Free Accident Claims Advice
If you have been involved in an accident in the previous three years which has caused you an injury and as a direct result you have suffered pain and financial loss you may be entitled to make an accident claim and get compensation for the suffering you may have experienced. Making an accident claim is now a relatively straight forward process with most claims now operating on a 'no win, no fee' basis and most managing to settle before the case gets to court.
There are a wide variety of injuries you can claim for; personal injury can be an actual physical injury, an illness or something which has caused temporary psychological distress or a long term psychological illness such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
As a general rule everyone is eligible to make a accident claim for compensation if they have suffered a personal injury (psychological or physical) as a direct result of another party's actions or negligence.
Some of the type of accidents which you can claim for are:
A slip or fall: experiencing a slip or fall due to the actions or negligence of another party. An example of this would be a wet floor which is not sign posted.
Medical Negligence:If you have suffered negligent treatment from a medical professional such as a wrong prescription, misdiagnosis or inadequate treatment which causes a further injury you will be entitled to claim for this.
Accidents at work: An employer has a Duty of Care and is legally required to ensure employees are working in a safe environment. If you suffer an injury due to their negligence in this area then you would be entitled to make a claim. An example of such a claim would be repetitive strain injury if your employer has not gone to suitable measures to prevent this injury from occurring.
These are just a few of the many situations which can result in claim, if you have a potential claim you should contact a legal team to discuss it today! You must make your claim within three years of the accident and the sooner the better.
To pursue an accident claim you will need to be able to supply evidence of the accident and anything which helps prove the other party is liable for the accident and injury caused by it. You should start collecting this evidence as soon as possible. The more in depth your evidence the easier it will be to make a claim. Evidence consists of medical reports, receipts for expenses you wish to claim which are directly related to the accident and photographic or video evidence of the scene during the actual accident or immediately after.
Even if you are not sure whether you would be eligible to make a claim it is worthwhile taking advantage of the free legal advice available.
The level of compensation you may receive from your accident claim will be of high interest, especially if you are still contemplating whether to go ahead with your claim. It is impossible to give the exact figure you would be entitled to as each case has a variety of factors, expenses, causes and long term effects which all need to be considered and taken into account when assessing the level of compensation.
During the accident claim process your solicitor will draw up a Schedule of Losses which details the financial expenditure which you have suffered as a direct result of the accident. This will involve replacement of damaged personal items, expenses relating to your recovering such as medical equipment, transport to the hospital and prescription fees. Finally your solicitor will add the amount of compensation you are entitled to due to the pain and suffering caused by your accident, the day to day effect the accident has on you, even months after the actual incident as well as any potential effects in the future and then finally any loss of earnings you may have suffered from not being able to work either temporarily or permanently as a direct result of the injury caused by the accident. This can range from £1000 to as far as £1 million depending on the claim, usually the claims with the larger levels of compensation being claimed end up going as far as the courts. There are guidelines for compensation levels which are strictly controlled and your solicitor must work within these guidelines.
An accident claim can be a lengthy process which could take several months especially if the case ends up going to court. If the other party accepts liability for the accident and accepts the amount of compensation your solicitor has requested then the process can be over quite quickly.
Another frequently asked question when it comes down to accident claims are the fees you will be responsible for. Many personal injury lawyers operate on a “no win, no fee” basis so if you lose your case you will not be expected to pay the legal fees for both yourself and the other party. If you win your fees will be paid from the other party's insurance rather than your own compensation. However, if your claim is a medical or criminal case then you will need to arrange a conditional fee agreement with your solicitor as their legal fees will not be paid by public funds in these cases