Serious Injury Solicitors
Serious Injury Claims
We know the impact that a serious injury can have on your life. Our serious injury solicitors can help you claim compensation for your injury and provide the advice and support you need.
“Osbornes is a well-regarded personal injury practice well equipped to advise on high-value and high-profile claims.”
“Osbornes is a highly proficient serious injury firm. They bring all the benefits of the biggest firms in the market but none of the downsides.”
We understand the impact that a serious injury can have on you and family. Our solicitors can help you claim compensation for your injury, the pain and suffering it has caused and the financial losses that result from the injury.
We are one of the UK’s leading serious injury law firms. We have been fighting the corner of people who have suffered serious injuries for nearly 50 years. To speak to an expert solicitor about your serious injury claim call us on 020 7485 8811 or fill in the contact form below.
Table of Contents
What is a Serious Injury?
There is no legal definition of what constitutes a serious injury in the UK. However, lawyers broadly agree that a serious injury is one that requires surgery and an extended stay in hospital, one that affects the ability of the person to return to their normal work and lead an independent life, or one that leads to death within 30 days or more after the accident. We specialise in bringing claims for all serious injuries. Our team have built up a strong reputation for representing clients with the following injuries:
Claims for serious injuries are based on the fact that they tend to be complex and have long-term effects, they also often take a long time to resolve which requires specialist knowledge. In many circumstances, the injured person may have to change jobs or not be able to work at all. Adaptations may need to be made to the home or families may need to move to a more suitable home. Long-term care may be required as well as help with getting around and doing everyday things.
For this reason, serious injury compensation can involve significant sums to provide for the losses involved.
How do you make a Serious Injury Claim?
- If you or a loved one has suffered a life-changing injury that was not your fault, contact our serious injury lawyers on 020 7485 8811 who will assess whether you have a potential claim, explain your rights and how to begin the claims process. We will guide you through the claims procedure and answer many of your questions including how to fund your claim via a no-win-no-fee arrangement.
- Once we have assessed your claim and agreed that it has a good chance of success we’ll start by working out who was to blame for your accident. This may be one individual or more than one person who will share liability for the accident.
- Working out who is responsible for the accident often requires us to work with external experts including accident investigation specialists and health and safety experts. For example, in the case of a serious road accident, they will interview witnesses, make video recordings and prepare reconstruction reports.
- Once we establish liability we calculate how much compensation we think you should claim. We liaise with leading medical and rehabilitation specialists, transport and accommodation providers as well as HR consultants to assess the financial impact of the accident.
- The next step is to meet with insurance companies to agree on a settlement. In the majority of cases, it will be possible to resolve your serious injury claim out of court.
Can you make a no-win-no-fee serious injury claim?
A no win no fee solicitors agreement is often the best way of funding your serious injury claim, however, there are other alternatives you may wish to consider. Our serious injury lawyers will discuss this with you and explain all possible options.
How much compensation can you claim?
Every serious injury claim is different so the value of damages that are awarded will depend on the circumstances of your accident, the injuries that you sustained and how they have affected your life.
The more serious the injury and the greater the impact on your day to day life the more likely it is that you will require compensation to pay for adaptations to your home a long term support package of care as well as loss of earnings.
The compensation that you receive is split into two parts
- General damages ( these are based on the severity of your injuries and how long it takes for you to recover from them)
- Special damages (this is compensation to cover financial losses and expenses that occurred as a result of your accident and the injury you suffered). These include:
- Loss of earnings if you can no longer do the same job or work at all
- Future rehabilitation, support and long term care
- Medical expenses, counselling and physiotherapy
- Mobility aids and transport
- Adaptations to your home, or moving to a new home
While no one can say exactly how much compensation you will receive at the outset, our extremely experienced lawyers will be able to talk you through all of the factors that influence the final settlement.
How long do you have to make a serious injury compensation claim?
You usually have three years from the date of an accident or injury to bring a serious injury claim – but we’d always advise getting in touch as soon as possible.
There are some exceptions to this rule. For example, if you had a serious head or brain injury that left you incapacitated then there are no time limits for your claim. If you were under 18 at the time of the accident, you can claim for up to three years after your 18th birthday or have a responsible adult represent you.
How long will your claim take?
Serious injury claims generally take a few years to settle.
