A Life Changing Injury – What Is It And How Can We Help?
What is a life changing injury?
Life-changing injuries (also called traumatic or catastrophic injuries) are generally defined as injuries that are so serious that they result in some form of permanent disability, long-term health problems and/or a reduction in a person’s life expectancy. In other words, they are injuries that have the effect of changing a person’s life for the future.
It would be impossible to draw up a complete list of injuries to accurately describe all “life changing” Injuries, however, some of the most common are:
How are life changing injuries caused?
They are commonly caused by incidents on the road, falls or assaults. People can also be injured in various ways including swimming and skiing accidents, road traffic accidents, accidents at work or falling from height and medical procedures that have gone wrong.
Can the NHS provide me with all the help I need?
The NHS are fantastic at providing medical help, particularly in what’s called the ‘acute’ phase which is the first few weeks after a trauma, but remember that their primary job is to get you well enough to be either discharged or moved to a more specialist ward or hospital. However, with long waiting times and resources that are often stretched, and even more so during the pandemic, it is often difficult to get the treatment you need quickly.
Why do I need a solicitor when I have suffered a personal injury?
By instructing a solicitor early, they can liaise with the Defendant insurer and get you the early rehabilitation required to start rebuilding your life. In our experience, financial compensation is not the first and only thing seriously injured clients need or want, they want to get better quickly and to do this they need the best and earliest rehab intervention. At HJA we engage with the Rehabilitation Code at the outset to ensure that your needs are assessed. This could include physiotherapy treatment, occupational therapy treatment, speech and language therapy and many more.
What happens after I have instructed a HJA personal injury solicitor?
When instructed, our first step is to meet both the client and their family and assess capacity and the current living situation. We often meet seriously injured clients in hospital or, at home, when they have been recently discharged. It is usually a family member who contacts us in the first instance as they are often overwhelmed by the situation and usually cannot see a way forward. Our job is to reassure them, listen to their immediate concerns and needs and offer immediate help. We will suggest solutions to make the situation easier for the injured and their family to manage.
Once we have reassured the family and any capacity issues have been dealt with, our next step is to write to the defendant as swiftly as possible and put them on notice of the claim and the injuries sustained as a result of the accident. We also ask them to agree we can arrange an immediate needs assessment. A case manager is appointed (often on a joint basis) to carry out the assessment.
The report details all of the injured person’s immediate needs including rehab/treatment needs, care and assistance and money issues. The case manager & solicitor can then organise the recommended help and treatment required. The role and relationship between the case manager, the solicitor and the client is crucial as it can often last many years and we organise everything to take the pressure off the client including early rehabilitation, benefit entitlement, accommodation needs, psychological support, childcare and cleaning help and any aides or equipment.
What sets our serious injury solicitors apart from others?
- We arrange for our client’s needs to be met, at the earliest opportunity, and as the claim goes along, which can often take a number of years depending on the complexities of the injuries and the client’s situation. The earlier the HJA Personal Injury Team gets involved the better the outcome for the injured person and their family.
- As soon as you instruct Hodge Jones & Allen we begin the process of gathering evidence to show what happened so we can prove the defendant is at fault. If liability is admitted then we proceed with the case manager recommendations. If denied and we believe we have a good claim then we may have to start Court proceedings.
- Our primary focus is to help you gain answers, resolution, care and compensation. We maintain regular lines of communication with the client, the family and insurer where appropriate.
- We keep our clients and their families updated on a regular basis. Claims are by nature stressful so families need clear advice. The client’s needs and wishes are paramount throughout our involvement.
If you or your loved one have suffered a serious personal injury due to somebody’s else negligence, you may be entitled to compensation to help get your life back on track. For a free consultation with our specialist personal injury experts please call us today 0808 271 9413 or request a call back online.