Permanent Facial Disfigurement Compensation Solicitors
If you are looking for Permanent Scar Compensation, you need the support of expert solicitors.
Having a visual difference can have a huge impact on your self-confidence. If you’ve been scarred or disfigured it can take a colossal toll, affecting you both physically and psychologically. At Brian Barr Solicitors we help you to claim for facial scarring compensation and for the effect the injury had on your life.
What counts as disfigurement or permanent scarring?
Disfigurement is when a person has experienced something that spoils or affects their appearance, such as a scar, burn, skin texture, a missing body limb or a differently shaped body part. If severe disfigurement has a substantial adverse effect on the patient’s ability to complete normal daily tasks and activity, it can be legally considered a disability.
Disfigurement is not always obvious to the outside world. Some cases of scarring or disfigurement may not be glaringly obvious immediately, for example if they are hidden by clothing – however this does not make them any less of a visible difference and can still be extremely challenging.
This is why having legal advice from specialist Permanent Scar Compensation claims solicitors can truly make the difference, and ensure your life is back on track following a scarring injury.
No Win No Fee Scar Injury Claims
- Speak to a qualified Solicitor within 24 of the initial enquiry (working hours and excluding office closures)
- Transferring your claim to Brian Barr is easy
- Specialist scar injury solicitors
How is Permanent Scar Compensation calculated?
Your compensation award for facial scarring will be divided into two categories.
General damages are designed to compensate you for the injury itself, and will be calculated based on the severity of the accident, the part of the body injured, and your prognosis.
Special damages are the part of your payout that represent a reimbursement for financial damage and costs you have incurred as a result of your injury. When calculating the amount of compensation for permanent scarring claims, we will look at the costs generally associated with the following:
- rehabilitation and physical treatment to aid with recovery,
- prosthetics,
- home and / or vehicle adaptations,
- the cost of further medical treatment and associated costs for hospital stays and visits,
- counselling or other emotional support or CBT services,
- loss of current and future earnings,
- care costs (including if family members are no longer able to work in order to care for you),
This list is not exhaustive, and our team of specialists will look at all areas that may be relevant to your claim for facial scarring to ensure you receive the right level of Permanent Scar Compensation for the accident and for any long term effect the injury may have on your life.
Do I have time limits to make a scar injury claim?
In the UK, personal injury claims must be made within 3 years from the original accident, or from the date of knowledge. This is the time the full extent and effect of your injuries has been diagnosed.
There are a number of circumstances which may affect the time limit your scar injury is subject to, such as accidents involving children or those lacking mental capacity.
If you’re unsure about your claim’s validity, contact Brian Barr Solicitors today. Our expertise is scar injury compensation claims will be the basis of our bespoke, clear legal advice.
What evidence do I need for a permanent scar claim?
During the scar injury claims process, it is vital to prove clearly that your injuries are the result of someone else’s negligence. Being able to identify a guilty party, prove their negligence, and relate your scar injuries to the accident is the fundamental process through which it is decided that you are entitled to claim for compensation.
Evidence you can use to support your claim for a scarring injury include:
Accident reports: if your scar is the result of a workplace accident, then you must make sure that a proper accident report is filed. This may include a RIDDOR report, and informing the HSE of the accident and resulting injuries.
Witness statements: the recollection of witnesses of the accident can be very helpful during a compensation claim. You should note the details of any persons present at the accident scene, including contact information.
Photographic and video evidence: evidence such as CCTV footage or photos of the scene of the accident can help you build a strong case for your compensation. Our solicitors may help you obtain CCTV footage from a business, but this must be done timely, as footage is routinely deleted.
Proof of losses and expenses: any costs you have incurred as a result of your scarring injury, such as medical treatments, transportation, or time off work, can be included in your claim. Keeping an organised record of any losses and costs is important.
Medical reports: the severity and effects of your injuries will be the basis on which the compensation amount you are entitled to is calculated. Any medical record or assessment of your injuries should be documented carefully.
