Head & brain injury compensation claims

What is a serious head or brain injury?

The term serious injury is usually used to describe any injury that has had a significant impact on your daily life and will continue to impact your future. A serious injury also typically affects those around you, especially if you need care and help to continue functioning as you did before you were injured.

If you're unsure whether you or your loved one has suffered a serious injury, the following information can help. If you have experienced any of the below then it's likely you've suffered a serious head injury and a brain injury settlement would help support your future:

• Lengthy, ongoing or repeated hospital treatment
• Significant time off work, or you're unable to return to work at all
• You're unable to return to work in the same role or hours
• You've received any care or support from loved ones, even when that care was given for free
• You're no longer able to continue activities and hobbies in yourspare time

If you'd like to speak to us about any of the above or are unsure if you have a brain injury claim please contact us for free on . Our friendly legally trained advisors are here to listen and to help. If you wish to proceed, they can put you in touch with the right brain injury claim solicitors.

How are brain injuries caused?

Sadly, brain and head injuries can be caused in any number of ways, from collisions on the road to accidents playing sport, trips at work, or even because of illness. 

However, if you or a family member has suffered a brain injury that was caused by someone else's negligence, no matter how minor, you could be entitled to head injury compensation. 

If you're unsure whether you have a brain injury claim, please feel free to speak to one our friendly advisors on .

What kinds of head and brain injury should I be aware of?

Broadly speaking there are a few different types of head injury, all with their own prognoses and treatments. They are:

Concussion

Concussions occur when someone has a bump on the head, usually making them lose consciousness for a period of time. Sometimes they are not knocked out, however, but suffer other symptoms like confusion and dizziness.

Concussions can happen at any time, for example as the result of a fall at home, but also they are seen on the sports field, particularly in contact sports like rugby and American football, as well as accidents at work and collisions involving vehicles.

Common symptoms include:

• Loss of consciousness. This can be brief or over a longer period of time
• Ongoing headaches after the injury
• Confusion, including forgetfulness and feeling disorientated
• Loss of memory, particularly the ability to remember new things
• Sudden problems with balance and dizziness
• Finding it hard to speak clearly and slurring your words
• Problems with vision, including finding it hard to read a book or magazine

Concussions can be worse under certain conditions, including if the person suffering the concussion is elderly; if they have been drinking alcohol or taking drugs; or if they bleed easily, either through haemophilia or through taking anti-coagulant medication which stops blood clotting.

People who suffer a concussion will need to go to hospital - usually Accident and Emergency (A&E) - and may need to be monitored for up to two days. This is because the symptoms listed above could be signs of a more serious condition such as a subdural haematoma or subarachnoid haemorrhage.

Subdural haematoma

This is a condition in which blood pools between the surface of the brain and the skull. Its symptoms are very like that of a severe concussion, including feeling sick, having a headache and getting confused for no reason.

These symptoms can develop straight away, especially after a major head injury, or they can develop slowly in the weeks following a minor one. People experiencing these symptoms should get to A&E or call an ambulance as soon as possible, as this can be considered a serious injury.

Subarachnoid haemorrhage

This refers to an injury caused by bleeding on the surface of the brain. Fortunately, it isn't very common, but the NHS says it makes up 6-8% of strokes affecting people in the UK. There are usually no warning signals and symptoms can happen instantly.

The causes vary but can include exerting yourself when lifting something heavy or doing hard exercise. Symptoms include feeling sick, blurred vision and a very bad, sudden headache.

Open-head injury

Unlike in the above examples, you can see straight away when someone has suffered an open-head injury, because the injured person will have either violently hit their head or an object has pierced their skull.

It is sometimes called a penetrating head injury and it can have a number of different causes, such as trips and falls, workplace accidents and violent crime. The symptoms and treatments vary greatly, depending on how bad the injury is and where it is on the head.

Diffuse axonal injury

This is an injury in which the connections between cells in the brain get broken. It can occur when the head is jolted around in an accident such as a car accident. It can be described as a "shearing injury", as the brain moves back and forth inside the head. Sadly, it is a major cause of  brain damage and can have serious consequences for those who survive a road traffic accident.

How do I make a brain injury claim?

Put simply, we are here to help. We know that head and brain injuries can be particularly damaging to families and friends of loved ones. For the patient, a head or brain injury can be a traumatic experience that leaves people feeling confused and afraid.

We can only imagine what you are going through right now, but we do have vast amounts of experience in helping people like you claim the head injury compensation you need and deserve. Even if you're only seeking minor brain injury compensation, our network of brain injury compensation solicitors is on hand to help. 

