My life after a spinal injury and why compensation mattered

Tony Kane

Tony Kane was involved in a serious accident at work which left him with a spinal injury after he broke his neck and spine in three places. Almost 13 years since the accident happened, Tony speaks about the impact of his spinal injury and how specialist solicitors at Digby Brown helped with his recovery and move on from what happened.

How the spinal injury happened

“I was working on a site clearance driving a six-tonne dumper truck and tipping mud from an eight-foot mound.

“I went to the top of it and didn’t see the edge. The truck upturned and dropped eight-foot and landed on top of me. I fractured my neck at C1 and broke it at C6 and 7.”

Impact of the spinal injury

“The feelings and the emotions that run through your head - like ’Why me, why me?’ Then the more you realise when you get up in your chair that your life’s changed a lot.

“I’ve come to terms with my spinal injury - I know that nothing's going to change so if I don’t have my wheelchair in the morning, I know I’ve not got my legs.”

Rebuilding my life

“Being out and pushing my wheelchair, my arms were in agony. So I thought, ‘What can I do to make it better?’

“I started playing wheelchair rugby, then I was able to go to the gym. This made me a lot stronger and I was able to then transfer in and out of my car, get my chair in and out which I couldn’t do at the very start.”

How did Digby Brown help?

"It was phenomenal the treatment I got with Digby Brown. They actually knew more than I what I needed. They have obviously done personal injury settlements for this kind of thing before, and this meant I could concentrate on my rehabilitation and leave the legal side to Digby Brown.

“I think it was three weeks or four weeks before Christmas when Digby Brown phoned me to tell me that they had received an interim payment. This was a God-send at the time because we basically had nothing. We went from worrying about losing our house to being able to enjoy our first Christmas in the house.

“They are trained in personal injury settlements which is very important. It’s like getting a gardener to do a plumbers job, it’s just not right.”

How did compensation help?

“The final settlement helped me buy a house that was big enough to incorporate my own gym in it, saving me having to go looking for gyms that never had any equipment for me.

“There are a lot of people who don’t receive anything and just have a spinal cord injury on their own and it’s nothing but a struggle.”

Where I am now

“Considering where I was at the very start to now, from talking to nurses and others, they see how far I’ve come. You don’t actually notice it yourself until you sit back and take stock of what your life’s been like.

“I’ve got a high-level spinal injury and being able to get yourself in and out of bed and drive cars and everything else with my level of injury, not a lot of people can get there.

“I went from only being able to turn on the telly with my thumb, to being able to brush my teeth, shave, everything. There’s no comparison, it’s night and day.

“You don’t realise that it’s not just one small thing you lose with your spinal injury, it’s a combination of things. All the way from the top to the bottom.

“So, if you find yourself injured in a work related accident, then the best lawyers to work with are Digby Brown in my eyes.”

If you or a loved one has been affected by a spinal cord injury and you need legal help and advice, you can call our specialist solicitor Chris Stewart on 0141 566 9541.

Alternatively, you can visit spinal injury compensation for more information.

Tony Kane speaks about his life after suffering a spinal cord injury at work and how Digby Brown were able to help