Living With a Serious or Catastrophic Injury

Helping you and your family to cope

We know that sustaining a serious injury has an overwhelming financial and emotional impact on both the person suffering the injury, and their family and loved ones.

We can’t make you or your loved one better. But we can help you all cope with the consequences.

If you or your loved one suffered the injury through the negligent actions of someone else, you could be entitled to claim compensation. This should help to provide you with some financial security.

Talk to Thompsons

The claim will seek compensation for a number of items, which could include:

More than a personal injury service - We are leaders in complex claims

But our experienced serious injury solicitors offer more than simply a legal service.

If you decide to instruct us, you will have a dedicated, specialist solicitor working on your case. He or she will be with you every step of the way, offering practical advice alongside the legal expertise.

We have built up relationships with many organisations and charities over the years – and we will work with you, your family and them to help you all through the difficult times ahead. These include:

Specialist consultants and medical experts
Experts on financial affairs
Experts on disability rights
Experts on welfare benefits
Support, advice and care charities
Expert rehabilitation companies
Expert prosthetic companies

If you or a loved one have suffered a serious or fatal injury, you are not alone.

Home adaptation after injury

If you or a loved one has experienced a serious or catastrophic injury in a work, road, or another type of accident, the resulting impact on your daily life may render your existing home unsuitable for your needs. Basic tasks might become impossible without some level of home adaptation. Thompsons' compensation claim for home adaptation solicitors are here to assess your circumstances and accident details to determine if you can seek compensation. The goal is to cover the expenses of necessary home adaptations, allowing you to lead an independent and comfortable life.

In situations where your current home cannot be adequately adapted, our personal injury solicitors aim to address your needs by considering options such as purchasing, building, or adapting another property. A compensation claim for home adaptation costs could encompass various elements, including builder's fees, architect's fees, and the costs of specialist equipment. Additionally, if moving to a different property becomes necessary, the claim may cover estate agent fees, adaptation costs, and the annual expenses of managing a larger house. Adaptations may range from lifts, under-floor heating, and wheelchair access to bathroom conversions, ramps, and accommodations for carers or family.

Thompsons, as Scotland's largest personal injury firm, boasts a success rate of over 90% in the cases it handles, securing approximately £1 million each week for clients. Whether you seek advice, information, or urgent legal representation, contact us today. Explore funding options, including the No Win, No Fee arrangement, by calling us today and consulting with one of our experienced serious injury lawyers.

Car adaptation after injury or accident

For many people who suffer a serious or catastrophic injury, it may no longer be possible to drive a standard factory model car.

Having customised adaptations made to a vehicle may make it possible for some accident victims to continue to drive their own car and enjoy a high level of independence and mobility. For others, the best route may be to buy a new vehicle that has already been adapted to meet specialist needs.

The cost of purchasing a new car or adapting an existing vehicle is something that can be included by our serious injury solicitors in a claim for compensation and our personal injury solicitors are in the ideal position to help achieve this end.

In addition, when necessary, we can help clients achieve the compensation they require to make adaptations to their homes – more information can be found here.

What constitutes an adaptation?

There are many adaptations that can be made to cars in order to enable injured parties to return to independent driving. These include:

Hand controls
Specially placed armrests
Accelerator rings
Lighter power steering
Fitted straps
Fitted handles
Wheel turning devices
Specially designed seats
Adaptations for a wheelchair
Remote control
Electric gears

Talk things through today with one of our experienced serious injury lawyers.

Compensation for specialist aids and equipment

If you or a close family member has experienced a serious or catastrophic injury, the associated treatment may necessitate various aids, therapies, and equipment. These could range from crutches and wheelchairs to physiotherapy, psychotherapy, or occupational therapy, tailored to individual needs and medical advice. Following initial treatment, individuals with life-changing injuries might require specialised equipment and home modifications.

Thompsons Solicitors, with a deep understanding of your needs, has a team of serious injury solicitors who have collaborated with top care experts for years. They prioritise addressing immediate needs and planning for the long term, ensuring you or your loved one receive the best and most advanced aids and equipment for recovery and improved quality of life.

Seeking interim compensation payments when possible, your solicitor will engage experts in various fields, including occupational therapy, care, physiotherapy, speech and language therapy, and assistive technology, highlighting Thompsons' position as one of Scotland's leading firms. The substantial costs associated with cutting-edge aids and equipment, along with future maintenance, updates, and replacements, will be considered in your compensation for specialist aids and equipment claims.

