How is serious injury compensation worked out?
There is no simple formula that dictates how much compensation a person will receive for serious or catastrophic personal injuries. This is because the breakdown of a settlement will always depend both on the circumstances of the accident as well as the individual situation of the person who sustained personal injury.
Whatever your case, Thompsons' serious and fatal accident solicitors in Scotland are committed to ensuring that you receive the maximum possible sum of compensation within the minimum possible timeframe. For more information about how we may be able to help you, please contact your local Thompsons office.
Talk to Thompsons today.
Compensation for pain and suffering
Serious and catastrophic personal injuries inevitably cause pain and suffering; your compensation settlement should account for this fact. However, the amount you receive will depend on a number of factors. These include the following:
- The severity of your injuries,
- Your recovery time,
- Your psychological suffering, and
- The extent of your long-term suffering and the ongoing effects on your life.
Authoritative early advice
Thompsons Solicitors in Scotland is widely regarded as the leading personal injury law firm in the country. We have earned our reputation by representing many of the most high profile and high value serious accident claims in Scotland.
Our experience and expertise mean that we are ideally placed to make an early assessment of your situation and to gauge not only your claim's likelihood of success but also its eventual value.
We always put you first and provide honest and straightforward advice. We explain your options in detail so that you can understand exactly what to expect from the claims process. Furthermore, if we believe that your claim is suitable, we will represent it on No Win, No Fee basis, thereby protecting you from all possible financial risk if your claim is unsuccessful. If you win your claim, Thompsons' fee will be capped at an agreed rate. We will always discuss this with you at the outset of your claim and provide you with full details of our clear and transparent fee structure.
First steps to calculating and claiming compensation for pain and suffering
We begin by taking the essential details of your accident and injuries. We then instruct a medical report on your injuries from an independent specialist. This includes a picture of your injuries as they are now and a prognosis detailing their likely future impact. Once we have this report, we are able to compare your situation with those of other claimants who have experienced similar circumstances – this can help us establish some idea of your claim's likely value.
Furthermore, we keep abreast of developments in law, as well as all the most recent decisions of the Courts, so you can be sure that we will always work to establish a contemporary and accurate early valuation of your claim.
Predicting settlement amounts
Any compensation settlement for a serious or fatal accident will depend on your personal circumstances – for example, your level of pre-accident earnings, your likely pre-accident career progression and your level of contributory negligence towards the accident – as such, it is impossible there could be significant variation in full settlement amounts from one claim to another.
However, it is safe to say that certain types of injury are valued at standard amounts in terms of pain and suffering – our compensation calculator can help you gain a rough idea of how much compensation you might receive for the fact of injury alone.
Bereavement damages
If you have lost a loved one to a fatal accident in Scotland, you may be able to claim bereavement damages.
You may be able to claim if you are a:
- Spouse
- Civil partner
- Parent
- Child
- Sibling
Scotland differs from the rest of the UK in that there is no statutory limit on the level of bereavement damages you may be awarded. Settlement amounts are calculated on the following basis:
- The nature of the relationship between the deceased and the pursuer;
- The impact the death has had on the pursuer; and
- The age of the pursuer.
Claim compensation with Thompsons following a serious or fatal accident
Thompsons cannot turn back the clock, but we can ensure that those responsible for a serious or fatal accident are held to account and that those who have been adversely affected are properly compensated for their pain and suffering.
Furthermore, we are also dedicated to ensuring that you receive the practical support you need, whether this is specialist treatment, rehabilitation, equipment, home adaptations or interim financial support.
