Why choose experienced serious head injury compensation claims solicitors?

If you or a loved one has suffered a serious head or brain injury resulting from an accident caused by someone else, Thompsons head injury solicitors may be able to help you claim compensation. We are often able to offer our services on a No Win No Fee basis, which means you are never left out of pocket at a time when you are likely to be experiencing financial difficulties.

Dealing with the consequences of a serious head injury is life-changing and the effects reach far beyond the individual. It is usually friends and family who are the first to provide support, often delivering round the clock care while coming to terms with their own sense of loss.

What is a severe head injury?

A diagnosis of severe head injury is typically made using a CT scan as well as the diagnostic criteria of the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS). The GCS places brain injuries on a scale from 3 to 15 with 3 the most severe and 15 the least severe.

Any GCS score of 13 or above would be classed as a minor head injury; a score of 9 to 12 would be a moderate head injury, and a score of 8 or less would indicate a severe head injury.

It may not always be immediately obvious that a person has a severe head injury. For example, an individual may initially score 9 on the GCS but later be reassessed and score 5 or 6.

Symptoms of a severe head injury may include the following:

• Impaired language and speech
• Difficulty staying awake
• Sensory disturbance such as double vision
• Discharge of blood or fluid from the ears or nose
• Repeated vomiting
• Poor co-ordination
• Swelling or bruising around the eyes or behind the ears

What are the types of severe head injury?

There are many types of severe head injury and even more possible complications. Some of these include the following:

Diffuse axonal injury: A diffuse axonal injury involves swelling and brain damage across multiple areas of the brain. This can be one of the most dangerous brain injuries. In some cases, it may cause permanent damage or even death.

Haemorrhage: A brain haemorrhage is characterised by bleeding within the skull. This bleeding can be in the space between the brain and the skull (extradural and subdural haemorrhages), within the tissue of the brain (intracerebral haemorrhage), and as a type of stroke (subarachnoid haemorrhage).

Hypoxic brain injury: Hypoxic brain injury: This type of injury is caused by disruption to the brain's oxygen supply. It may take some time to achieve diagnosis as hypoxia is often a side-effect of an incident that does not involve the brain – for example, smoke inhalation or a heart attack.

Haematoma: A subdural haematoma is caused by damage to a blood vessel between the brain and the skull. This can cause a build-up of pressure inside the skull and may result in unconsciousness or even fatality.

Intracranial hypertension: IH occurs when pressure builds up inside the skull. There are numerous causes of IH including injuries such as chronic subdural haematoma.

Skull fractures: When the skull is broken or penetrated during an incident this is known as a compound fracture or open head injury and the outer layer of the brain may have been breached. Other skull fractures may be simple (closed), linear, depressed or basal and all carry the risk of underlying brain damage.

How might a severe head injury occur?

The majority of head injuries are usually a result of blunt impact trauma to the head or as a result of shaking and vibration occurring on impact. These are most commonly found in young children but can also occur in road traffic accidents and other incidents.

Common causes of severe head injury include:

• Falls from height
• Being struck by a falling object
• A slip or trip
• A car, motorcycle or bicycle accident
• A sports-related accident 
• Medical negligence.

What are the effects of a severe head injury?

Severe brain injuries affect whole families rather than just individuals. Those involved are likely to find their routines altered and may sustain lost earnings as a result of caring for a brain-injured person.

Depression and anxiety are common among family members coping with emotional, personality and behavioural changes in the injured person.

Head injury compensation

Every claim for a severe head injury is unique, and your level of compensation will depend on your individual circumstances. At the most serious end, where there is permanent brain damage, marked personality change, and a need for lifelong care, settlements in Scotland have reached several hundred thousand pounds. Your solicitor will consider the medical evidence, the way your injury has altered your day-to-day life, and the projected costs of your rehabilitation and ongoing care before arriving at a figure.

Why choose Thompsons for your severe head injury claim?

Thompsons Solicitors is one of the top personal injury firms in Scotland with expertise in the highest value and most complex claims, including those involving severe head injury. We only act for the injured and wronged, never for employers or insurers.

Our brain injury solicitors will instruct medical experts to assess the injury and its long-term effects. We consider how it will affect your lifestyle, your ability to work and your need for specialist support. Information about brain injury rehabilitation is available on our site.

Whenever possible, we secure prompt interim payments to cover immediate rehabilitation, treatment or home adaptation costs. More on short-term financial assistance is available here.

Frequently asked questions

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Contact Thompsons to find out how Scotland's leading personal injury firm can help you with your severe head injury claim. Call us today without obligation.