The nature of serious injuries means that it is important to gather all of the evidence in order to make sure that the eventual settlement covers all of your long term needs. Collecting and evaluating evidence from medical, accident, employment and other specialists takes time but it is important that we get this right in order to cover the cost of rehabilitation, medical bills, loss of earnings and any adaptations to the home.
We work hard to settle every case as quickly as possible while ensuring that you receive the compensation that you deserve. We will help you secure interim payments to cover ongoing medical and rehabilitation costs to ensure that we have time to demonstrate the full extent of your injuries without having to rush to make a settlement.
Will you have to go to court?
Generally, only the cases where liability cannot be resolved or where the complexity of the case means that the value of the compensation can’t be agreed end in court proceedings. It is very rare that cases go to trial. However, it is important that you are represented by solicitors with extensive serious injury experience in order to achieve the best outcome.
Why choose our Serious Injury Solicitors?
A serious injury can turn your life and the lives of your family upside down. You may be unable to work or return to a much-enjoyed job. You may find it difficult to care for yourself, and you may need ongoing medical care to try to get back to a normal life.
Living with a serious injury may mean a change in your lifestyle, but it doesn’t have to mean that you stop living your life. We are proud to work with and support organisations that advocate and speak up for people who have suffered serious injuries and their families. Osbornes are the approved lawyers for these charities, including The Brain Injury Group, Headway, Limbless Association and Spinal Injuries Association. We have specialist teams that deal with various accident scenarios, including:
- Cycling Accident Claims
- Accident at Work Claims
- Road Traffic Accidents
- Sports Injury Claims
- Medical Negligence Claims
Ben Posford leads our serious injury team. Ben is considered one of the leading serious injury lawyers in the UK. He is ranked in the highest band of lawyers in Chambers and Partners and as a leading individual in Legal 500. Ben was voted “Catastrophic Injury Lawyer of the Year” at the 2021 Personal Injury Awards.
“A leader in his field of catastrophic injury work.” Chambers UK 2024
“Ben has the fantastic ability to see the wood for the trees. He is brilliant with clients and an amazing team leader.” Chambers UK 2024
Ben has a special interest in early rehabilitation and adapted accommodation issues for the seriously injured, particularly those with severe brain injuries, paraplegia or tetraplegia. He pursues insurers on behalf of his clients for initial compensation payments to establish effective care and therapy regimes, and to secure appropriate housing.
Ben’s team will help you connect with medical experts, therapists and care providers to make sure your future needs are taken care of. We aim to secure you the best financial package, with early or interim payments throughout your case, so you don’t have to worry about your financial situation.
Osbornes Law is a really strong team with a lot of depth.
Osbornes work professionally as a team, responding diligently to emails or telephone calls.
Ben Posford heads the catastrophic injury team, covers a spectrum of spinal cord and brain injuries, as well as fatal accidents, spanning spinal cord and brain injuries, and fatalities incurred during traffic and workplace accidents.
Osbornes clients are individuals whose cases are treated with the focus required when dealing with life changing injuries.
Fielding a ‘first class, very well resourced’ team of litigators, the personal injury department at Osbornes is rated for its diverse workload of complex, high-value injury claims, representing both domestic and international claimants.
Osbornes is an excellent firm, made up of lawyers with flair and pedigree.
Osbornes lawyers are smart, well trained, experienced and well managed.
Osbornes personal injury practice is first class; very well resourced and second to none.
Osbornes is becoming one of the top players in the claimant personal injury market. A large team with a great number of very high quality solicitors.
Osbornes is a highly proficient serious injury firm. They bring all the benefits of the biggest firms in the market but none of the downsides.
Osbornes prepares cases well; the whole team is good and lawyers there know their stuff.
They deal with people compassionately and take on the right amount of detail. The firm has some really brilliant key solicitors.
The personal injury team is responsive and its level of service towards clients and other professionals is exceptional and high quality
The team offers specialist expertise in cycling-related injury claims and regularly acts for foreign nationals.
It has considerable experience in cases arising from motor accidents and accidents at work
Osbornes is a well-regarded personal injury practice well equipped to advise on high-value and high-profile claims.
Their team includes bright, hard-working solicitors dedicated to achieving successful outcomes for their clients from partner level to paralegal. Their client care is exceptional.
They are a team who are highly respected in the PI sector.
