There are 2 scenarios where this is possible:
- First, the injured person is under 18 years of age, and therefore cannot start their claim until they reach adulthood.
- Second, the injured person lacks sufficient mental capacity to direct the claim independently of another person.
In order to get the claim started sooner, an eligible adult can step in as their litigation friend. While it is common to see parents or guardians fulfil the role of litigation friend, any adult who meets the suitability requirements could claim on behalf of someone else from one of the above groups.
You can get a free eligibility check, whether for yourself or a loved one, by speaking to our advisors today. They are on hand 24/7 via the contact details given in this guide.
4.8 (466 reviews) What Accidents Could Lead To A Paralysis Compensation Claim?
Falls from height, car collisions, malfunctioning machinery, and slips or trips are just some examples of accidents that could lead to a paralysis compensation claim. We have covered a few such scenarios below.
Road Traffic Accidents
Paralysis can result from many kinds of road traffic accidents, including high-speed collisions, as well as pile-ups and incidents involving motorcyclists and bicycles. All road users have a responsibility to one another to do everything they can to avoid causing harm to each other and themselves. This is their duty of care, which also requires them to abide by both the Highway Code and the Road Traffic Act 1988.
Breaching these rules and regulations can have serious consequences, including:
- A fatigued HGV driver is too tired to pay attention to their surroundings and swings wide as you are cycling towards the junction. You are hit by the HGV, leading to severe spinal cord injuries and lower paralysis that puts an end to your career.
Accidents At Work
Many accidents at work can lead to paralysis, including crushes, malfunctioning heavy machinery, and falls from scaffolding or other high places. All staff are owed a duty of care by their employers, as per the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. This legislation requires employers to take reasonable steps to ensure the safety, health, and well-being of workers.
An example of this not happening and leading to a serious accident would be:
- Your father was working as a team leader on a construction site. He was directing a forklift driver to move pallets of materials when the lifting arm gave way and the load fell, crushing his legs and causing significant nerve damage. The contractor had neglected to carry out the necessary maintenance inspections, and a fault with the forklift truck had therefore been missed.
Public Liability Accidents
Often, public liability accidents can result from poorly maintained or slippery surfaces, as well as hazards that are not properly signposted. The Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957 imposes a duty of care on those in control of public areas (the ‘occupier’), such as parks, shops, and leisure facilities, to take practical steps to ensure the reasonable safety of visitors.
Failing to ensure a visitor’s reasonable safety can lead to a public place accident like the following:
- While completing your weekly shop, you trip and fall on a pothole in the supermarket car park. Despite repeated reports from staff of the danger posed, the management team had failed to arrange timely repairs or cordon off the pothole. Due to nerve damage sustained in the fall, you experienced temporary paralysis in both legs.
Other circumstances can lead to a serious accident where one or more persons become paralysed. You can share the specifics of what happened to you or your loved one by talking to our advisors.
What If Medical Negligence Caused Paralysis?
If medical negligence caused the paralysis, then a compensation claim can be made if there is proof that substandard care was given and directly led to a patient suffering unnecessarily. Surgical mistakes, medication errors, and a failure to properly manage infections can all result in brain or nerve damage that leads to paralysis.
Medical professionals are required to provide care that meets the correct standards. A failure to meet standards that results in a patient experiencing otherwise avoidable pain and suffering may constitute medical negligence. If this occurs, compensation can be sought. You can learn more about claiming for medical negligence by talking to one of our advisors today.
How To Claim For Paralysis After Assault
To claim for paralysis after an assault, you may need to go through the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) if other avenues are not available to you or your family. The CICA is a government-sponsored agency established to provide victims of violent crimes in Great Britain with a means of seeking compensation.
In order to claim through the CICA, you’ll need to meet various eligibility criteria and ensure that the crime was reported to the police
The CICA Paralysis Compensation Claim Amounts
CICA paralysis compensation claim amounts are paid out according to a fixed tariff set by The Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme 2012. We have taken figures from the tariff for use in this table. Please note that the top row for £500,000 is the maximum that can be awarded by the CICA for a single claim.
| Type of Injury | Severity | Tariff Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple Very Severe Injuries with Loss of Earnings and Special Expenses (e.g. Home Adaptations, Care Costs, Property Damage) | Very Severe | Up to £500,000 |
| Major Paralysis - Quadriplegia - Paralysis of Upper and Lower Limbs | Substantially Complete to Both Limb Levels | £250,000 |
| Substantially Complete to Lower Limbs, Substantially Incomplete to Upper Limbs | £175,000 | |
| Substantially Incomplete to Both Limb Level | £44,000 | |
| Major Paralysis - Paraplegia - Paralysis of Lower Limbs | Substantially Complete | £175,000 |
| Moderate - Substantially Incomplete | £110,000 | |
| Minimal | £27,000 | |
| Major Paralysis - Hemiplegia - Paralysis in One Half of Body | Severe | £110,000 |
| Moderate | £55,000 | |
| Mild | £27,000 |
To learn more about claiming criminal injuries compensation, please feel free to have a chat with one of our advisors today.
4.8 (466 reviews) How To Make A Paralysis Compensation Claim
To make a paralysis compensation claim, you will want to create an official medical record of your injuries, gather evidence, and seek guidance from a specialist solicitor. Whether you do this for yourself or on behalf of a loved one, the process remains largely the same.
Get Medical Help
Getting medical help after any accident is key, but it takes on increased importance for serious injuries, such as paralysis. In cases of suspected paralysis or spinal damage, you will likely get treatment at a hospital A&E.
While the health and well-being of the injured is the primary concern, the medical records generated from this treatment can form a central part of the evidence needed when claiming compensation.