Thompsons, renowned for championing the rights of those with personal injuries, boasts experienced and award-winning personal injury solicitors who can guide you through the complexities of your claim. Contact us today at 0800 0891 331 to consult with one of our serious injury lawyers.

Short term financial assistance after injury

Our serious injury solicitors recognise the financial hardships that often accompany the loss or reduction of income resulting from a serious injury accident. While striving to secure the maximum compensation swiftly, we also understand the need for short-term financial assistance after injury to support you, your family, and any dependents facing vulnerability due to diminished earning capacity.

Facing financial challenges, especially if your injury has rendered you temporarily or permanently unable to work, can be daunting. Loss of income and additional expenses arising from the injury may necessitate interim compensation payments to tide you over until your claim details are resolved. Obtaining these payments can be complex, contingent on the defendant's admission of liability. If denied, your personal injury solicitor may file a court application, with any awarded interim payment deducted from the final sum determined by the court.

Beyond addressing immediate financial needs, interim compensation payments can provide access to crucial treatments. As serious injury claims often involve lengthy processes, obtaining timely and effective treatment is crucial for recovery. If we deem advanced therapies necessary, we will urgently seek an interim payment on your behalf to ensure prompt access to the required treatments. Additionally, interim payments can aid in urgent home modifications, such as ramps, hoists, or adapted kitchen and bathroom equipment, facilitating your return to a modified living space. Thompsons believes that a serious injury should not lead to debt, and our focus is on securing immediate assistance and compensation to alleviate financial burdens.

As Scotland's leading personal injury firm, Thompsons solicitors can assist you with various aspects, including short-term financial assistance after injury through interim compensation payments, insurance rehabilitation payments, welfare benefits, and referrals to relevant charities or organisations.

Compensation for past and future medical and care needs

Making a personal injury claim following a serious accident which causes catastrophic injuries can ensure that you are financially secure as a result of your ongoing needs, or those of your loved one.

The various costs associated with specialist medical treatment, equipment, travel, and ongoing care, sometimes for the entire life of the injured party, are likely to be considerable.

Thompsons Solicitors in Scotland is widely regarded as the nation's leading legal specialist firm for serious, fatal and high-value accident claims and can help you claim compensation for all the expenses and losses incurred as a result of a serious accident. Talk to Thompsons today.

Understanding your situation

Our team has the experience and expertise to help you quickly assess and realise your most immediate and pressing post-accident needs. Be sure to keep receipts and invoices for any ongoing costs so that all expenses you incur can be documented and accounted for in your final settlement.

These may include the following:

carer costs (if you need day-to-day assistance)
specialist treatment costs
home modifications
mobility aids
prosthetic limbs
taxis (if you can't drive)
domestic help

Wherever possible, we seek to ensure interim payments of compensation to cover the cost of living with a serious or catastrophic injury from the outset.

Claiming for future medical risks

It is not always possible to accurately predict how accident injuries might affect a person's future health. This is why in some cases we may decide it is wise to settle on a sum for your injuries in the present while also reserving the right to claim again at a later date – for example, if there is a marked deterioration in your accident-related health.

In the case of a head injury, it may make sense to accept an initial settlement but to reserve the right to return to court in the event that further symptoms such as epilepsy develop in the future. The same may be true of a spinal cord injury – although there might be some impairment but not paralysis in the present, the injured party's condition could deteriorate over time, meaning that further compensation may be essential.

Personal Injury Trusts

A personal injury trust is frequently a very important tool for someone who is claiming compensation for a serious injury, not least because it may allow them to claim certain benefits and local authority care support without falling foul of means tests.

The trust itself may take one of several different possible forms but they all share one thing in common: once compensation is in trust, trustees (which may include the claimant) have control over how the money is spent and managed.

A personal injury trust is also useful to those who have no or limited experience of handling large sums of money or who otherwise lack the capacity to do so, and for child recipients of large compensation sums. Thompsons Solicitors in Scotland has a great deal of experience in helping claimants to set up and manage personal injury trusts – contact us today for more information about how we may be able to help you.

Support and guidance from Scotland's most high-profile personal injury firm

High-value personal injury claims for serious injuries are typically complex and negotiating a suitable sum in an out-of-court settlement may prove difficult. In such situations Thompsons has the necessary experience to take your claim through the courts and we will be on hand to guide you through every step of the process.

Furthermore, if we agree to take your case on, we can protect you from financial risk by representing you on a No Win, No Fee basis.