Our expert scarring injury solicitors can help you document and organise all the evidence related to your claim, ensuring you have a strong case. The team at Brian Barr is highly skilled and experienced in obtaining compensation for claimants. Contact us today.
How do I claim following a scar injury at work?
If you are involved in an accident at work and suffer from serious burns, scarring, or disfigurement due to inadequate safety measures or faulty equipment, then your employer is liable to compensate you for your pain, suffering and financial losses.
Scarring or disfigurement can be caused by a variety of reasons and are often due to fire, electricity, chemicals, contact with hot substances and surfaces or exposure to radiation.
Your employer has a duty of care towards you, and should ensure that health and safety protocols are in place and enforced properly. Failure to do so can result in many serious types of accidents, and make you eligible to claim compensation for scarring.
Brian Barr are specialist facial disfigurement compensation solicitors and can help you get compensation for their accident at work. We can make all the arrangements for you, just get in touch with us. We understand both the physical and psychological effects of the trauma and will ensure that both areas are taken into deep consideration when claiming for compensation.
Every person and every case is unique and we can advise on the support you may require going forward. When seeking compensation we will look at both general damages and special damages and ensure you are not out of pocket and have a plan in place for your future rehabilitation.
Looking For A Scar Injury Lawyer To Represent You?
Get in touch today to see how Brian Barr Solicitors can help you.
Steven Akerman
Personal Injury Solicitor & Director, Brian Barr
Alex Cohen
Personal Injury Solicitor & Director, Brian Barr
Philip Cohen
Director, Brian Barr
Success Stories from Brian Barr Solicitors
Read more about how we support client throughout the UK to claim compensation for their injuries or chronic pain conditions. Brian Barr Solicitors consistently achieves great results and high compensation amounts.
Contact our Permanent Scar Compensation Solicitors
Brian Barr Solicitors are a specialist law firm with decades of experience dealing with chronic conditions and personal injury. We understand the complexities of permanent scar injuries, and the long term effects that sufferers experience.
We pride ourselves on our positive and proactive approach, which allows us to fully understand your accident, injuries, and condition. We use this deep knowledge to build strong cases for our clients, consistently securing higher compensation payouts than other firms in the UK.
Our relationships with clients go beyond the legalities of making a claim for compensation. We have an extensive network of medical professionals and other experts who can help you get your life back on track and provide specialist assessment to ensure your case is successful.
Brian Barr Solicitors is proud to represent many cases through our No Win No Fee scheme. This means that if your claim is unsuccessful, you won’t be liable for our legal costs. You may also be able to fund your case through a Legal Expenses Insurance in the event that the scheme does not apply to your case.
Based in Manchester, our knowledge and experience in this field is unrivalled. We regularly have cases transferred to us when clients find that other law firms do not have the expertise to handle their case.
Contact Brian Barr Solicitors today for an assessment of your permanent scar claim, and we can guide through the whole process of claiming compensation for your injuries.
Frequently Asked Questions
The most common physical injuries to culminate in disfigurement and scarring claims include:
- Burns and scalds
- Accidents at work
- Road traffic accidents
- Military injuries
- Dog bites
- Criminal injuries and assaults
- Substandard cosmetic procedures
- Medical negligence
This is not an exhaustive list, and many injuries and accidents can cause scarring.
Covering the cost of your compensation claim with Brian Barr Solicitors need not be stressful as there are various options available to you. We can often act for you under a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA), often called a ‘no win no fee’ arrangement. You would be liable for a limited capped proportion of your damages to us if you win, and absolutely nothing if you lose.
We are here to ensure you are not financially struggling when it comes to bringing forward a claim, and will offer you peace of mind throughout the whole process.
As long as you comply with the terms of your Legal Expenses Insurance policy, if you have one, you do not need to worry about any legal fees that you could incur if your claim is unsuccessful. Our CFA only applies to our fees, but you may be subject to disbursements such as court fees and medical expert fees regardless of the outcome of your claim.
LEI may cover these costs, but often your insurers will tell you that you will have to use one of their panel solicitors to take full advantage of the policy. You may be exempt from this in the following circumstances:
- If proceedings have been started, you are entitled to insist on the solicitor of your choice.