When you feel ready, give us a call on . We'll talk to you about the circumstances of the accident and how it has affected your life, health and finances - as well as the people around you.

We'll ask you a few questions so that we can get a feel for your head or brain injury claim and help you to the best of our ability. But we won't grill you - the last thing we'll do is make you uncomfortable.

Before you call, it's a good idea to make a note of a few things:

• Roughly when did your accident happen?
• What medical treatment have you received and when did it start/finish?
• Are you suffering pain, or has it stopped now?
• Did you need to take time off work?
• How has your daily life changed?
• Have you had to buy things or change the way you live to make life easier?

If we think you have a good chance of securing head injury compensation or minor brain injury compensation because of what happened to you, we'll say so straight away. Then we'll ask for permission to put you in touch with a head injury claims solicitor.

We'll keep your details private and you don't have to progress your brain injury claim if you don't want to. But if you do want to, we'll take the next steps towards helping you secure head injury compensation.

Is there a time limit to make a brain injury claim?

As with all personal injury claims, most brain injury claims must be started within three years from the date of the incident, otherwise the court can stop proceedings. However, parents can make a claim on behalf of children who suffer a brain injury any time until their 18th birthday. They then have three years until their 21st birthday to make a claim of their own. 

If a brain injury affects someone's mental capacity, the deadline could also be extended.

If you have you been a victim of a criminal assault, you have a two-year time limit to seek brain injury compensation.

Can I make a brain injury compensation claim on someone's behalf?

Head and brain injuries can leave people completely dependent on those around them and we know that some of the people who are thinking of contacting us will be doing so on somebody else's behalf.

If you're reading this as the family member or friend of somebody who has suffered a head injury, provided that the family member has legal authority to act on the claimant's behalf, we could help you understand the process of making a claim.

In fact, our solicitors are experienced in helping loved one's make a claim on their friend or family members behalf, which means they can help to make the process as straightforward and transparent as possible.

If you'd like to read more about making a brain injury claim on a loved one's behalf, please visit our dedicated page here. We also have a page of content dedicated to making a claim on a child's behalf.

Can I make a claim if a loved one has died from their brain injury?

Yes. If your loved one has died as a result of a brain or head injury caused by the negligence of someone else, it is likely you will be able to receive some form of head injury compensation.

How can compensation for a brain injury help?

We know that money can't wind back the clock or change the circumstances of your accident. It can't make people well again. But it can help you cope more easily with daily life after a major brain or head injury.

Once you've been discharged from hospital, you may need treatment, such as physiotherapy to help with problems like weakness or coordination arising from your injury. You may require occupational therapy to assess changes to your home to suit your needs. We understand that all these services cost money, which can add to the stress of the situation. 

We realise that head and brain injuries can be extremely difficult to cope with emotionally, and this type of injury can often affect your mental wellbeing. If this is the case, you may have had to undergo psychological therapy such as cognitive behavioural therapy.

Brain injury compensation can be spent in a number of ways, for example to purchase new equipment to help in the home. It could pay for modified transport or professional care if it's required. It can also simply fill a gap in wages if you've had to take time off work.

Your brain injury compensation lawyer will take any rehabilitation and treatment costs into account when helping with your claim and will do their best to make sure these expenses are covered.

In some cases,you may be able to receive an interim payment before your final amount to cover the immediate costs of treating your brain injury.

Whatever your circumstances, it's worth giving us a call to chat through your situation and hear from our team about the chances of a successful claim. Your final settlement can reduce the impact of a major injury on your daily activities and can help you live your life to the fullest. A friendly, no-obligation chat could be your first step towards it.

Can I make a no win no fee brain injury claim?

Absolutely. Our brain injury claim solicitors often work on a no win no fee basis, meaning you pay nothing upfront and only pay if your head or brain injury claim is successful. It's also sometimes called a conditional fee agreement.

The idea is to take the risk out of a claim for personal injury compensation, so you won't be left out of pocket. If the claim is successful, then the fee is taken as a percentage of your compensation. This will always be agreed with you beforehand. If you don't win, you won't pay a penny, provided you take out the correct insurance. But don't worry, we can help you arrange this too.

Why choose National Accident Helpline's solicitors to make a brain injury claim?

At National Accident Helpline we've been helping people just like you for over 26 years - earning a rating of ‘Excellent' on Trustpilot to further demonstrate our success. 

We're here to help you get the head injury compensation you deserve. To find out how we can help, simply fill in the callback form below and one of our friendly legal experts will get back to you. Once we've talked through your brain injury claim, we'll put you in touch with an expert brain injury compensation lawyer.