Child Scarring injuries and compensation claims
Children Scar injuries
Scars are permanent affect people in different ways. Scars injuries can give rise to deep emotional and psychological trauma long after the initial pain has gone. Expert child injury claim solicitors who have experience in dealing with scaring injuries are important so as to obtain the maximum compensation available for the child.
To a assess the child scarring naturally the child injuries solicitor will want to look at the scarring, this will either be by way of a face to face meeting with the child or by good quality photographs. These days many digital cameras will be able to provide a decent photograph of the scarring tissue just to give the child injury solicitor a general guide. It may be later that professional photographs will need to be obtained with detailed measurements of the scar before a formal assessment of the compensation can be valued.
Scars are areas of fibrous tissue that replace normal skin following personal injury to the child. Scarring is due to a biological process of wound repair in the skin and other tissues of the body. The scar is a result of the body’s repair mechanism after personal injury.
It is important to that the scar tissue is assessed by an independent medical expert. The child injuries solicitors, will arrange for the child to be examined by a expert plastic surgeon (and or other experts depending on the severity of the child injuries) to provide a medical assessment upon the scarring and decide upon the severity of the scar tissue at the time of the examination and also into adulthood. In severe cases it may not be possible to value the claims as the child may be required to undergo skin grafts or other treatment to reduce the appearance of the scars or to ease mobility etc.
Valuation of child injury scarring compensation claims
The court will take into account many factors when assessing the amount of compensation for scarring, including but not limited to the following:
- The severity of the scarring tissue
- Location of scarring (is it visible i.e. facial scarring, facial disfigurement
- Sex of the child (see later why this is important)
- Age of the child
- Psychological affect of the scar injury upon the child
- Length of pain and suffering
The sex of the child is important as the courts reflect society’s attitude that females, in general will be more psychologically affected by scarring than males. That being the case, the Courts will usually assess the scarring to a girl than a boy. Please see the scar compensation claim valuations below which illustrates the difference in valuations which have been divided between males and females.
Scarring to Nose of Child – Compensation £8000.00
This photograph is re-produced with the kind permission of the parents. In this case the child’s scar was in the form of a “V” shape approximately 2 cm in total length, being a maximum width in parts of 3 mm, the scar being slightly sunken, pale pink in colour and soft. No other abnormalities to the nose was found. The plastic surgeon who examined the child was of the view that the childt had sustained a permanent scar over the dorsum of his nose with only a slight improvement in the appearance of the scar, as the colour fades as he becomes older. He will not suffer any other adverse long-term sequelae. Following the child injury claim solicitors dealing with the action, the Court approved a compensation award of £8,000 for the injury and scar to his nose.
In the end, every case will be decided on its own particular facts which is why it is important that when you choose a children’s injury solicitor you instruct us who will assess the claim very carefully making sure that the maximum compensation will be obtained for the scarring injury to the child.
Please contact the child injury claim solicitors for expert legal advice.
