Please advise: My son has been seriously assaulted. Do we need a solicitor?

[zoggs]

My son (age 20) was assaulted on Sunday. Front teeth knocked clean out. His face is a mess. He is going to need a bone graft to his jaw and at least 2 dental implants, possibly 4 - about 7-10 months of operations. The treatment is not available on the NHS so we have to pay privately and it will cost £5k-£10k.

Should we approach a solicitor to try and recover some of the costs and/or compensation. I am aware of the Criminal Injuries Board but I just don't know where to start and am still reeling from the shock. Fluctuating between anger and just being thankful it wasn't worse. The force of the blow was such that we think the assailant has broken bones in his hand. Crying as I type this as I can't believe it's happened.

Sorry to hear about this.

Are you sure he can't get NHS treatment for his teeth?

My dc have Ectodermal Dyslplasia and will need implants and bone grafts.

They're under the care of the local dental teaching hospital and their treatment is free.

If there's a similar dental hospital near you or his university, I suggest you check - the GP should be able to refer.

I meant Ectodermal Dysplasia

Zoggs a complete aside but there is treatment available for APD (I am a very mild sufferer) dyslexia and dyspraxia. Information here

www.inpp.org.uk/

There is an assessment form on that website but this is just one organisation that can treat it, there are other ones out there. My dc3 had treatment with a practioner and it made a huge difference. I am consider treatment for my APD but as a mild sufferer and not really having the money have postponed it for the time being.

Hope the interview went well and you are all feeling a bit better.

Just a quick update: DS made his statement last night. It took over 2 hours so we didn't leave the police station until nearly midnight and didn't get back home until 2.30am today. Officers were going round to the address today to make an arrest and we will be updated as and when. To be quite honest, I would just like a couple of days without thinking about it so I don't want to hear anything from them just yet.

Thanks to everyone for all the concern shown. I will look at the links tomorrow and speak to GP on Monday. We do have a dental hospital nearby but, if necessary, I can afford to pay for this myself (small inheritance). Just feeling a bit numb at the moment (wine induced) and after a week of about 10 hours total sleep and only 3 proper meals I'm ready to crash.

DS is ok. Eating, drinking and planning to go back to uni next week. I don't want him to go but I'm glad he wants to. Teeth can be replaced but you can't buy confidence.

Thanks for updating zoggs and good to hear he's doing so well.

On the day that you were all writing about your concerns for Zoggs and her son, the same thing happened to my son. He was coming home from college and got stopped by a car full of grown men (30's) my son is 18. They demanded he give them his phone and when he tried to run they got out the car and stopped him by punching him in his head, then one of them punched him in his mouth knocking his two front teeth out. To make it worse they shoved him in their car and drove around with him for a further 25 minutes beating him up before throwing him out of the car.
Obviously i got the police involved straight away and my son has been told that he also needs dental implants that will cost £4000.00. My problem is that as a family we decided to drop the charges when the police informed us that the men involved were part of a drugs gang working in our area and that there was a high possiblity of further repucussions to my family and my home. Yet they told me that other than a panic alarm there was nothing else they could do to protect my family, and with two young daughters we including my son decided that the risk of pressing charges was too high.
I hate these men more than anything on this planet, but i also have no confidence in our police system as they wanted us to press charges but could not protect us if we did. My husband was made redundant in november and i am the only one working and there is no way we can afford to pay the £4000 for the implants, i know that i cannot go through criminal injuries but is there any other injuries claim that i can make.... i would be eternally grateful for any advice as like Zoggs nothing breaks your heart more than seeing your child being hurt.