When a serious injury changes your family’s life overnight, you need a specialist close to home. Bird & Co’s catastrophic injury solicitors act for people across Lincoln and the surrounding villages who are coping with severe brain injury, spinal cord damage, amputation and severe burns, securing the rehabilitation, care, accommodation and lifelong financial support needed to rebuild. Our personal injury team, led by James Ilic, works on a no win, no fee basis with a free initial consultation, and we come to you at home or in hospital when you cannot travel to our Lincoln office.
Call our Lincoln team today on 01476 591711 for a free, no-obligation consultation.
What counts as a catastrophic injury?
A catastrophic injury is one so severe that it permanently changes a person’s ability to live, work or care for themselves, requiring lifelong treatment, care or adapted accommodation. “Catastrophic” describes the severity and lasting impact of the injury, not how it was caused.
The claims our Lincoln team handles most often involve:
- Severe traumatic brain injury. Cognitive, memory and personality changes, often with a loss of mental capacity.
- Spinal cord injury. Paraplegia or tetraplegia, paralysis, and the need for adapted housing and a wheelchair.
- Amputation and limb loss. Prosthetics, ongoing pain and significant loss of earnings.
- Severe burns. Permanent scarring, repeated reconstructive surgery and psychological injury.
- Multiple serious injuries (polytrauma). The compounded effect of two or more major injuries.
For a fuller explanation of each injury type and how these claims work in law, see our national catastrophic injury lawyers page. This page focuses on what these claims mean for families in and around Lincoln.
Catastrophic injury support for Lincoln families
Most catastrophic injuries in the Lincoln area follow a road traffic collision, a fall, or an accident at work. The city is served by major routes including the A46, A15, A158 and A1, where high-speed collisions can cause life-changing injury, and the surrounding agricultural and industrial workplaces carry their own risks of crush injuries, falls from height and serious burns.
Knowing where treatment happens helps families understand the road ahead. Serious-trauma patients from Lincoln are first stabilised at the 24-hour A&E at Lincoln County Hospital (United Lincolnshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust). Because the most severe injuries need specialist neurosurgery and intensive care, patients are then transferred to the East Midlands Major Trauma Centre at Queen’s Medical Centre (QMC) in Nottingham, the region’s designated major trauma centre. Once stable, many patients return to rehabilitate closer to home through Lincolnshire’s community rehabilitation services.
That pathway is why a local solicitor matters. A family may be travelling to Nottingham for the acute phase while still living and recovering in Lincoln. We arrange our work around you, visiting you at home or on the ward, whether that is in Lincoln, Nottingham or anywhere in between. Our Lincoln office at 2 Kingsley Court, Kingsley Road sits just off the A46, but for a catastrophically injured client, the meeting comes to you.
Causes of catastrophic injury we handle in Lincoln
Bird & Co handle catastrophic claims whatever the cause:
- Road traffic collisions. Car, motorcycle, cycling and pedestrian incidents on Lincolnshire’s roads.
- Accidents at work. Falls from height, crush and machinery injuries, and burns. See our accidents at work solicitors
- Brain injuries. Handled by a specialist. See our brain injury lawyers
- Amputation claims. See our specialist amputation claims solicitors
- Falls on unsafe premises. Often alongside an occupiers’ liability claim.
- Assaults and violent crime. A civil claim against an identified attacker, or an application to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA).
For all other types of personal injury in the area, our personal injury solicitors in Lincoln page covers the full range of claims we handle.
How much compensation could you claim?
Catastrophic injury settlements are among the highest in personal injury law, because future losses usually dwarf the award for the injury itself. Every case is valued on its own facts.
| Category | What it covers |
|---|---|
| General damages | Pain, suffering and loss of amenity: the injury itself and its impact on your independence |
| Special damages (past) | Losses already incurred: lost earnings, treatment costs, family care and travel to hospital |
| Special damages (future) | Lifetime losses: care, case management, therapies, prosthetics, home and vehicle adaptations, assistive technology, and future loss of earnings and pension |
General damages are valued by reference to the Judicial College Guidelines. In catastrophic cases, the lifetime cost of care and accommodation is usually the largest element of the claim, and compensation is often paid as a lump sum together with a guaranteed annual income for life. How that is structured, through interim payments, periodical payments orders and, where capacity is lacking, the Court of Protection, is explained in full on our catastrophic injury lawyers page.
