Head, Spinal Cord & Other Serious Injury Claims  

Child Brain Injury Claims 

Expertise And Understanding From Irwin Mitchell

At Irwin Mitchell, we understand that pursuing a child head or brain injury claim after an accident can be challenging. Our vast experience in handling cases involving child brain injuries means that we will always approach your case with the highest level of professionalism and sensitivity.

We fight fearlessly to achieve the best outcome for a head or brain injury claim pursued on behalf of a child. We’re renowned for our understanding of the issues affecting you and your family due to a child head injury and we know what positive action to take to make a difference.

Our lawyers offer the highest level of professionalism and expertise, combined with dedication and sensitivity.

Above all, we put you first.

Handling Child Head And Brain Injury Claims With Expertise And Sensitivity

Children are all too frequently injured, whether as a result of accidents:

  • In the home
  • At school
  • On the road
  • In other public places
  • Children can also be the victims of non-accidental injuries.

Sometimes, these incidents result in serious injury. Being involved in a serious accident or sustaining a significant head or brain injury at an early age can have a huge impact on a child, and the consequences are often felt by the whole family.

Child brain injury claims require a particular approach, with specialist knowledge and experience required to ensure that the child and their family are given the very best assistance throughout the claims process. As well as handling the legal claim, we will work closely with other teams to provide guidance on specific issues such as:

  • Rehabilitation
  • Medical care
  • Educational assistance
  • Family support
  • Accommodation issues.

Irwin Mitchell has extensive experience in handling child head and brain injury claims, and as a result we can provide the highest quality assistance on all of the above matters.

We are happy to be contacted by a parent, teacher or other professional on behalf of a child who has been injured. In some cases, we will be contacted by the young person themselves. We can travel to meet with clients in their own homes or in hospital, as we appreciate there may be difficulties when travelling.

The law states that people under the age of 18 cannot deal with their own compensation claim because they do not have the legal capacity. A Litigation Friend (usually a parent) needs to be appointed to act on the child's behalf.

Proven Expertise In Child Head And Brain Injury Claims

Irwin Mitchell is also one of the largest and most experienced personal injury law firms in the country.

Our team includes many of the country’s finest personal injury lawyers. They operate in highly specialised teams, offering the highest level of legal expertise in children’s accidents claims.

Firstly, we’ll find out if a children’s head or brain injury was someone else’s fault. If so, we will start to gather the evidence necessary to value the claim. This will include referring your child to experts for assessments and speaking to their school, friends and family about them both before and after their injury.

Irwin Mitchell will assist in obtaining interim payments wherever possible which can be used to fund care, medical treatment and educational support as the claim progresses. We understand that it is not necessarily the money that is important to the child, but rather what the money can do in terms of facilitating ongoing care and support.

We can assure you of:-

  • A dedicated, experienced personal injury team with extensive understanding of children’s head and brain injuries
  • We have excellent links with highly qualified professionals working with brain-injured children
  • Our specialists work alongside and sometimes volunteer with the Child Brain Injury Trust
  • Our solicitors regularly attend seminars and training for professionals working within the field of children's brain injury and are specialised in handling child brain injury claims.

A children's head or brain injury claim can sometimes take years to resolve as it is important to properly assess the long-term impact of the injury. Sometimes the effects of an injury only become more apparent as the child grows up and progresses through school.

In general, the more serious the injury and the younger the child when injured, the longer the a child head injury claim may take. We will continue to monitor the child's progress and provide support wherever needed. Once expert reports are complete and injuries can be assessed, we will value the claim and negotiate a settlement. We can also refer a child for specialist follow-on support, including investment advice and setting up personal injury trusts.

Irwin Mitchell’s Commitment To Making A Difference

Irwin Mitchell’s first commitment is to our young client, and to achieving the best outcome for his or her claim.

We also have a long history of campaigning with leading organisations in numerous personal injury fields. Together with those organisations we seek improvements in health and safety, prevent accident and injury where possible, and improve the quality of life and levels of compensation for those who have suffered injury.

We work closely with the Child Brain Injury Trust, local support groups and specialist NHS children’s services.

We have also pursued many leading legal cases in order to improve the prospects of success of claims for various forms of personal injury, and to obtain fairer compensation.



Boy Receives Six-Figure Brain Injury Compensation

A 15 year old boy has received a six-figure compensation payout after suffering brain damage whilst at hospital.

Joshua Boyce, who lives in Gleadless, Sheffield, had a congenital condition that left him unable to speak. He also had reduced movement and severe learning difficulties and other medical problems. As a result of this condition, Joshua also suffered with mild epileptic seizures.

