What could my personal injury claim be worth?

What could my personal injury claim be worth?

It can be confusing after suffering an injury to know what you have to do to obtain compensation and what compensation you may potentially be entitled to. There is no simple guide for claimants as to what their claim may be worth. After being involved in an accident it can be a confusing and stressful time. This article today will help to take away some of that confusion by giving you a general guide as to what certain categories of personal injuries may be worth. Please note this article is a general guide and should not be taken or relied on as legal advice. We have focused on a selection of some of the main types of injuries that we see in the personal injury claims that we deal with.

Psychiatric Harm

Psychiatric harm can arise in many types of claims, from a bullying and harassment case to mental health problems caused by a breach of personal data. The court when valuing psychiatric harm will take into account factors such as :

• ability to cope with life, education and work
• effect on relationships
• whether treatment would be successful
• prognosis and future vulnerability
• and extent of associated physical injuries

The claims awarded can vary a lot depending on the above factors and the injuries are categorised into broad categories as follows:

• Severe psychiatric damage. Where the prognosis is very poor for the claimant an award between £82,000 and £210,000 is estimated.
• More moderately severe psychiatric damage is likely to command an award between £47,500 and £125,000.
• Moderate psychiatric injuries normally fall within a bracket of £12,000 – £48,500 and
• Minor psychiatric damage claims can be worth up to £15,000.

In addition to general psychiatric harm, post traumatic stress disorder injuries can expect awards in the region of the following:

• Severe cases which will involve permanent effects which will prevent the claimant from working or functioning at anything approaching the pre incident level can reach awards of between £60,000 to £120,000.
• Moderately severe. Where some recovery is expected then the award may reach between £45,000 to £95,000.
• Moderate. Where the claimant has largely recovered then the estimated value of their case is between £12,000 to £48,500.
• In minor cases the award can be between £4,500 and £13,000.

Neck Injuries

There can be a wide variance of the types of neck injuries that we come across in personal injury claims. We find that many of these claims are found in conjunction with back and shoulder injuries.

• Neck injury associated with incomplete paraplegia £145,000 – £370,000
• Severe neck injury less than the above £90,000 – £180,000
• Severe damage to soft tissues or ruptured tendons, leading to permanent disability £40,000 – £130,000
• Injuries causing severe immediate symptoms £50,000 – £90,000
• Whiplash or wrenching type injury and disc lesion of the more severe type, which may result in serious limitation of movement £30,000 – £60,000
• Relatively minor injuries with a complete recovery within a few years £12,500 – £30,000
• Minor neck injuries
  • Full recovery within one to two years – up to £12,500
  • Full recovery within several months and a year – up to £5,000
  • Full recovery up to a few months – up to £3,000

Back and Upper Body Injuries

• Severe back injuries £150,000 – £300,000
• Serious back injuries involving disc lesions or fractures vertebral bodies £60,000 – £110,000
• Permanent disability of less severity than the higher categories £35,000 – £60,000
• Moderate back injuries £17,000 – £50,000
• Minor back injuries
  • Where full recovery takes place without surgery within two to five years £12,000 – £30,000
  • Where full recovery takes place within several months and two years – up to £18,000
  • Where a full recovery takes place up to a few months – up to £4,000

• Fracture of sternum – up to £20,000

Shoulder Injuries

• Dislocation of the shoulder and damage to the lower part of the brachial plexus – £25,000 – £90,000
• Moderate injury – £12,000 – £30,000
• Minor shoulder injury –
  • Simple fracture of clavicle – up to £14,000
  • Soft tissue injury with considerable pain but recovery in less than a year – up to £12,000

Wrist Injuries

• Injuries resulting in complete loss of function in the wrist – £42,000 – £87,000
• Wrist injuries resulting in significant permanent residual disability – £34,000 – £70,000
• Permanent disability but less severe – £21,000 – £50,000
• Where recovery to the wrist injury is complete – up to £17,000
• Uncomplicated Colles fracture – up to £9,000
• Minor fractures and soft tissue injuries – up to £7,000

The above gives you an example of the type of awards that can be made in a personal injury claim in Northern Ireland.

Book a free consultation now to speak to an expert Personal Injury solicitor Belfast who can guide you as to what your case is worth, taking in to account the specific circumstances of your case.