By Marlon Marquardt. Last Updated 16th December 2022. Have you been scarred in an accident that wasn’t your fault? Do you suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) because of this? We’d like to help you if you’re considering making a facial scarring with PTSD claim. This guide includes discussions of PTSD and a case study that may be triggering to some. Use ‘Choose a Section’ to skip ahead to the parts you’d like to know more about.
Scarring and accidents that cause it can bring about PTSD lasting long after the initial cause. And if the accident was the fault of a third party, the victim may have the right to seek compensation. In this guide, we’re covering what you could do if you’d like to claim. The headings below direct you to the other critical sections in this article.
Why not contact our friendly team by telephoning 0800 408 7825, using our live chat or completing our contact form? They could then connect you to the panel of personal injury lawyers. And they could handle your case, with you then beginning your journey towards receiving compensation.
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Choose A Section
- A Guide To Calculate Compensation For A Less Severe Facial Scarring With PTSD Claim
- What Is Scarring And PTSD?
- Financial Repercussions From PTSD
- Scarring Accidents Leading To PTSD
- Calculation Of Your Payout For A Facial Scarring With PTSD Claim
- Information About Care Claims
- Case Study: £56,000 Compensation For Less Severe Facial Scarring With PTSD Claim
- Lawyers Can Estimate Your Case
- Explanation Of No Win No Fee
- Find Local Personal Injury Lawyers Today
- Facial Scarring Claim – Contact Our Team For Help
- Extra Resources
A Guide To Calculate Compensation For A Less Severe Facial Scarring With PTSD Claim
When making a facial scarring with PTSD claim, you should be aware of the personal injury claims time limit. This generally means you have three years to claim. The rules are slightly different when it comes to children or those lacking the mental capacity to claim.
A third party or another appointed representative could process their claim as their litigation friend for these victims. Only if the child turns 18 or if the victim regains mental control could their 3-year window begin.
In this guide, we’ll cover financial problems, compensation calculators, and No Win No Fee agreements. We’ll also look at the personal injury claims process, what steps you can take and what you could be entitled to. Speak to us for further guidance on any of these topics.
What Is Scarring And PTSD?
Scars appear on the skin as the marks signifying a healed burn, wound or cut on the body. The scar may be barely visible, or it could be very noticeable. There are ways to treat scars to diminish their visibility, such as applying silicone gel, using camouflage makeup and plastic surgery. But while they can eventually fade, they may not ever disappear. So, if someone suffers a scar after an accident, the impact on them could be significant.
And that can exacerbate the suffering of PTSD. This is where the victim has mental reactions due to a distressing incident, often for a long time after the incident. Symptoms may include flashbacks or problems with sleep, such as nightmares. Certain things may trigger symptoms of PTSD. Your scars may be a reminder of the accident, for example.
We recommend always seeking professional help for medical or psychological conditions. However, if you’re thinking about making a facial scarring with PTSD claim, we can help. Call our expert team anytime to discuss scarring and PTSD.
Financial Repercussions From PTSD
Post-traumatic stress disorder could cause numerous financial problems. For one, it may cause the victim to take time off work that is unpaid or at a lower rate than their typical wage. Additionally, they may have to pay for medications or prescriptions. They may also pay for counselling or therapy.
Each of these could contribute towards the potential compensation for a facial scarring with PTSD claim. You would need proof to recover the costs, however. Proof could be in the form of:
- Medical bills
- Invoices
- Prescriptions
- Tickets for bus travel to and from therapy sessions
So long as your financial losses are due to PTSD or scars and you have proof, you could add them to your claim. Use our 24/7 live chat to ask any questions.
Scarring Accidents Leading To PTSD
Negligence would be the basis for any facial scarring with PTSD claim. So, you would need to prove that a third party breached their duty of care towards you. This must then have resulted in an accident that caused you to suffer facial scarring and PTSD. As for the areas which would apply to many accident situations, three mainly come to mind:
- Employers have a duty to protect the health and safety of their employees. This duty of care comes courtesy of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. However, the 693,000 workplace accidents causing injury during 2019/20 prove that there are still work accidents. A potential scenario could be burning your face on steam from an exposed pipe due to poor maintenance.
- Those in control of land, premises or property also have the duty of care to avoid anyone being injured in a public place. The guidelines of the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957 are in place to prevent accidents in public places, yet there are many potential situations. One example of an accident in a public place could see you cut your face after tripping over an uneven floorboard in a pub.
- When it comes to road traffic accidents (RTAs), under The Highway Code, there is a duty of care that should be followed by drivers, pedestrians and cyclists. But you could suffer facial scarring after a severe crash or collision. This is a real possibility given the frequency of reported road accident injuries (153,158 casualties of all severities in 2019).
Talk to our specialist team anytime about accident scenarios resulting in facial scarring and PTSD.
Calculation Of Your Payout For A Facial Scarring With PTSD Claim
Undergoing an independent medical assessment is a crucial stage of the claims process. That’s because it can act as evidence to prove that your injuries were caused by the accident.
During an assessment, the independent expert would find out how the injuries developed in the first place, establishing a link between the accident and your present-day condition. And they would also assess how much the scars and the PTSD have changed how you live your life.
Your solicitor could use the report that results from the assessment to value your injuries for your facial scarring with PTSD claim. This could divide up into general damages and special damages. General damages compensate primarily for any pain, suffering and lifestyle alterations.
