Head Injuries And Your Claim
You hit your head in the accident and want that taken seriously in your claim.
A head injury from a road accident can be a brief concussion or a more serious brain injury. Each is documented and valued differently.
What matters for a claim is not how the knock looked at the scene. It is what a doctor records afterward, including loss of awareness, headaches, or changes in memory or concentration.
Why even a brief head knock needs a proper check
Report a few seconds of confusion or a memory gap, even if it clears quickly and you feel able to walk away.
Some concussion symptoms build over the following days. Headaches, dizziness or trouble concentrating do not always show straight away. A doctor’s early note that a head injury occurred anchors everything that follows. Someone who feels fine at the scene can still notice lost concentration a week later.
When a scan is and is not needed
Many concussions are assessed on symptoms and a clinical examination. Imaging is not always needed.
A scan becomes more likely with loss of consciousness, repeated vomiting, or worsening symptoms. Your doctor decides. Either way, the claim relies on the medical record.
From mild concussion to a lasting injury
Many head injuries are mild and settle within weeks. Some leave longer-lasting effects on memory, concentration or mood.
Those need a specialist review, not just a general practitioner’s note. Making a concussion claim and a traumatic brain injury claim set out what the evidence looks like at these different levels.
What this means for compensation
Where ongoing care, therapy or monitoring is needed, that future cost forms its own part of the claim. It is assessed on your specialist’s evidence, not guesswork.[1] Claiming future medical costs explains how that part works.
No figure can be promised before that evidence exists, because head injuries vary from person to person.
If your symptoms have not settled, book a follow-up review rather than waiting. A road accident claim explains how this fits into the wider process.
When symptoms are still developing, an independent lawyer can take the claim on and keep each doctor’s finding on record. Send the accident date, where it happened, whether anyone was injured (yes/no) and the police report status.
Need a lawyer to handle your injury claim?
For people seeking legal representation. For general information, please use our guides and tools.
Common questions
I was only dazed for a few seconds. Is that worth mentioning?
Yes. A brief loss of awareness after hitting your head is worth telling a doctor about even if you feel fine afterwards, because some effects of a concussion, such as headaches or poor concentration, appear over the following days rather than immediately.
Do I need a brain scan for a head injury claim?
Not always. Many concussions are diagnosed on symptoms and examination rather than imaging. A scan is more likely where there was loss of consciousness, ongoing vomiting, or symptoms that are getting worse, and your doctor will decide what is needed.
What if my headaches and memory problems continue for months?
Ongoing symptoms after a head injury should be reviewed again, not assumed to be permanent or ignored. A specialist review that records how long symptoms have lasted supports both your treatment and a fair assessment of the injury in your claim.
Does a mild head injury still count for compensation?
Usually yes, if someone else caused the accident. A mild concussion still involves real symptoms, missed time and sometimes ongoing care, and a documented recovery, however short, forms a genuine part of the claim.
Sources
- Civil Law Act 1956, s.28A (Attorney General's Chambers) (accessed 2026-09-22)
Need a lawyer to handle your injury claim?
For people seeking legal representation. For general information, please use our guides and tools.