Neck Injury
Compensation Claims

Key points when claiming for a neck injury

• You have the right to claim if your injury occurred at work, in a road accident, a public place, or from medical negligence.
• General damages can range from around £8,000 for a short-lived soft tissue injury to over £400,000 for permanent spinal injuries and Tetraplegia.
• You typically have 3 years from the date of your injury to make a claim, or longer if the injury occurred before you turned 18.
• General damages ranges from around £8,000 for a minor neck injury to over £400,000 for tetraplegia. Discover how much you could claim with our compensation calculator.
• Special damages are awarded for financial losses like lost wages and medical expenses.
• A solicitor can handle your claim under a no win, no fee agreement.

If a neck injury has set you back, we'll help you move forward

Neck injuries can dramatically affect your life, whether they stem from an accident, sudden movement, or poor posture over time.

If a neck injury has affected you and it was caused by someone else's negligence, you may be entitled to compensation for your pain and suffering. Compensation can also alleviate the financial burden of medical treatment, compensating you for lost wages, and any other expenses or losses related to your injury.

You can make a No Win, No Fee compensation claim with the help and support of a personal injury solicitor.

With over 16,000 neck injury admissions each year, you are not alone

A neck injury is an injury to any part of the top of the spine, bone, muscles, cartilage, ligaments or tendons between the head and back.

In 2022-23, the NHS reported 16,061 admissions for neck injuries, and over 123,000 admissions for whiplash and other soft tissue injuries (digital.nhs.uk).

If you are looking for information on neck pain symptoms and treatment, see: neck pain (nhs.uk).

How much compensation can I claim for a neck injury?

Your compensation for your neck injury is based on:

• the severity of your injury,
• how your injury impacts your life and ability to work,
• any financial losses or costs you have incurred due to your injury.

General damages are awarded for pain, suffering and loss of amenity (PSLA). Awards for general damages are set by the Judicial College (judiciary.uk) and published in their guidelines for personal injury awards.

Special damages is compensation for quantifiable financial losses you've incurred as a result of your neck injury. Compensation can include loss of earnings (including future anticipated earnings loss), retraining costs, career trajectory impact, and any additional expenses directly related to your injury.

These damages will also cover any medical or treatment bills, such as pain medication, cervical collar and physiotherapy.

Read more:

A complete list of recoverable losses in a personal injury claim

How is compensation calculated if I have multiple injuries?

Am I eligible for neck injury compensation?

Yes, you can start a compensation claim for a neck injury, if:

• you became ill within the last 3 years, and;
• another party was at fault, and;
• that party owed you a duty of care.

Use our injury claim calculator to find out if you can claim. Or you can call 0800 376 1001 to speak to a specialist advisor. Find out in minutes if you have a claim.

Am I still eligible to claim if I was partially responsible?

Determining legal responsibility for a claimant's injuries can involve myriad factors.

In our recent 2025 Personal Injury Claimant Survey, 13.99% of respondents believed they may have been partly (or wholly) responsible for their injuries.

You may still be able to claim compensation even if your actions may have contributed to the accident. Claims where there is fault on both sides (contributory negligence) are often resolved with a split liability agreement.

Read more:

Can I claim if I feel I was partly responsible for my accident?

How long after a neck injury do I have to claim compensation?

In most cases, you have up to 3 years from the date of your accident or injury to start a claim.

For an injured child, the three-year limitation period begins on their 18th birthday, giving them until they are 21 to start a claim.

How are neck injuries categorised?

Neck injuries are categorised by the Judicial College as follows:

Relatively Minor

Neck injury symptoms may include minor numbness and pain forcing the sufferer to take time off work.

Damage to muscle and soft tissue or ligaments and tendons tend the heal well. However, there is still typically pain and distress lasting anywhere from months up to a year.

Whiplash injuries usually fall into this category.

Read more:

Claiming compensation for a whiplash injury

Moderate

More serious neck injuries such as a prolapsed disc, cervical spondylosis, permanent, on-going or recurrent pain will be eligible for more substantial compensation.

More serious whiplash injuries where a recovery takes between 1 and 2 years will also usually qualify for higher compensation.

Severe

As the neck is essentially part of the spine, damage to this region of the can have serious life changing impact such as complete paralysis (paraplegia, quadriplegia) or permanent spastic quadriparesis.

Settlements for injuries of this severity are the highest.

Compensation awards for less severe disabilities work on a sliding scale that considers the extent of pain, disability and time taken to recovery of for symptoms to ease.

Average neck injury compensation payouts

The following neck injury payouts refer to the Guidelines for the Assessment of General Damages in Personal Injury Cases, 17th Edition by the Judicial College (oup.com).

These tables are used by solicitors or by the courts as a starting point when calculating your compensation.

Please note: these average figures represent general damages only, and do not include any element of special damages (e.g. lost wages).

Neck injury

Paralysis

Typical causes of neck injury

The most common cause of neck injury is car accidents. The sudden acceleration (then deceleration on impact) causes the head and neck to be forced forward and then back in what is commonly known as 'whiplash'.

Around 250,000 personal injury claims are made each year for symptoms relating to whiplash (gov.uk).

Whiplash claims have been somewhat demonised by insurers and politicians over recent years. Whatever the legitimacy of this argument, there is no doubt that neck injuries, whatever the cause, can be extremely painful or even debilitating. Whiplash injuries can also be sustained as a car passenger, or on a motorcycle or bicycle.

Neck injuries from surgical or neck handling errors can lead to a claim for medical negligence. Misdiagnosis or missed diagnosis of a neck fracture is relatively common in A&E departments.

Neck injuries at work are also quite common when an employee slips, trips or falls.

How compensation could help you

It is recognised by the courts that a neck injury can have serious consequences. General and special damages are typically awarded for:

• medical treatment and care costs
• anticipated future treatment and care
• other expenses including travel costs and potentially property damage
• loss or reduction of mental or physical capacity
• general pain and suffering
• lost earnings during recovery
• loss of earnings if unable to return to work

How did your neck injury happen?

The process for a neck injury claim depends the circumstances of the accident. to learn more, click the icons below:

Work accidents Public places Road accidents Medical negligence Other accidents

Sources

Author:
Howard Willis, Personal injury solicitor

About the author

Howard Willis qualified as a solicitor in 1984 and has specialised in personal injury for over 25 years. He is a member of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL) and is a recognised Law Society Personal Injury Panel expert.