Scarring & Disfigurement Claims Solicitors.

In some cases, an injury sustained in an accident may lead to permanent scarring or disfigurement, and if the accident was the fault of somebody else you may be able to make a claim for compensation.

There are a number of accidents that have a high likelihood of causing disfigurement to the face and/or body, including:

• Road traffic accidents involving cars, trucks, motorcycles, bicycles, or other vehicles.
• Accidents involving heavy machinery and equipment on a building site or in a factory.
• Burns caused by electrocution, corrosive materials, or flammable substances.
• Explosion accidents caused by boilers, gas tanks, and propane tanks.
• Animal attacks such as dog bites or deep scratches from a cat.
• Defective consumer products which malfunction causing burns or lacerations.
• Sports injuries such as fractures, lacerations, and blunt force trauma.
• Slips, trips, and falls in a public place.
• Violent assault such as acid attacks and stabbings.

If the skin is broken or burned in any way, it has the potential to leave lasting scar damage and disfigurement. If the injury happened due to an accident which wasn’t your fault, and the person or organisation responsible had a duty of care towards you, you may be entitled to make a claim for disfigurement and scarring compensation.

Facial disfigurement can occur when you receive an injury to the face, such as a fracture, laceration, or burn as the result of a road traffic accident, an accident at work, a slip, trip, or fall in a public place, or criminal assault. A facial injury can be very painful and can leave lasting cosmetic damage and could cause symptoms such as loss of feeling in parts of the face, vision impairment, breathing difficulties, bone deformities, and missing teeth.

Facial disfigurement can have a huge impact on the person’s quality of life. Not only can the injuries and scarring cause physical pain and discomfort, but the change in physical appearance can also be very distressing and have a lasting psychological impact. Facial injuries can affect the person’s ability to function, and they may have to give up their job as a result.

Facial disfigurement and scarring can lead to a number of different complications for the individual, including:

• Chronic pain in the face and surrounding areas
• Sleep problems such as insomnia
• Flashbacks and nightmares after the incident
• Change of career or loss of job
• Financial worries due to time off work
• Depression and anxiety
• Anger and irritability
• Low self-esteem and loss of confidence
• Loss of social life and hobbies

Suffering a permanent scar injury to the face can have a huge impact on an individual, and the effects of your injury will be taken into account when deciding how much compensation you are to be awarded, so we would advise you to be as open and honest with us as possible to ensure we are able to fully understand how much you have suffered.

Damage to the hair and scalp is a form of personal injury more common than you may expect, and typically occurs at the hairdressers, often due to the misuse of chemicals. Common types of hair damage include the following:

• Burning or tingling of the scalp
• Itchiness/dermatitis of the scalp
• Damaged hair follicles
• Thinning of the hair
• Bald patches or alopecia
• Dry and brittle hair that breaks easily

The effects of hair and scalp damage can be long-lasting in some cases and can include physical pain as well as psychological trauma. Accidents can happen when faulty equipment catches fire, or when the wrong chemicals are used in a hair treatment resulting in skin irritation or chemical burns. Hair and scalp damage can also occur as the result of a violent crime such as an acid attack, torching, or assault.

If you have suffered an injury to your hair or scalp through no fault of your own, you may be able to make a claim for disfigurement compensation. Here at Lanyon Bowdler, we understand that no amount of money can make up for the trauma you have experienced, however, we are here to support you in any way we can whilst ensuring you are financially compensated for the incident.

If you were involved in an accident in which you suffered serious injuries, the chances are you’ve been left with scar tissue and disfigurement to your body. Maybe you sustained a burn injury that has left the skin on your torso or limbs feeling tight and restricting your range of motion, or perhaps you experienced a deep laceration which has left you with muscular damage and a painful keloid scar. Whatever type of injury you have sustained, if it occurred due to somebody else’s negligence, you may be entitled to claim compensation.

In many cases, a disfigurement on your torso or limbs can be covered with clothing, unlike a facial disfigurement which is always visible. However, even though your body scarring can be covered up, it can still affect you psychologically as well as physically. Your disfigurement may cause you pain and discomfort, as well as affecting your confidence and self-esteem, and it can even affect your ability to return to work or carry out everyday tasks. All of this will be taken into account when your case is assessed, and the final compensation amount is decided upon.

The first step in making a claim for disfigurement compensation is to get in touch with us here at Lanyon Bowdler. Our personal injury specialists will be happy to discuss your situation and offer advice, with no obligation to take things any further should you wish. If you do decide to pursue a claim, we will need to begin by gathering as much evidence as possible to support your case. In order for your claim to have the best chance of success, we need to be able to prove in the balance of probabilities  that the party responsible for the accident owed you a duty of care, and that they were in breach of that duty at the time of the accident.

If you were the victim of a criminal attack, it is unlikely that you will be able to sue the perpetrator, even if they have been identified. Instead, compensation for injuries inflicted in an assault is paid for by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) which is a government body established to compensate physical and mental injuries following a crime.

It is difficult to estimate the amount of compensation that you will receive as each case is different. It will usually depend on a number of factors, such as the seriousness of your injuries, and the location of the scarring and disfigurement. In the majority of cases, a serious facial disfigurement will receive a higher payout than a less prominent disfigurement as it is considered to have a more severe impact on the person’s life and wellbeing.

We are able to offer our personal injury service on a no win no fee basis. This means that if your claim is successful you are not liable for any of the legal expenses, and if your claim is successful, we will take a percentage of the final compensation award to cover our fees.