As for special damages, these would relate to the financial impact of your physical and mental injuries. They would include any lost earnings, medical expenditure and public transport costs for hospital visits. Call us using the number at the top of the page for more information.
Information About Care Claims
We should also note how care costs could be included in special damages. Care costs relate to any assistance you receive as a result of the incident.
So, you could consider the gracious care that you receive from relatives and friends. Though you might not necessarily pay for their care, you could recover compensation for their time.
It would also incorporate the costs of hiring a nurse or another professional to look after you and handle any chores at home. And it would encompass potential mental health services such as counselling.
Any of these could be added to your facial scarring with PTSD claim. Get in touch today for additional guidance about care claims.
Case Study: £56,000 Compensation For Less Severe Facial Scarring With Severe PTSD Claim
Miss Wilson, 20, had just started working in a new role at a dry cleaner’s. She had adapted well to her new role. But Miss Wilson still hadn’t received her safety training in full. And this would prove to have terrible consequences.
One afternoon, Miss Wilson was asked to use the clothes steamer. But Miss Wilson’s inexperience with the item and lack of training meant that, when she lifted it, she inadvertently burned her face.
Miss Wilson’s colleagues quickly rushed to her aid. Though they provided initial assistance, her manager advised her to go to her local hospital. By this point, Miss Wilson’s face was showing significant burns around her nose and upper lip due to the incident. At the hospital, she received a full medical examination, and she was eventually told that she would develop scarring.
Miss Wilson would remain with a noticeable disfigurement in both the nose and upper lip regions. The impact of her appearance changing and the shock of the incident itself would lead to her developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This would result in her undergoing counselling treatment regularly.
Miss Wilson also initially questioned whether or not she would be able to resume her work. She knew that she could perform her job, but the oversight for her training had caused this tragic situation. She was worried about going outside, seeing her colleagues again and using the equipment. Miss Wilson ultimately took two months off before returning to work. But she wondered whether her colleagues truly valued her wellbeing by placing her in such a situation with minimal training.
After seeking legal advice, Miss Wilson filed a facial scarring with PTSD claim against her employers. She received £56,000 as an out-of-court compensation settlement. This included £53,120 in general damages and £2,880 in special damages.
| Type Of Special Damages | Includes: | How Much? |
|---|---|---|
| Less Severe Facial Scarring | Costs of suffering less severe facial disfigurements | £45,440 |
| Less Severe Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder | Costs of suffering minor psychological damage | £7,680 |
| Type Of Special Damages | Includes: | How Much? |
|---|---|---|
| Lost Earnings | Costs of lost earnings | £1,330 |
| Medical Costs | Cost of plastic surgery operations | £600 |
| Counselling Costs | Costs of counselling treatment | £700 |
| Public Transport | Costs of using public transport for her hospital & counselling appointments | £200 |
| Other Costs | Prescriptions and painkillers | £50 |
Miss Wilson’s case is fictional and only to be used as an example of the personal injury claims process and how injuries may be valued.
Lawyers Can Estimate Your Case
If you choose to use one, a personal injury lawyer would determine the real value of your compensation claim. Note that they wouldn’t use an online personal injury claims calculator to create this figure. Instead, they would use your medical assessment results, along with other evidence available about you and your circumstances.
The goal is to provide you with a payout that would match the predicament you’re in due to the initial incident. Our advisors could provide a free compensation estimate for your facial scarring with PTSD claim for free as a courtesy. Speak to them via our live chat or call if you have any queries.
Explanation Of No Win No Fee
The purpose of a No Win No Fee agreement is to reduce financial risk relating to funding a personal injury lawyer. This means that:
- No solicitor costs are required upfront or during the case.
- If your case loses, you don’t pay the fee to your personal injury solicitor.
- The only scenario that you would pay any solicitor fees is if your case is successful.
- At that point, your No Win No Fee solicitor takes a success fee capped by law.
Want to know more about the benefits of a No Win No Fee agreement for your facial scarring with PTSD claim? Get in touch with us today.
Find Local Personal Injury Lawyers Today
You don’t necessarily have to use a solicitor in your local area. You don’t even necessarily have to meet them in person. Our panel of personal injury lawyers could handle your facial scarring with PTSD claim from anywhere in the country. They aim to ensure that you receive the highest possible compensation appropriate to your claim.
Having many years of combined experience, along with specialities relating to scarring and PTSD, our panel could be the right choice for you. They have plenty of positive reviews and examples of triumphant case victories to support their credentials. Learn more by chatting with our knowledgeable team anytime.
Facial Scarring Claim – Contact Our Team For Help
Facial scarring could affect people in various ways. If you’ve suffered from such injuries, you can reach out to one of our advisers for a free consultation to see if you could claim. They could better inform you of how to claim compensation for the accident that led to your facial scar or compensation for any psychological effect your injury has resulted in.
If your advisors believe you have a good chance of claiming successfully, they could provide you with potential PTSD compensation examples and connect you with our expert advisors.
You can reach out now by:
- Calling us on 0800 408 7825
- Using our contact us page
- Using the live chat feature
Extra Resources
For further details to enhance your understanding about a facial scarring with PTSD claim, check out the six links below.
Our website covers all of the services that Public Interest Lawyers provide.
We also talk about public transport accident scenarios.
And we explain the requirements for filing a public liability claim.
The NHS, meanwhile, has a page dedicated to scars.
They provide further depth about treatment for scarring injuries.
And they also break down post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).