- In valuable or complex cases, the insurer should agree to the appointment of the policyholder’s preferred solicitor at any stage of the claim.
Personal Injury claims involving scarring and disfigurement are complex therefore it is important to have a specialist solicitor whose expertise and focus is in this area to ensure your claim is not misrepresented or undervalued. We can often liaise with your insurer to allow us to act for you. The expertise of your solicitors is vital, as is their understanding of your case. Our access to leading medical experts can help you reach a compensation settlement that you’re satisfied with, and allows you to support your care needs.
While some solicitors may not take any deductions from damages, we do, given our expertise in dealing with complex personal injury claims. However, we are confident that the amount you receive in your hand after all fees will be far greater than 100% of damages obtained by a non-specialist firm. We have frequently taken over cases, where solicitors advised our clients that the claim was worth no more than £10,000 and we recovered over £100,000 in damages.
However, what is important to know is that you will not be out of pocket in either case if we act for you on a No Win No Fee basis.
Types of disfigurement include:
- Acquired: Caused by an event or otherwise occurred throughout the patient’s lifetime. No disfigurement was present at birth.
- Congenital: Evident from birth, caused by genetics, pregnancy issues, or birth injuries.
- Chronic: Caused by a long-lasting condition – often gradually throughout a patient’s lifetime.
- Acute: Occurs suddenly, and may only be apparent for a brief period of time.
- Syndrome: Caused by a collection of symptoms that frequently appear in conjunction.
If you have acquired disfigurement that was caused by an accident that was not your fault, you may be entitled to make a scar injury claim.
Scars are noticeable marks that can occur after a wound has healed, and they are a regular part of the healing process of cuts, burns, and abrasions. Scars are common and can vary in appearance, depending on how they initially occurred. They can transpire for a variety of reasons, including:
- Accidents such as a car crash or fire.
- Surgery to treat an illness, for example, skin cancer.
- Acne, chickenpox, or other skin conditions.
The impact of scars can depend on the location of where they are on the body, their size, the individual’s skin type and genetics, and also the type of scar. Some scars are flat scars that gradually fade over time, while keloid scars unfortunately keep growing past the original site of the skin injury and frequently have a raised appearance.
While time and some treatments can reduce the appearance of scars, unfortunately nothing can completely remove them from the skin.
- Normal scars – these everyday scars are the most prevalent. They happen when the skin recovers from an injury, such as a laceration or burn.
- Keloid scars – characterised by their thick, rounded appearance, these scars develop when the body generates excess collagen during the healing process. Clusters of scar tissue then form at the wound site, and expand beyond its boundaries. Keloids often appear red or darker than the surrounding skin and can emerge anywhere on the body. Most commonly, they occur on the chest, back, shoulders, and earlobes. They may take some time to appear, sometimes becoming noticeable up to a year after the initial skin trauma.
- Hypertrophic scars – the growth of hypertrophic scars remains confined within the original skin injury’s boundaries. These scars tend to be more reactive to treatments. Hypertrophic scars often appear red, thick, and elevated, typically manifesting within weeks following the skin injury.
- Contractures – these scars usually result from burns or other injuries that cause the skin to constrict and tighten. They develop when a significant portion of skin is damaged, leading to a scar that pulls the skin’s edges together, creating tightness in the affected area. Contractures can be deep, and may affect muscles, joints, and tendons, limiting movement because of the decrease in skin area.
- Adhesions – this type of scars can form between unconnected internal organs. and may lead to complications during some surgical procedures.
What Our Clients Say...
I was really impressed with the team at Brian Barr helping me to achieve a settlement for my claim for fibromyalgia which was caused as a result of a car accident. I was kept well informed all the way through the process and was able to have “jargon free” conversations with Brian and Counsel about my case. Brian always made me feel at ease, even when the litigation process was frustrating and difficult at times. Brian also found me a fantastic CBT therapist which has really helped with some of my day-to-day struggles. I wouldn’t hesitate in recommending Brian Barr Solicitors.
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