Solicitors for Back Injuries

Yes. Many back injuries involve muscles, ligaments or soft tissue that imaging does not show, and this does not prevent a claim. What is needed is medical evidence connecting the symptoms to the accident and explaining the prognosis. Insurers do examine these claims closely, so the quality of the medical evidence matters, but the absence of findings on a scan is not a bar to claiming.

A straightforward soft tissue claim where responsibility is admitted and the injury settles may conclude in six to nine months. Where symptoms persist, or where the prognosis is uncertain, it usually takes longer, because the claim cannot sensibly be valued until the medical picture is clear. Obtaining an updated report after a further period is often the right course.

That does not prevent a claim. Where a pre-existing condition is made worse by an accident, compensation can be claimed for the additional harm the accident caused. The medical expert will usually be asked to distinguish between the underlying condition and the deterioration caused by the accident, and the claim reflects only the latter.

Yes, and this is one of the most common workplace claims. Employers are required to assess manual handling risks and reduce them so far as reasonably practicable, including by providing equipment or changing the system of work. Where they do not, and an injury follows, there is often a strong claim, and the absence of a risk assessment is telling evidence.

The other side may ask for an examination by a medical expert of their choosing, and this is normal in back injury claims. You are entitled to have the examination conducted fairly and to see the report. We will advise you on what to expect and, where a report is disputed, on how to challenge it with further evidence.

Yes, where it can be evidenced. If you can no longer do heavy work, or can only work fewer hours, or have had to take a lower paid role, the financial difference forms part of the claim. This is often the largest element in a back injury claim involving physical work, and it needs evidence about both the injury and the demands of the job.

Compensation has two parts. General damages cover the injury itself and its effect on your life. Special damages cover the financial losses it caused, such as lost earnings, treatment costs, travel and care. Both have to be evidenced, and what is recoverable depends on your individual circumstances.

For most back injury claims in England and Wales the limit is three years from the accident. Where the injury developed gradually rather than from a single incident, the three years usually runs from the date you knew or ought to have known that the injury was connected to what happened. Different rules apply to children and to people who lack capacity.