Crush injuries can be serious and/or life-threatening; and unfortunately, can result in an injured person suffering long-term impairment, depending on the severity of their injuries. Any body part can be affected in a crush accident. This type of injury could be sustained in the upper or lower limbs, which may cause fractures or soft tissue injuries. They may also be sustained in the abdomen, leading to more serious internal organ injuries.
Crush injuries can be suffered in many different accidents; however, they are perhaps most commonly seen deriving from accidents at work and road traffic accidents. The potential long-term impacts of serious crush injuries can have a profound effect on a person’s life, and as such, Major Trauma Group focus on ensuring prompt rehabilitation and treatment.
If you have suffered a crush injury in an accident that wasn’t your fault, then please get in touch with Major Trauma Group today to find out how our network of expert personal injury lawyers can assist you with a crush injury compensation claim. We work tirelessly for our clients to ensure they receive the best standard of post-discharge medical care, ongoing rehabilitation and support, and compensation for their traumatic injuries.
Crush injury examples
Crush injuries are suffered when part of the body is subjected to a high degree of force or pressure, often resulting in damage to the underlying tissues, bones, and organs. Some common types of crush injuries include:
- Hand and finger crush injuries: Crushed finger and hand injuries can occur in a variety of settings, such as workplaces where heavy machinery is used, during sports or recreational activities, or as a result of accidents involving vehicles or doors.
- Foot and ankle crush injuries: Heavy objects falling on the feet, high impact road traffic collisions, or being trapped in machinery or equipment can cause foot and ankle injuries. Crush injuries to the foot and ankle can cause fractures, dislocations, and damage to ligaments, tendons, and nerves.
- Crush injuries to the chest and abdomen: These types of crush injuries can happen as a result of being trapped between two heavy objects or in a vehicle collision. Chest and abdomen crush injuries can cause damage to internal organs, such as the lungs, liver, and kidneys, as well as broken ribs and other skeletal injuries.
- Crush injuries to the head and neck: Being struck by a heavy object or suffering a road traffic collision can cause crush injuries to the head and neck. These types of injuries can cause skull fractures, traumatic brain injury, and damage to the spinal cord.
- Crush injuries to the limbs: Crush injuries to the limbs can be suffered in a variety of accidents. Vehicle accidents are one scenario in which crush injuries to the limbs could occur. In the most extreme cases, crush injuries to limbs could result in amputation.
What should you do following a crush accident?
If you suffered your crush injury at work, then you should make sure to report the accident to your manager and have the accident logged in the accident book. A crush injury that has occurred elsewhere should be reported to the party you deem responsible. Similarly, a crush injury sustained in a road traffic collision needs to be reported to your insurance company.
You should make sure to keep hold of any evidence you may have surrounding the accident itself, such as photographs of the scene, CCTV or dashcam footage, witness statements, and any medical records accounting for the crush injuries you have suffered.
If you wish to make a crush injury compensation claim, you should get in touch with Major Trauma Group to access our network of personal injury lawyers and rehabilitation experts.
The claims process can be long and complex, so it is important to seek assistance from an expert as soon as possible to get the process underway. The sooner you get in touch with a personal injury lawyer for your crush injury claim, the sooner you can access rehabilitation and support to optimise your recovery.
Should you make a crush injury compensation claim?
Some of the main benefits to making a claim include recovering compensation to provide financial security and obtaining funds to access rehabilitation which helps to optimise the injured person’s recovery.
Having access to specialist treatment, therapies and support in the early stages of serious injury and beyond discharge from NHS care, can significantly improve your chances of achieving the best possible outcome in the longer term.
Our team of lawyers can help injured persons to access the support and rehabilitation they require through Rehabilitation Code funding or interim payments. This may include:
- Physical rehabilitation – This type of rehabilitation will help with the physical aspects of the crush injury and may include pain management, hydrotherapy, and physiotherapy.
- Psychological rehabilitation – Suffering a crush injury can be traumatic and is likely to have a significant impact on an injured person, both physically and mentally. Obtaining psychological rehabilitation, such as cognitive behavioural therapy and EMDR can greatly assist in the psychological recovery process.
- Social support – Following a crush injury, it is likely that the injured person will require support to help them get back to their every day lives. The types of social support that may be required include obtaining a package of care, adaptions to the person’s home or vehicle or specialist aids and equipment.
- Vocational support – Suffering a crush injury can limit a person’s ability to return to work. Vocational support is available in the form of occupational therapy. In some circumstances, the injured person may require a phased return to the workplace, whilst others may be unable to return to their place of employment, in which case, they may be required to retrain in another area of work.
To make a crush injury compensation claim the accident must have happened in the last three years, aside from a few exceptions. Exceptions include:
- If the injured person was a child, in which case they will have until their 21st birthday to bring a claim for themselves, or an appropriate adult can bring a claim on their behalf at any point up until their 18th birthday.
- Those who lack mental capacity do not have any time limits for making a claim.
You must also be able to prove that the accident occurred due to the negligence of the defendant, such as an employer failing to adhere to the correct health and safety regulations on a construction site. This is known as a breach of a duty of care.
How much compensation could you receive?
The amount of compensation you could expect to receive varies greatly on the extent and severity of your crush injuries. Generally, a crushed finger would not attract the same amount of compensation as a crush injury to the upper or lower limb which impacts on daily function.
Compensation amounts are split into two categories, general damages, and special damages. General damages typically refer to the amount of compensation you will receive for your injuries, physical pain, and suffering. Special damages relate to the expenses and financial losses you may have experienced due to being incapacitated, such as loss of earnings, cost of care, aids and equipment, and any other medical costs.
Our panel of lawyers at Major Trauma Group can assist you in claiming compensation for a crush injury, offering their expert services on a no win no fee basis. This means you will not need to pay your solicitor anything if your claim is unsuccessful, and if successful, they simply take a portion of the compensation to cover their legal fees.
Making a personal injury claim for compensation will not take away the trauma you have suffered, but the financial settlement can provide security for the future, and access to rehabilitation can help you to return to some level of normality and function.
How can Major Trauma Group help?
Major Trauma Group consists of experienced law firms based across the UK, all of whom are committed to securing our clients the best outcome in terms of financial compensation and specialist medical care. We understand that traumatic injuries present new challenges in everyday life and work tirelessly to obtain the best outcome for our clients, improving their chance of making a full recovery.
If you would like to speak to a member of our team to find out how we can assist you in your crush injury compensation claim, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us today. You can contact us on 0330 311 2578, or email us at hello@majortraumagroup.co.uk. Alternatively, we have a live chat feature on our website which you can utilise to request a call back.