This is an excellent PI team doing a broad range of PI work.
Osbornes’ ‘highly respected‘ personal injury team is experienced in a range of complex, high-value claims, with notable strength in acting for European clients for whom English is not a first language.
Osbornes’ ‘highly respected‘ personal injury team is experienced in a range of complex, high-value claims
Osbornes’ ‘highly respected‘ personal injury team is experienced in a range of complex, high-value claims.
Rob Aylott is adept at handling sensitive and complex catastrophic injury claims. He offers a particular specialism in amputation claims.
"Rob Aylott is adept at handling sensitive and complex catastrophic injury claims. He offers a particular specialism in amputation claims."
Ben Posford leads the catastrophic injury team and regularly represents claimants in neurological injury and fatal accident claims. He also has a niche specialism in claims involving cauda equina syndrome.
Stuart Kightley regularly handles cases involving brain injuries, fatal accidents, cycling collisions and workplace accidents.
"The team at Osbornes deals with catastrophic injury claims with the same professionalism as the largest firms, but provides a much more client-focused experience."
"This team has carved out an exceptional reputation in catastrophic injury work."
"Osbornes has impressed me with their personal touch for clients whilst offering a first-class handling of catastrophic injury claims. The partners all have vast experience and are highly respected in their field."
"Ben Posford is a pre-eminent solicitor in the field of very high-value catastrophic injury claims."
"Ben Posford is a great tactician, a great negotiator and generally, the man you want on your side when dealing with serious personal injury work."
"Ben Posford is a top-class litigator. He knows everything there is to know about catastrophic injury and major disaster litigation."
"Osbornes have managed to recruit a team of outstanding catastrophic injury lawyers who are at the top of the game."
"Ben Posford has his finger on the pulse as one of the leading catastrophic injury lawyers in the country, dealing with some of the highest profile cases."
"They punch well above their weight. The quality of service they provide equals that of any of the larger top-name firms in this area"
Ben Posford is fiercely bright, with an unrivalled passion for his clients’ cases. His encyclopaedic knowledge of all things PI is second to none. His foresight and commercial nous have propelled Osbornes into the highest echelons of the market where they rightly belong.
The firm has an excellent and innovative line in cases involving non-English speaking claimants, managed by recruiting paralegals with multi-language skills – an impressive route for expansion of the caseload.
Great expanding team with expertise and respect in the sector. Led by a commercially savvy and business minded team.
A really excellent group of PI solicitors, notable for their individual quality.’
A niche firm that punches well above its weight in the catastrophic injury sector, borne out by the quality of work they obtain.
This combination of experience and diligence reaps massive rewards for clients, Osbornes being well known in the industry as a fantastic firm.
The Osbornes personal injury team now comprises some of the most technically adept and hard hitting lawyers in the business.
Ben Posford is one of London’s best catastrophic injury lawyers, in my view. He is a real brain injury specialist.
Excellent coverage of personal injury, and traumatic brain injury. There is a real specialism in claimants who do not speak English as a first language.
The group is noted for its expertise in matters relating to cycling injuries, and is the official legal partner of the London Cycling Campaign charity.
To complement its strong reputation for high-value and complex personal injury work, the firm continues to develop its 'excellent and innovative line in cases involving non-English speaking claimants'
"Osbornes comprises some of the most technically adept and hard hitting lawyers in the business"
"A small but high-powered team, dealing with cases of significant value and complexity."
"An excellent firm which achieves fantastic outcomes for clients."
"Ben Posford is a hugely experienced solicitor who approaches his cases with confidence and realism."
"Osbornes Law have captured the magic of keeping the customer service levels of a smaller firm whilst having all the expertise and power of the biggest firms."
"A superb boutique catastrophic injury firm."
"Really good at dealing with people who have suffered a serious injury."
"Affable and charming with very good client-handling skills."
"superb firm with consummate professionals and a human touch."
Osbornes now has a team of highly experienced personal injury lawyers; particularly strong on high-value quantum cases, workplace accidents and claims involving foreign workers injured in the UK.
The team provides fantastic strength-in-depth for personal injury claims. It is also particularly well placed to service clients from Eastern Europe with specialist native language speakers. From the smallest case to a multimillion-pound spinal injury case, Osbornes has the right staff to manage every claim.
