Claiming Nerve Damage Compensation After A Car Accident

In this guide, we will look at claiming nerve damage after a car accident compensation. If you’ve been in a car accident that has caused nerve damage and the accident was caused by negligence, you could claim compensation from the party at fault. 

Nerve damage car accident compensation claims guide

Nerve damage after a car accident compensation claims guide

Nerve damage can be incredibly painful and, depending on the severity, have a negative impact on your quality of life. If you could prove that your nerve damage was caused by the negligent actions of another road user, you may be able to claim compensation from them. This guide will look at what duty of care road users owe to one another and how you could provide proof to make a successful personal injury claim

If you’re thinking of making a claim, our team of advisors can offer free legal advice about your situation. If they think your claim may have a good chance for success, they could pass you on to an accident solicitor from our panel.

Though it is possible to make a personal injury claim without a solicitor, we always recommend hiring one. They can help you along every step of the way and may make the claims process run more smoothly than it otherwise would. 

Keep reading to find out more about how to claim compensation for nerve damage after a car accident. Or get in touch today to find out more and potentially start a claim:

Select A Section

  1. What Is Nerve Damage After A Car Accident?
  2. How Do I Know If I Have Nerve Damage After A Car Accident?
  3. Nerve Damage And Neurological Issues Caused By Car Accidents
  4. Treating Injuries To Your Nervous System
  5. Proving Your Nerve Damage Was Caused By A Car Accident
  6. Calculating Nerve Damage After A Car Accident Compensation
  7. Speak To A No Win No Fee Expert
  8. Get More Help With Car Accident Claims 

What Is Nerve Damage After A Car Accident? 

If your nerves are damaged after a car accident, then this can cause a number of different effects. In some cases, damage to nerves may cause permanent pain or a tingling, “pins and needles” sensation. 

In other cases, people who sustain nerve damage might not have any sensation at all. This could impact your quality of life, as you might sustain injuries and not realise it due to the lack of pain. This might cause something simple like a cut to progress or become infected.

If you’re involved in a car accident, this can cause damage to your spine; this makes up part of your central nervous system. This could result in you sustaining nerve damage.

In order to claim compensation for injuries you sustained in a road traffic accident, it must have been caused by a breach of duty of care. When on the roads, all road users have a duty of care towards each other.

This means pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists, lorry drivers, and car drivers all need to act in a way to reduce the risk of injury to themselves and others. This is further outlined in the Highway Code. Car accidents and subsequent nerve damage could occur when these appropriate measures aren’t taken.

For more information on claiming nerve damage after a car accident compensation, speak with one of our advisors today. You could get a free, no-obligation assessment of the value of your claim.

How Do I Know If I Have Nerve Damage After A Car Accident?

A few different nerves could be damaged in a car accident. These could include:

  • Sensory nerves. These nerves process information from the environment. 
  • Autonomic nerves
  • Motor nerves

If you’ve damaged your sensory nerves, it is likely to start from the body’s extremities such as the hands and feet but can develop to affect the arms and legs. Symptoms will be present in the area where the nerves are affected and could include:

  • Numbness 
  • Reduced ability to sense pain
  • Tingling
  • Unexplained burning sensations
  • Sharp stabbing pains

Your autonomic nerves could also be damaged in a car accident. These are nerves relating to involuntary bodily functions. This could affect blood pressure, temperature control, bladder function, sexual function and digestion. Symptoms depend on the nerves affected and could include:

  • Dizziness and fainting
  • Urinary problems
  • Digestive difficulties
  • Abnormal sweating (too much or too little)
  • Exercise intolerance

Finally, you could damage your motor nerves. These nerves are responsible for voluntary movement.  Symptoms can vary significantly depending on the severity of the damage but could include:

  • Weakness
  • Muscle atrophy
  • Burning sensation
  • Uncontrollable twitching
  • Tingling
  • Numbness
  • Paralysis

Our advisors can offer free legal advice on nerve damage after a car accident compensation. Get in touch today for more information.

Nerve Damage And Neurological Issues Caused By Car Accidents 

This section will look at the three most common types of nerve damage. These are neurapraxia, axonotmesis, and neurotmesis. 

Neurapraxia is a disorder that causes a temporary loss of motor and sensory function. This will usually last around 6-8 weeks before a full recovery can be made. It is typically caused by external trauma, which leads to prolonged pressure buildup on the nerve. This is considered the mildest classification of nerve injury. 

Axonotmesis is an injury to the peripheral nerve of an extremity of the body, such as the hands or feet. Full functional recovery can be expected but could potentially take as long as years. It is typically caused by more severe crush injuries or bruising but can also be caused by a stretch injury. 

Finally, there is neurotmesis. This is considered the most serious form of nerve injury. Though some improvement can occur, a complete recovery is generally difficult. This kind of damage can also be caused by severe trauma injuries.

Treating Injuries To Your Nervous System

A doctor could refer you to see a neurologist to correctly diagnose what type of nerve injury you might have and what caused it. 

