Minor head injuries

Minor head injuries can occur as a result of falls, road accidents, assaults or sports injuries. 

A minor head injury is defined by:

• A loss of consciousness of less than 30 minutes (or no loss of consciousness)
• Post-traumatic amnesia (PTA) of less than 24 hours after the injury (a period where people are confused and are unable to remember what has happened) 

Only around 10% of minor head injuries involve a loss of consciousness so it is important to not to rely just on this as an indicator. Symptoms of post-concussion syndrome may include headaches, irritability, feelings of dizziness, nausea, self-control problems, sensitivity to light, difficulty concentrating, sensitivity to noise, feeling low or anxious and problems with memory or thinking and problem-solving. 

In many cases, a good recovery is made. 

Moderate head injuries

A moderate head injury is defined by: 

• A loss of consciousness of between 15 minutes and six hours, or a period of post-traumatic amnesia of up to 24 hours. 

Severe head injuries

A severe head injury is usually defined by: 

• Where a patient has been in an unconscious state for six hours or more or suffered post-traumatic amnesia of 24 hours or more. 

Fill in our Head Injury Questionnaire. 

If you have ongoing problems such as poor memory and concentration but have returned to a normal social life and work, the likely damages award would be between £13,070 to £36,740, depending on the extent of any continuing disability.  

If your ability to work is reduced, the award may be higher, in the region of £36,740 to £77,410 or higher still if the ability to work is removed or greatly reduced (£77,410 to £128,060). 

If a head injury is more severe and includes personality change, has affected sight or speech, there is a significant risk of epilepsy and there is no prospect of being employed, damages are likely to be between £128,060 and £186,890.