Time limits for a catastrophic injury claim
The standard limit is three years from the date of injury or the date of knowledge under the Limitation Act 1980, but several exceptions are especially relevant to catastrophic injury.
| Claimant | Time limit |
|---|---|
| Adult with mental capacity | Three years from injury or date of knowledge |
| Adult lacking mental capacity (s.28 Limitation Act 1980) | Suspended for as long as capacity is lacking |
| Child (under 18) | Until the child’s 21st birthday |
| Family of a person who has died | Three years from the date of death or date of knowledge |
| Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) | Two years from the incident |
Even where time is not pressing, early advice produces a better outcome: evidence fades, and rehabilitation funded by an early interim payment can change the long-term prognosis. If you are unsure how the time limit applies to your situation, contact our Lincoln team for free on 01476 591711.
How we support catastrophic injury clients in Lincoln
A catastrophic claim is a long relationship, not a transaction. We keep it local, personal and proactive:
- A named, specialist solicitor leads your case from start to finish. You are not passed around a call centre.
- Home and hospital visits across Lincoln and Lincolnshire, so you never have to travel when you cannot.
- Early focus on rehabilitation, working with insurers to fund treatment and support before the claim concludes.
- Regular, plain-English updates, so you always know where your claim stands.
The full step-by-step process, including how rehabilitation and interim funding are arranged, is set out on our national catastrophic injury lawyers page.
No win, no fee catastrophic injury claims
We handle catastrophic injury claims on a no win, no fee basis, under a conditional fee agreement (CFA). You pay nothing upfront, and if your claim is unsuccessful you do not pay our legal fees.
- If you win, a capped success fee is deducted from your compensation, explained in writing before you sign.
- If you lose, you do not pay our legal fees, and we arrange after-the-event (ATE) insurance to cover the other side’s costs.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a local solicitor for a catastrophic injury claim in Lincoln?
You do not have to use a local firm, but there are real advantages to one. A Lincoln solicitor can visit you at home or in hospital, understands the local treatment and rehabilitation pathway, and is easy to reach throughout a case that often lasts several years. Many national firms advertising for these claims have no presence in Lincolnshire at all. Bird & Co combine specialist catastrophic injury experience with a genuine Lincoln office.
Where will my relative be treated for a major trauma near Lincoln?
Serious-trauma patients from the Lincoln area are usually stabilised first at the 24-hour A&E at Lincoln County Hospital, then transferred to the East Midlands Major Trauma Centre at Queen’s Medical Centre (QMC) in Nottingham, the region’s designated major trauma centre for specialist neurosurgery and intensive care. Once stable, rehabilitation is usually arranged closer to home through Lincolnshire’s community rehabilitation services.
Can you visit me at home or in hospital in Lincoln?
Yes. Home and hospital visits are a standard part of how we run catastrophic injury claims. An injured person, or a family member acting for them, often cannot travel to a solicitor’s office, so we come to you, at home in Lincoln or a surrounding village, on a ward at Lincoln County Hospital, or at the trauma centre in Nottingham.
How long do I have to make a catastrophic injury claim?
The general time limit is three years from the date of injury or from the date you knew it was serious and linked to someone else’s fault. Important exceptions apply: the limit is suspended for anyone who lacks mental capacity, and a child has until their 21st birthday to claim. For a fatal injury, the family has three years from the date of death. Because these rules can be complex, take advice early.
How long does a catastrophic injury claim take?
Catastrophic claims usually take longer than other personal injury claims, often three years or more, because the long-term prognosis must be clear before settlement, and interim payments are arranged to fund rehabilitation in the meantime. Our catastrophic injury lawyers page explains each stage in detail.
Why choose Bird & Co in Lincoln?
A catastrophic claim should never be handled by a generalist, and against the national firms that advertise online, our advantage is that we are genuinely here in Lincolnshire. Our team, led by James Ilic, has specialist experience across brain, spinal, amputation, burn and multi-trauma cases.
We have a real Lincoln office at 2 Kingsley Court, home and hospital visits for clients who cannot travel, and local knowledge of Lincoln’s hospitals, roads and rehabilitation services. Bird & Co is Lexcel accredited and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), rated 4.9 out of five on Trustpilot from over 1,000 reviews.
Areas we serve around Lincoln
From our Lincoln office we act for clients across the city and the surrounding villages, including Nettleham, Welton, Saxilby, Washingborough, Branston, Cherry Willingham, Skellingthorpe, North Hykeham, South Hykeham, Bracebridge Heath, Waddington, Canwick, Metheringham, Navenby, Dunholme, Scothern, Burton Waters, Doddington and Heighington. Wherever you are in the area, we can visit you at home or in hospital.
Speak to our catastrophic injury solicitors in Lincoln
If you or a loved one has suffered a life-changing injury, talk to a specialist today. Your first consultation is free, with no obligation, and we are happy to visit you at home or in hospital.
Call us today on 01476 591711 or send an enquiry through our online form and we will call you back.
Our personal injury solicitors are based in Grantham, Newark and Lincoln and act for clients across Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire and the rest of the UK.