Guide to making a personal injury claim
If you have suffered an injury from the negligent actions of an individual or business then you have a right to claim for compensation. Our guide to making a personal injury claim will hopefully help you select the correct injury lawyer / solicitor that will fight your corner to win you the maximum compensation you deserve.
Your first step is to make sure you contact an experienced personal injury lawyer who will give the proper advice you'll need to make a compensation claim.
Personal Injury Law is a complicated matter and that is why we strongly suggest you hire the services of a reputable lawyer / solicitor rather than a third-party claims company who lack the experience required in injury law matters.
Researching and selecting a personal injury lawyer
There are many good, experienced and qualified injury lawyers / solicitors that will advise you free-of-charge if you have a claim to make.
Do some research by checking their websites to see if they have genuine testimonials from satisfied clients. It shouldn't cost you anything to make an enquiry and you should be able to do this through various channels such as a telephone call (free of charge hopefully), an online enquiry form, a live chat facility on their website and of-course by email.
Once you make contact the injury lawyer will then try to assess if you have a valid claim to make. If you have, they'll inform you on how your claim will be funded, timescale and other details important to your claim.
What your injury lawyer will require from you!
Once you are happy with your selection, the process starts to collect evidence to help with your claim.
- The details of the accident: date, place, events of the accident itself etc…
- Any witnesses that can provide statements
- Details of your injuries and any medical documents showing the attention you received / receiving
- Loss of earnings or any other financial expenses that you have incurred since the accident
- Insurance documents (mainly for road traffic accidents)
- Photographic proof (if you have any)
- CCTV recordings (if any are available)
If you are making a whiplash claim then please contact the Police and make a report of the road accident at the earliest possible moment available to you.
Setting the process of your claim into action
Once all information has been gathered by your injury lawyer, they will then send a letter to the who you are making a claim against. The next stage is waiting on the reply (they'll have up to 3 months to respond). The reply from the defendant (the person / party you are claiming against) will outline if they accept responsibility for your injury or not.
Settling out of court
If the respondent accepts liability your injury lawyer will then advise you to settle-out-of-court. You will also be advised at this stage what levels of compensation are acceptable and if all parties involved are in agreement the case is settled without ever having to go to court.
Making a court appearance
In the event of no agreement being reached either from accepting responsibility or compensation payments then the case will be brought to court and a judge will oversee proceedings. Your injury lawyer / solicitor will have prepared for this outcome in any event and will advise you of the next stages as you seek to claim compensation for your injuries.
Outcome and costs
During the process of selecting your personal injury lawyer / solicitor you should have been advised as to what costs may be involved and how best to finance these costs in the event of your case ending up in court and also the prospect of losing your claim.
Will you be responsible to pay the legal costs of the winning side if you lose your claim?
As good personal injury lawyer will always make sure you have proper cover in place, so that you are never out of pocket.
Make sure you ask these questions and understand the replies when selecting a personal injury lawyers to represent your compensation claim. Good lawyers will always fight to make sure you are fully compensated for your injuries.
Get free, expert advice now!
To find out more information about making an injury claim just submit your details on any of the forms on this page or call 0800 634 7575 for professional advice.
