Solicitors for Equipment & Aids

Yes, where the injury has made the equipment necessary. Equipment and aids are special damages, which means they compensate for money the injury has cost you. It can cover items you have already bought, such as a walking aid, a mobility scooter or assistive technology, and equipment you are likely to need in future. The cost has to be connected to the injury and supported by evidence that the item was reasonably required.

The range is wide and depends on the injury. Common items include walking sticks and crutches, walking frames and rollators, wheelchairs and mobility scooters, prosthetics and their ongoing replacement, orthotics and supports, specialist seating and beds, hoists, bathroom and shower equipment, grab rails, assistive technology for communication or computer use, and vehicle adaptations. Anything needed because of the injury is worth considering.

Yes, where the injury means your home no longer meets your needs. This can include ramps, a wet room or level access shower, a stairlift or through floor lift, widened doorways, a ground floor bedroom or bathroom, and in the most serious cases the additional cost of moving to a more suitable property. Adaptations usually need expert evidence on what is reasonably required rather than being claimed on the basis of what has already been done.

Yes. Where the injury affects your ability to drive or travel in a car, adaptations such as hand controls, a left foot accelerator, swivel seats, wheelchair loading equipment or a hoist can be claimed. The same applies where you need a larger or differently configured vehicle because of the injury. Vehicle adaptations are regularly included in serious injury claims and need evidence on what is required.

It is calculated from expert evidence rather than estimated. An equipment or prosthetics specialist sets out what you need, and how often items will need to be repaired or replaced. Prosthetics in particular have a defined lifespan, and someone with decades ahead of them will need several replacements over that time. The claim reflects the whole of that need, not just the first item, which is why this head of loss can become substantial.

Receipts are the best evidence and you should keep them, but they are not the only route. Where you have bought an item, an invoice or a bank statement entry will support the cost. Where the price has changed since, or where the item was bought second hand, the cost can be established in other ways. What matters is that you can show what was needed and what it cost.

Yes. If a relative bought equipment or paid for an adaptation on your behalf because of the injury, that cost can be recovered. Keep the receipt and note who paid. Where the item is needed because of the injury, it does not matter whose card was used. It is the loss to you that is being claimed.

Equipment provided free of charge is not something you can recover personally, because you did not pay for it, in the same way as free NHS treatment. But that does not end the matter. Where the free equipment does not meet your needs, where there are waiting times, or where a private alternative was reasonably required, the position may be different. It is worth explaining exactly what you were offered and what you needed.

Yes. Equipment and aids are simply one element of the compensation, funded in the same way as the rest. Suitable claims may be accepted under a Conditional Fee Agreement, commonly called No Win No Fee, subject to an assessment of liability, the evidence and the prospects of success. If the claim succeeds, a success fee may be payable, and in many personal injury claims the legal cap is 25% of the relevant categories of damages including VAT.

Yes. Injury Law Specialists provides access to solicitors and lawyers who act for clients throughout England and Wales. Much of the work is done by telephone, video call and email, and clients can be seen at a convenient location where a meeting is needed. Distance from a city centre does not prevent an equipment and aids claim from being properly handled.