Quick answer
A serious road-injury claim must plan for the injured person’s lifetime needs, not merely compensate the initial diagnosis. Liability evidence, early rehabilitation, interim funding, multidisciplinary experts and a properly tested future-loss model are central.
Key points
- ✓Do not settle before prognosis and future needs are reliable.
- ✓Case management and rehabilitation may begin before final settlement.
- ✓Care provided by family should be recorded.
- ✓Accommodation, equipment and transport may require specialist evidence.
- ✓Capacity and financial-management arrangements may need consideration.
Building the multidisciplinary case
The evidence may include neurology, neuropsychology, orthopaedics, psychiatry, rehabilitation, occupational therapy, care, accommodation, assistive technology and employment experts. The right disciplines depend on functional consequences, not just diagnostic labels.
Immediate and interim needs
Where liability permits, interim payments may fund rehabilitation, equipment, care or accommodation before final resolution. Requests should be supported by clear needs and costs; they are not guaranteed simply because the injury is severe.
Lifetime financial analysis
Future care, lost earnings, pension loss, therapies, equipment replacement, transport, housing and deputyship or guardianship-type costs may need projections. Assumptions about life expectancy, contingencies and public provision should be transparent.
Family evidence and hidden loss
Record unpaid care, supervision, household services, travel, work changes and the effect on relationships. Family evidence can explain real-world function between formal medical appointments.
Authoritative sources
- SCTS: All-Scotland Sheriff Personal Injury Court — Official information about Scotland’s specialist personal injury court.
- Transport Scotland: 2025 road casualty findings — Official provisional Scottish casualty statistics.
- Prescription and Limitation (Scotland) Act 1973 — The statutory limitation framework for Scottish personal injury actions.