A neurologist specialises in conditions affecting the nervous system and can perform proper testing. This could include a nerve conduction test, where the speed and strength of your nerve signals are measured.

They could also perform an electromyography. This is used to measure the electrical activity of your muscles. These tests are usually performed at the same time. Occasionally, they may also carry out a nerve biopsy. 

Depending on the cause of the nerve damage, there could be different treatment options offered to you. For example, your doctor could prescribe steroids to you as an anti-inflammatory treatment. 

They could potentially also offer you ways of relieving the associated pain. Unfortunately, nerve damage pain is unlikely to be improved with over-the-counter painkillers such as paracetamol. You could be offered stronger painkillers if recommended by your medical practitioner. 

You could also be recommended to use capsaicin cream if the pain is confined to a specific area of the body. It is thought to work by stopping the nerves from sending pain messages to the brain.

If your injury was caused by the negligence of another road user, you could be entitled to nerve damage after a car accident compensation. Speak with one of our advisors today for free legal advice on the claims process.

Proving Your Nerve Damage Was Caused By A Car Accident

To claim compensation for nerve damage after a car accident, it is important to be able to prove that someone else’s negligence was the cause of your injury. To do this, you can gather evidence that will help your case.

You can do this before speaking to a solicitor or without one at all, but a solicitor can help you know the best evidence for your specific case. This could include:

  • Medical notes
  • CCTV or dashcam footage of the accident
  • Photographs of the accident or your injury
  • Witness details, to take a statement from at a later date 

You will be invited for an independent medical appointment when making a personal injury claim. Your injuries will be assessed for their severity and the impact they will have on your life. The report that is produced from this meeting will be used to value your claim. 

Calculating Nerve Damage After A Car Accident Compensation

In this section, we’ve included a table of compensation amounts related to nerve damage injuries. These figures are calculated from past case studies and are taken from the Judicial College Guidelines. This is a document that legal professionals use to help value personal injuries. 

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Injury Severity Amount Notes
Back Severe (i) £85,470 to £151,070 Including serious damage to the nerve roots and spinal cord, leading to serious consequences such as severe pain and disability. There may also be incomplete paralysis and significantly impaired function of bladder and bowel.
Back Severe (ii) £69,600 to £82,980 Nerve root damage that is associated with a loss of sensation, impaired mobility, sexual difficulties and impaired bowel and bladder function.
Thumb Serious £11,820 to £15,740 Nerve damage in the thumb, amputation of the tip of the thumb, or a fracture that has resulted in impaired grip and a loss of dexterity.
Thumb Moderate £9,080 to £11,820 Including damage to the tendons and nerves that results in a lack of sensation and function.
Leg Less Serious (i) £16,860 to £26,050 Serious soft tissue injuries to one or both legs causing some nerve damage with functional restriction.
Nose (i) £9,990 to £21,700 Multiple and serious fractures that require operation and result in nerve damage.

The part of your claim that considers the pain and suffering caused by your injuries is general damages. Your compensation could also include special damages, however. This head of your claim covers any potential financial loss that may have occurred as a result of your injury and could include:

  • Loss of earnings
  • Travel costs
  • Medical expenses not covered by the NHS
  • Adjustments to the home if your injury resulted in disability

You could also claim for any calculated future losses you may incur. However, you need to provide evidence of your losses. You could provide receipts for travel costs or bank statements to show a loss of earnings. If you don’t provide evidence, then you might not receive the full amount of compensation for nerve damage after a car accident that you’re entitled to. 

Speak To A No Win No Fee Expert

If you’re thinking about making a claim but are concerned about funding the work of a solicitor, a No Win No Fee agreement could be beneficial to you. 

In a No Win No Fee agreement, you will not have to pay any upfront or ongoing costs to your solicitor. In the event your claim is unsuccessful, your solicitor will not require you to pay for their services at all. 

On the other hand, your solicitor will take a success fee from your compensation amount if your claim is successful. This is pre-agreed and legally capped, so you will get to keep the majority of the compensation you are awarded. 

If you would like to know more about No Win No Fee agreements or start your claim today, get in touch with us now. Our team of advisors can offer no-obligation advice and even pass you on to a solicitor from our panel. 

Get More Help With Car Accident Claims

Thank you for reading our guide on claiming compensation for nerve damage after a car accident. We hope it answered any questions you may have had. Please see below for more related links. 

Crushed Leg Injury and PTSD Compensation Guide – A guide to claiming compensation for a crushed leg injury and related PTSD.

Public Bus Compensation Guide – An article explaining how to claim compensation after an accident on a public bus. 

Car Accident Compensation Claims for Crashes – An article on car accident crash claims. 

Reported Road Accidents and Casualty Tables – A government collective of road accident reports and statistics.

Statutory Sick Pay – The government guide to claiming SSP if you’ve had to take time off work for your injuries without full pay. 

Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents – A charity that aims to reduce the number of accidents using advice and guidance. 

Thank you for reading our guide on claiming for nerve damage after a car accident. 

Guide by AO

Publisher ET