What is a personal injury claim?
A personal injury claim is a legal case you can start if you’ve been injured in an accident and it wasn’t your fault. It’s the process of recovering compensation from the party responsible for your injury.
Typically, an injury claim can be started when you or a loved one has been injured in an accident that:
- Happened within the last three years
- Resulted in you suffering financially as well as physically
- Was caused by somebody else
Nobody expects to be injured – that’s why we’re proud of the work we do to help people after they’ve been involved in an accident. We offer free, impartial advice about compensation and can guide you through the first steps.
If you’ve suffered an injury and it feels wrong, find out how we can help you make it right on 0800 456 1053.
Can you claim?
The simplest way to find out if you can make a claim is to contact us on 0800 456 1053.
During your call with us, we’ll listen to everything you say, and will offer free advice with no rush or pressure to start a claim. We’re here to provide you with the support and help you need – in your own time and in your own way.
We have 20 years’ experience helping people to make personal injury claims – we’ll be able to let you know whether we think you could make a claim before putting you forward to a solicitor.
If you don’t feel ready to speak to us, you can try our claim checker.
Types of personal injury claim
“Personal injury claim” is a broad term used to describe a lot of different types of accidents.
As the UK’s most trusted and recommend personal injury service, we’re committed to answering your questions and providing you with free, impartial advice tailored to you – based on your experience and your type of accident.
We don’t believe in using unnecessary legal jargon. That’s why we’ve listed the most common types of personal injury claims we work with below, and included links to where you can read more.
Road traffic accidents
If you’ve had a no-fault car accident, you can usually claim for the damages to your car on the responsible party’s insurance. This means the cost of repairing or replacing your car is covered by somebody else.
But what about the cost to your health?
Your insurance claim doesn’t cover your lost earnings, the cost of treatment for your injuries, or the stress and pain caused by your accident.
Whether you were a passenger, driver, pedestrian or cyclist, if you were injured in a road accident that wasn’t your fault, then it’s likely we can help you make a claim.
Read more about road traffic accidents here.
Accidents at work
Your employer is responsible for your safety at work – they’re legally required to make your workplace and tasks as safe as possible. They must also provide you with the correct training for any work you do as part of your job role.
Suffering an accident at work can be stressful. It may have left you feeling anxious about your job and worried about your finances, which can make your recovery even more difficult.
Using our 20+ years of experience and our network of specialist solicitors, we can help you make it right. You can find out more about work accident claims here, or you may like to read “is my job at risk?”.
Slips, trips and falls
It’s a common misconception that slips, trips and falls generally only result in minor injuries, such as cuts or scrapes.
In fact, slips, trips or falls form a significant portion of the personal injury cases we work with. They can cause serious harm such as broken bones, back injuries or head and brain injuries.
Please don’t feel embarrassed or ashamed if you’ve fallen in public. The owner of the premises you fell in has a duty to keep you safe – just as the council has an obligation to keep public pavements and roads safe from tripping hazards.
If they’ve failed to do this, then your accident was the result of negligence and could have been prevented by the responsible party.
Find out more about compensation after a slip, trip or fall.
Fatal or life-changing injuries
Sometimes we are contacted by family members and loved ones of somebody who has suffered a fatal accident or a life-changing injury.
If your loved one has suffered an injury that has changed their life and yours, or has recently passed away, we’re truly sorry. We know how overwhelming it can be to lose someone close to you.
At such a difficult time, we’re here to offer pressure-free advice. We can’t take away what you’ve been through, but the money you could receive may help to provide your loved one with the support they need. For example, it could help to pay for home adaptations and medical treatment.
For more information, we recommend reading our serious injuries page or reading through our serious injuries FAQs.
Alternatively, you can call us for free, impartial advice on 0800 456 1053; we have somebody on hand to listen, and we’ll never push you to take any further steps.
Medical negligence
If you’ve suffered through any form of medical negligence, we can help you.
If your doctor failed to diagnose you, misdiagnosed you or your diagnosis was delayed, and this caused you to be injured for longer than you should have been, we can help.
Your life may even have been put at risk – we can help you to make it right.
You may also be able to make a personal injury claim for surgical errors, dental errors or any negligent behaviour that left you in pain longer than you should have been.
Your compensation
During your claim, your solicitor will negotiate on your behalf and will do everything they can to get you the maximum amount of compensation you deserve.
To do this they consider the impact of your injury on you and your family and any expenses you’ve suffered, including:
- The type of injury you’ve suffered
- The severity and lasting effects of your injury
- Your salary and loss of earnings
- Daily expenses
- Medical expenses, including any treatment you’ve received as well as recommended future treatment
If you’re interested in getting an estimated settlement figure before you contact us, you can try our industry leading compensation calculator.
Tips on making a personal injury claim
Collect information
The main areas of detail that will help support your claim are things like:
- Name and contact details of everybody involved
- Registration numbers of vehicles, if it was a road traffic accident
- Name of the place you suffered an injury in, if it was a slip, trip or fall
- The exact details of your work accident (including any machinery)
- The names and wards of the doctors or medical staff who treated you
Record details of your injuries
We all recover from injuries in different ways and at different speeds. Taking photos and recording your symptoms as you recover will help identify the seriousness and impracticality of your injuries.
It’s also helpful to get statements from witnesses or friends and family after the accident, particularly if they’ve helped you recover or get about while you’ve been injured.
Be organised
Further into your claim, it’s likely you’ll be asked for specific dates relating to your accident. To make things easier, we recommend writing these dates down so that you have them readily available.
Letters and documents that relate to your accident and injury may also be beneficial to your claim, so it’s worth putting these somewhere safe.
Your solicitor may be able to negotiate to have some of your loved one’s costs covered too.
Search : https://www.national-accident-helpline.co.uk/personal-injury-claims.html