When an accident occurs, it is important to understand the difference between a minor injury and a serious injury. This distinction matters not only for accessing the right medical treatment but also when considering a serious injury claim. Knowing what qualifies as a serious injury can help you take the correct steps early on.
Below, we explain the most common injuries that are legally and medically recognised as serious.
Common Types of Serious Injuries
1. Fractures and Broken Bones
Fractures, including broken arms, legs, hips, or skull fractures, are often classed as serious injuries. These injuries usually require urgent medical treatment and, in many cases, surgery. Without prompt care, fractures can lead to long-term pain, mobility issues, or permanent disability.
2. Spinal Cord Injuries
Spinal cord injuries are among the most severe injuries a person can suffer. Damage to the spine can result in partial or complete paralysis, loss of sensation, and permanent disability. As a result, these injuries typically require extensive medical care, rehabilitation, and long-term support.
3. Head Injuries and Traumatic Brain Injury
Serious head injuries, including traumatic brain injuries (TBI), often occur after road traffic accidents, falls, or workplace incidents. These injuries can affect memory, concentration, behaviour, and physical ability. In many cases, the impact is life-changing.
4. Severe Burns
Burn injuries that affect a large area of the body or cause deep tissue damage are considered serious. Victims often need prolonged hospital treatment, surgery, and skin grafts. Additionally, burns can result in permanent scarring and psychological trauma.
5. Amputations
The loss of a limb or body part is undeniably a serious injury. Amputations can occur due to accidents or emergency medical treatment. These injuries usually require ongoing rehabilitation, prosthetics, and long-term care.
6. Serious Internal Organ Damage
Injuries that cause significant damage to vital organs, such as the heart, lungs, liver, or kidneys, are classed as serious. These injuries may require emergency surgery and continuous medical management to prevent further complications.
7. Multiple Injuries
Sometimes, a person suffers multiple injuries in a single incident. Even if each injury alone seems minor, the combined effect can be severe. In these cases, medical professionals and legal experts assess the overall impact on the injured person’s health and quality of life.
Get Specialist Support After a Serious Injury
If you or a loved one has suffered a serious injury, seeking specialist legal advice is essential. Early support can help you access rehabilitation, medical treatment, and the compensation you may be entitled to.
At NJS Law, our Serious Injury Specialists have more than 200 years of combined legal experience handling complex serious injury claims. We are committed to negotiating a settlement on your behalf.
Thinking about a claim? Read about Serious Injury Claims and how No Win No Fee works, or send us your enquiry.
No Win No Fee: The law limits our success fee to 25% of the compensation for pain, suffering and loss of amenity and for past financial losses, after any state benefits are repaid. Compensation for future losses is not counted. If you win, our success fee is deducted from your compensation. It is a percentage of our basic charges, and the law limits it as set out above. Any After the Event insurance premium is payable only if you win, and is never charged upfront. Your letter of engagement sets out exactly what you will pay for your type of claim, and we explain it before you sign. If you lose, you pay us nothing. This applies as long as you keep to your responsibilities under the agreement. You may have to pay costs if you end your claim early, fail to beat an offer the other side made, or a court finds your claim dishonest or exaggerated; where we have arranged After the Event insurance, it covers some of these costs if you keep to the policy's terms. See exactly what you pay.