Ben Posford remains pre-eminent in his field with expert understanding of litigating cases of the upmost severity. His experience builds on Stuart Kightley’s running of the firm with recent partner additions of Rob Aylott making a fantastic addition.
A firm going from strength-to strength-which retains its client care whilst being able to offer a full personal injury service.
Beneath Ben Posford’s calm and reassuring presence, which clients love, lies a formidable tactical and legal brain. His experience tells and he gets it right at every stage of the process from arranging the best possible rehabilitation, to ensuring, so far as possible, a polite relationship with those acting for the defendant in order to ensure best and early resolution of the claim.
"Rob Aylott is a top-class litigator who has an unrivalled knowledge of catastrophic personal injury. A ferocious eye for detail means that quantum claims are always maximised and every angle analysed in liability cases."
"Clients say he is very impressive, in terms of both his experience and his management of the personal injury team."
"They have an expanding profile in personal injury and clinical negligence and offer a superb, broad service in accidents abroad, enabled by their recruitment of bilingual legal executives who can guide non-English speakers through complex litigation."
"Solid personal injury practice well equipped to advise on high-value and high-profile claims arising from fatalities and severe head and spinal injuries."
"Offers specialist expertise in cycling-related injury claims."
"Offers specialist expertise in cauda equina syndrome cases."
"An exceptional outfit. They take on difficult cases, fight hard and win."
"Stuart Kightley is an incredibly empathetic solicitor who is very knowledgeable about traumatic brain injury."
"They are an outstanding firm to work with. They are consistently impressive in their work."
"Osbornes often handles claims valued at over £1m, particularly relating to severe brain and spinal cord injuries and niche areas such as cauda equina syndrome and cycling accidents."
"The hard-working, thorough and committed Robert Aylott, who brings significant heavyweight personal injury experience."
"Key team members include the energetic and personable Stuart Kightley who is head of the personal injury department."
"Osbornes has a growing influence and impressive work load and is gaining a reputation for handling complex catastrophic work."
"Catastrophic injury cases head Ben Posford is an excellent practical litigator who offers exceptional service."
Thank you for the hard work and patience and for being so patient with my constant questions.
"I have found Osbornes to be thorough, clear and understanding from the initial call. They do exactly what they say they will and with passion! I would recommend them to anyone".
Very good efficient service. Would not hesitate to use again.
I will use Osbornes for any future needs.
I don't think I could have asked for anything more. One of the best dealings I've had with the legal profession.
Sam was excellent and very professional in dealing with our claim.
Head of the personal injury department, Stuart Kightley is a first-rate practitioner, wholly focused on getting his client the best outcome in a pragmatic, sensible and consensual manner.
As a real specialist in spinal cord injuries, Ben Posford is always looking at new angles on how to maximise his cases.
Ben Posford is one of the best catastrophic injury lawyers around.
They provide exceptional service, great knowledge and understanding of the law, excellent client care and tactical nous
Ben Posford is 'exceptional and a real expert in the field of catastrophic injury'.
Stuart Kightley is praised for his expertise in catastrophic and fatal claims. Clients say he is very impressive, in terms of both his experience and his management of the personal injury team.
My claim was dealt with efficiently and professionally. Communication was excellent, and timely. Shrewd and sound advice was provided at every stage of the claim from beginning through to completion. On the basis of my personal experience I would strongly recommend Osbornes.
I just wish to thank you for your hard work and successful outcome. I am pleased with the result and would recommend you and your firm to anyone in the future.
Ben Posford … is ‘tactically astute’ and ‘one of the best personal injury solicitors around’.
Ben Posford ‘knows how to maximise the value of the claim for his clients’.
Client StoriesVIEW ALL
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17.6.2021Life changing injuries following motorbike accident
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5.10.2020£50,000 secured for family after loss in road accident
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15.9.2019Osbornes Settles Brain Injury Case For Six Figure...
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Personal Injury Accreditations
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Our Personal Injury Team View the whole team
Rob Aylott
Partner
Personal Injury SolicitorsSam Collard
Partner
Personal Injury SolicitorsSophie Davies
Partner
Personal Injury SolicitorsLaura Swaine
Partner
Personal Injury SolicitorsNicola Hall
Senior Associate
Personal Injury SolicitorsAndrew Middlehurst
Senior Associate
Personal Injury SolicitorsView the
whole team
