Back Injury Compensation
Your back is made up of three different areas:
- The Cervical Spine (the upper part which is normally referred to as your neck)
- The Thoracic Spine (the middle part)
- The Lumbar Spine (the lower part)
When discussing back injuries we will normally be referring to the lower and middle part of your spine and the surrounding muscles/tissues. The upper part of your spine and surrounding muscles and tissues are known as your neck.
Compensation claims for back injury normally refer to claims where your lower mid spine is injured in an accident.
You could have injured your back in a car accident, accident at work or fall in a supermarket etc. The different types of compensation available to the public that have had a back injury are as follows;
- Severe Back Injury
- Moderate Back Injury
- Minor Back Injury
Severe
Severe back injuries can be cases involving serious damage to the spinal cord and never roots, leading to a combination of very serious consequences not normally found in cases of back injury. There will be severe pain and disability with a combination of incomplete paralysis and significantly impaired bladder, bowel and sexual function. Compensation within this bracket can be £69,200 to £122,350.
Other severe back injuries can be cases which have special features taking them outside any lower bracket applicable to orthopaedic injury to the back. Such features include nerve root damage with associated loss of sensation, impaired mobility, impaired bladder and bowel function, sexual difficulties and unsightly scarring. Compensation within this bracket can be £56,375 to £67,200.
Cases of disc lesions or fractures of discs/vertebral bodies, soft issue injuries leading to chronic conditions where despite treatment (usually surgery) there remains disabilities such as severe pain and discomfort, impaired agility, impaired sexual function, depression, personality change, alcoholism, employability and the risk of arthritis. Compensation within this bracket can be £29,475 to £53,000.
Moderate
Cases where any disability is of less severity than that above. This bracket contains a wide variety of injuries. Some examples can be compression/crush fractures of the lumbar vertebrae where there is a substantial risk of osteoarthritis and constant pain and discomfort; that of a traumatic spondylolisthesis with continuous pain and a probability that spinal fusion will be necessary; a prolapsed intervertebral disc requiring surgery or damage to an intervertebral disc with nerve root irritation and reduced mobility. Compensation can range from £21,000 to £29,475.
Disturbance of the ligaments and muscles giving rise to backache soft tissue injuries resulting in prolonged acceleration and/or exacerbation of a pre-existing back condition, usually by 5 years or more, or prolapsed discs necessitating laminectomy or resulting in repeated relapses. The precise figure will depend upon a number of factors including:
- The severity of the original injury
- The degree of pain experienced
- The extent of any treatment required in the past or future
- The impact of the symptoms on the injured person's ability to function in everyday life and engage in social activities
- The prognosis for the future
This compensation can range from £9,500 to £21,100.
Minor
This bracket includes less serious strains, sprains, disc, prolapses and soft tissue injuries. As with minor neck injuries, whilst the duration of symptoms will be important the level of award will also be influenced by such factors below:
- The severity of the original injury
- The degree of pain experienced and consistency of the symptoms
- The presence of any additional symptoms in other parts of the body
- The extent of any treatment required in the past or future
- The impact of the symptoms on the injured person's ability to function in everyday life and engage in social activities
- The impact on the injured person's ability to work
- The need to take medication to control symptoms, pain and discomfort
- The prognosis for the future
Where a full recovery or a recovery to nuisance level takes place without surgery within about two to five years compensation can range from £6,000 to £9,500.
Where a full recovery takes place without surgery between three months and two years compensation can range from £1,860 to £6,000.
Where a full recovery is made within three months compensation can be up to £1,860.
You may also be interested in looking at our Neck Injury Compensation page Click Here or our Shoulder Injury Compensation page Click Here
If you have suffered an injury to your back please do not delay and give us a call on 0800 160 1296 to start your No Win No Fee* claim for compensation today.
Here at the accident claimline we have years of experience dealing with a wide range of accident claims and a wide range of injuries.
Other Injury Claims we can help with are below but if yours is not on the list please still give us a call as we still may be able to help you:
Asbestos Related Injury Claims
Mesothelioma Compensation Claims
Bacterial Food Poisoning Claims
*Other costs may be payable