However, despite these problems, Joshua was able to get around inside his own home including walking up and down the stairs safely and showed considerable intelligence.

As a result of his brain injury, Joshua had a number of operations over his life including several operations on his brain. As an in-patient, given Joshua’s particular needs, it was thought necessary that special measures were in place to monitor and care for Joshua continuously.

In January 2002, when Joshua was 10 years old, he was admitted to the Sheffield Children’s Hospital for further surgery to drain a cyst on his brain. Joshua was placed in a cubicle of his own which was not visible from the nursing station.

Christopher Boyce, Joshua’s father, remembers, "I arrived at the ward the next morning and was met by the paediatric consultant and the nursing supervisor. They told me that there had been a serious incident involving Joshua earlier that morning.

"A twelve year old girl had found Joshua lying on the floor. Staff attended and saw that Joshua had a curtain cord wrapped around his neck. He wouldn’t respond and his lips were blue. He had suffered a cardiac arrest and a lack of oxygen to his brain.

"We would like to thank the girl who found Joshua as, without her vigilance, Joshua may not be with us now."

Following the brain injury, Joshua developed additional problems and it was thought that the incident made his pre-existing brain injury worse.

Joshua had problems with the right side of his body and had developed problems using the stairs, requiring help which he had not previously needed. He could also only walk about 20 yards before becoming tired.

His parents noticed an increased number of epileptic seizures with jerking, whereas before the admission into hospital, they had considered stopping Joshua’s medicine as his epilepsy had greatly improved.

Joshua also became scared of being left alone, and found sleeping more difficult.

His payout was secured with help from brain injury solicitor, Tom Mather from national law firm Irwin Mitchell. Mr Mather said "It has taken nearly four and a half years for this settlement to be reached. Joshua has suffered significant additional injuries as a result of the accident he had at the hospital and this has led to him needing ongoing additional care.

"We are satisfied that this money will help to make Joshua’s life easier and will go some way to compensating him for the extra pain and suffering that the accident has caused."

Joshua's compensation settlement was approved at the Royal Courts of Justice in London on 26th March 2007.

We have lawyers with the expertise and experience needed to help you with your claim. Choose from the list below to learn more about our experts in this area.

Name Location Job Title Telephone
Jonathan Betts Manchester Partner 0161 838 3055
Matt Brown Manchester Partner 0870 1500 100
Grahame Codd Manchester Partner 0870 1500 100
John Davis Newcastle Partner 0191 279 0098
Alison Eddy London Partner 020 7421 3887
Philip Edwards Birmingham Partner 0121 214 5212
Colin Ettinger London Partner 0207 421 3889
Carolyn Heaton Leeds Partner 0870 1500 100
Stuart Henderson Birmingham Partner 0870 1500 100
Jane Horton Leeds Partner 0113 394 6770
Tom Mather Sheffield Partner 0870 1500 100
Fran Mayes Newcastle Partner 0191 279 0112
Stephen Nye Birmingham Partner 0870 1500 100
Sarah Brumpton Leeds Associate 0113 394 6777
Jo Darlington Bristol Associate 0870 1500 100
Tim Deeming Birmingham Associate 0870 1500 100
Jeanne Evans Manchester Associate 0161 838 7263
Joanne Ewart Leeds Associate 0870 1500 100
David Bell Glasgow Solicitor 0870 1500 100
Caroline Trinder London Other Legal Expert 0870 1500 100

Guidance With Strength And Sensitivity

We understand that contacting a lawyer might seem like a big step - especially if you have not done so before and we have therefore made it easy for you to contact us for free initial advice about your claim.

At Irwin Mitchell we understand the real impact of personal injury. Our team of specialists have the skills and experience to give you clear advice about the chances of pursuing a successful claim and to guide you through the claims process. You can then decide if you want us to pursue your claim on your behalf.

We are renowned for our understanding of the issues affecting you and your family, and we know what positive action to take to make a difference.

At Irwin Mitchell we will fight fearlessly to give you the greatest chance of winning your case, with the best possible outcome, and we will support you every step of the way.

Awards and accreditations

Investors In People    Endless LLP St Nick Awards Winner 2009Personal Injury Pro Claim Award Winner Action Against Medical Accidents - Clinical Negligence SpecialistsYorkshire Lawyer Awards Winner 2009Diversity ChampionRehabilitation First Awards 2010 The Law Society Personal Injury Accreditation The Law Society Clinical Negligence Accreditation ISO 9001:2008 AccreditationISO SGS 27001 AccreditationSGS ISO 14001 with UKASHeadway Personal Injury SolicitorA conformance icon, W3C-WAI Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0