So, for example, if you have been involved in a road traffic accident and have ended up with a broken arm, and had to take time off work, you are entitled to be compensated for any loss of earnings you may have suffered whilst you were away from work. If you are paid £250.00 a week, but were only able to get statutory sick pay during your time off, then you can make a claim for the difference in earnings. I have compiled a quick guide as to your potential heads of claim:
Loss of earnings
You can make a claim for any loss of earnings that are a result of your accident. You are not able to make a claim for wages already received – simply the difference between the wages you did receive whilst you were injured, and the wages you would normally have received. If you did not have any time off work, then you cannot make a claim for loss of earnings. This is even if you could have had that time off on sick leave.
Care and assistance
If you have been badly injured, it may be the case that you are restricted in going about your normal daily routine. If you have broken your fingers, for instance, you may not be able to undertake household chores, or bathe yourself, for example. It may then be that you had someone in to assist you – whether this was a member of your family, a friend, or a professional carer. Should this be the case, then you are able to make a claim to recoup any money you had to pay out for this help. For instance, if you paid someone £8.00 an hour for someone to help you, you can try and claim this money back.
Travel costs
Most injured people often find themselves making visits to and from their GP or their hospital. If you have incurred any petrol costs, taxi fares, or bus fares to do this, then once again, a claim can be made for you to get reimbursed. Please keep a record of all the journeys you have gone on that relate to your accident and injuries.
Medication costs
Like travel costs, if you keep the receipts of any extra medication you have purchased to help sooth your pain, a claim can be made to recoup this money.
Miscellaneous expenses
It costs money to send letters and make telephone calls to your injury lawyers. At The Injury Lawyers, we will always try and get these costs back for you.
If you instruct our team here at The Injury Lawyers, we will ensure that you get the maximum compensation you deserve. We do this by leaving no stone unturned, and making sure that we properly claim all of your losses. Give us a call today for some free legal advice and we can get the ball rolling on your claim immediately.