Gather Evidence
Once the immediate medical emergency has passed, you should set about gathering supporting evidence. We’ve included some examples of such evidence for you here:
- Medical records: as we said above, your or your loved one’s medical records will demonstrate what injuries were sustained and how serious they were. This can include copies of scans and other tests, surgical reports, and notes from physical examinations.
- CCTV or dashcam footage of the accident taking place.
- Photographs of the injuries sustained, the scene of the accident and what caused it. For photographs of potholes, it’s beneficial to illustrate the dimensions with a ruler or measuring tape. The solicitor may also organise a professional accident scene photographer.
- Following an accident in the workplace, a copy of the incident report from the workplace accident book can be taken.
- Other workplace records may also be used to demonstrate inadequacies in health and safety policies. This could include records relating to training or maintenance practices.
- Colleagues, other drivers, and members of the public could act as witnesses for the claim. So, be sure to give all relevant contact information to the solicitor to help them take statements as part of the claims process.
- If you or a loved one were paralysed in a road accident, you’ll also need the contact details of those involved in the incident, as well as their insurance and vehicle registration.
Record How The Paralysis Has Affected You
It is a good idea to record how the paralysis has affected you by keeping a diary during both the medical care and recovery. This should pay particular attention to any symptoms and the mental state of you or your loved one. Additionally, record any medical care received, the side effects of medications, and how you were feeling during therapy sessions.
Seek Advice
Legal Expert’s dedicated advisory team can offer free advice and tell you if you have a valid claim in just a few minutes. Once our advisors have assessed the potential claim, you can be put in touch with an expert personal injury solicitor.
Getting professional advice will give you a better idea about compensation payouts, as well as enable you to get support with tasks such as evidence gathering and drafting relevant documents. We will explore what our solicitors can do for clients like you shortly.
If you need further information or are looking for a free eligibility check, talk to one of our advisors today. They can also discuss how one of our solicitors can provide support, such as evidence gathering, for your particular case.
Paralysis Claims Time Limit
In most instances, the paralysis claims time limit is 3 years from the accident date, in accordance with the Limitation Act 1980. Circumstances where exceptions to the general rule do apply; you can find out about these by reading our guide on time limits.
Why Claim For Paralysis Compensation With Legal Expert
When you claim for paralysis compensation with Legal Expert, you are accessing the collective years of knowledge and experience of a highly trusted firm. Some of our solicitors have careers that span almost 30 years, and in that time, we have won over £85 million in compensation, and your claim could be next.
What Legal Expert Can Do For You
A solicitor is not there to simply argue with the defendants on your behalf, but to provide a whole range of services, support and legal advice that is built around your particular needs. We are just a few of the things one of our solicitors could do for you:
- Ensuring you or your family member receives the appropriate medical treatment, rehabilitation, and therapy needed to cope with the injuries.
- Supporting you with the task of collecting and reviewing evidence, including witness statements and medical records.
- Providing a thorough assessment of your potential compensation payout.
- Keeping you informed of the claim’s progress and explaining all the jargon; we also have a handy legal glossary to help you navigate the tricky terminology.
- Negotiating a settlement on your behalf that reflects the extent of your pain, suffering, and, financial loss.
- Ensuring your claim is presented by a capable and experienced barrister at trial, if the dispute progresses to that stage,
Legal Expert’s solicitors can offer eligible claimants a Conditional Fee Agreement, or CFA. This particular contract ensures they can get started on a claim without charging any upfront or ongoing service fees for the work they do on a case. There will also be no solicitor’s fee if the claim is lost.
If you win, you’ll pay a success fee to your solicitor that is deducted as a percentage of the compensation. The Conditional Fee Agreements Order 2013 places a legally binding cap on the percentage, so most of the compensation will go directly to you.
Contact Our No Win No Fee Solicitors
Our advisors can put you through to one of our highly experienced No Win No Fee solicitors if you have a valid claim. The team can also provide additional free advice and guidance, so why not talk to us today?
Our advisors are available at any time using the contact information given here:
- Call us on 0800 073 8804.
- You can also contact us online by completing a callback form.
- Open the live chat window on screen.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are a few quickfire questions to provide some general answers on claiming for paralysis injuries.
How Is Paralysis Caused?
Paralysis is caused by damage to the nerves or areas of the brain that control the movement of the limbs. Serious accidents such as car crashes or crush injuries are frequent causes of such damage.
Is Paralysis Considered A Permanent Disability?
Paralysis is not always considered a permanent disability, as persons with less severe nerve damage can regain the ability to walk and complete daily activities through long-term physiotherapy and other support.
How Much Compensation For Paralysis Can I Get?
As we examined above, how much compensation for paralysis you can get may range anywhere from £396,140 to £493,000 for tetraplegia. You can get more tailored guidance by contacting our team.
Is There Treatment Available For Paralysis?
Available treatment for paralysis includes physiotherapy to avoid muscle wasting and occupational therapy to help you adapt to your injuries. Medications for pain, muscle spasms and any stiffness in the limbs may also be used.
Learn More
Get further guidance on serious injury claims here:
- Read our stroke-related paralysis case study.
- Find out how you or a loved one could get help from a traumatic brain injury lawyer to seek compensation.
- Learn more about claiming for a fractured spine following a major accident.
These additional resources provide further information:
- The NHS has issued this guidance on when to get medical attention for back pain.
- The Health and Safety Executive has published this resource on vehicle safety, design and maintenance.
- You may be entitled to Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) if you are off work for 3 consecutive days. Learn more on this government page.
Thank you for reading our guide to making a paralysis compensation claim.
