A head injury compensation claim is a very common event with over a million people attending the casualty department of local hospitals every year, following trauma to the head. Of these injuries over 10,000 will be categorised as severe involving a period of unconsciousness of 6 hours or more. Bumps and knocks to the head are very common and there are occasions where the damage that is caused is as a result of negligence by a third party most often as a result of a road traffic accident or following a fall from height whilst at work.
A head injury compensation claim does not only include applying for compensation for obvious open wound or severe brain injury cases but also covers the more subtle closed wound injury which may have caused long term brain damage. Fortunately most people who suffer a bang on the head only suffer from minor injuries the symptoms of which clear up in a day or two. There are those however who have more serious injuries particularly haemorrhage, fracture and closed and open wound brain damage.
The value of a head injury compensation claim is dependent on the severity and duration of the injury. Some of these injuries are apparent immediately however a brain haemorrhage may take time to develop as the damaged blood vessel allows blood to seep into the brain cavity slowly building up pressure which is extremely damaging to the brain. Symptoms of a minor head injury include nausea, headaches, double vision, dizziness, memory problems, extreme tiredness and anxiety or depression. Signs of a more serious head injury include :-
- difficulty in staying awake
- headache for over six hours after the injury
- bleeding from the scalp that cannot be easily stopped
- being very sleepy several hours after the accident
- unconsciousness or coma
- nausea and vomiting several hours after the accident
- unequal pupil size
- pale yellow fluid or watery blood, coming from the ears or nose
- confusion, feeling lost or dizzy or difficulty making sense when talking
- weakness in part of the body
- having a seizure or fit
- difficulty seeing or double vision
- slurred speech
Diagnosis of these injuries can be straight forward however there are times when it will be necessary to carry out a computerised tomography scan (CT scan) to show swelling, bruising or bleeding in the brain. An X-ray may be taken to see if there has been a fracture to the skull. The Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) may be applied which scores according to symptoms including fits, bruising and if the skull is fractured. In addition blood pressure, heart rate and breathing may be monitored.
Umbrella Claims is a specialist organisation that deals exclusively with accident compensation claims on a No Win No Fee basis. Win or lose there is no charge*. This means that you never have to pay anything to us or our personal injury solicitors. All compensation received of whatever nature is paid to you in full without any deduction whatsoever - absolutely guaranteed. We will minimalise any inconvenience to you and we offer free advice without obligation from some of the best lawyers in the business. We ensure that our client’s interests are a priority and our lawyers deal with claims in a friendly, efficient and competent manner to ensure that you get the compensation that you deserve in the shortest time scale possible.