If you have been injured in an accident that was not your fault, you may be wondering what you should do and whether you have a claim for compensation for the injuries you are suffering with, and the potential losses you have incurred.
I’m here to hopefully shed a little light for you and remove the veil of confusion that you may be lost behind!
Do You Have a Claim for Compensation?
If you have been injured in an accident, or if you have been injured through some long term activity at your employment, and the injuries were not only caused by the fault of someone else / a company, but they could have prevented it from happening, then you have the first solid ingredients to be able to make a successful claim for compensation.
For example:
- You are hit by another vehicle on the road – perhaps you were hit in the rear, hit by the other driver pulling out of a side road or out on you at a roundabout, etc.
- You are injured at work – you are not given adequate protective equipment to prevent harm from hot liquids, sharp materials, chemicals etc, or you are injured by a piece of work equipment. If you are injured through the fault of another colleague you can still make a claim from your employers as they are still liable for the actions of your co-worker. Alternatively, if you are injured because you have not been trained in using equipment or working safely, you can also make a claim.
- You are injured in a public place – perhaps you slip on an un-cleared spillage on a shop floor, or trip due to a defect in the pavement.
- You are injured by a faulty product you have purchased – perhaps the chair you sit on collapses and breaks when you first come to sit on it (and you did set it up correctly!)
The general gist is that, if the accident was caused by the negligence of another person or a company, you are entitled to seek compensation from them.
How to Make a Claim for Compensation
OK – so you fit the bill above, and you want to know how you make a claim for your injuries and loss. Firstly, it’s highly likely you will be claiming from an insurance company. As I’m sure you’re aware, all drivers must have compulsory insurance to cover them for accidents, and all employers have to have a policy of insurance which exists for employees to claim from when they are injured at work. Most companies will have public liability insurance as well. So, you needn’t worry as the insurance is there to cover you. The best part about it all is that, not only are you covered for injury by this insurance, but your legal fees are covered as well.
You need a fully qualified expert personal injury lawyer to make a successful claim for compensation. Your lawyer’s fees are recovered directly from the other side’s insurance at the end of the claim – so you don’t lose out on thousands of pounds from your payout.
However, make sure you get a proper lawyer working on a Genuine No Win No Fee basis. There are many law firms out there who can easily charge you for fees that they can’t get back from the insurance companies. With a real Genuine No Win No Fee, the agreement will state in hard black and white that your lawyers will try and get their fees back from the other side, BUT will NOT seek to recover anything from you in the event any fees are not recovered.
Most standard No Win No Fees will just say that the solicitor will only try, seek, or endeavour to recover their fees – so watch out for this technicality that could end up with you losing out on thousands of pounds from your compensation payout. If the claim loses, you should never have to pay a single penny to your lawyers whatsoever.
Once you have instructed your personal injury lawyer, they will do the rest (with a good law firm anyway!). The only things you need to attend are a medical appointment (or maybe more if you are suffering badly) and any physio or treatment sessions that are needed for you to get back on the road to recovery.
What Can You Claim For?
There are two general types of things you can claim for – your injuries, and your losses. Your injuries cover the nature, extent, severity, and length of your suffering. This can include how the injury has affected you at work, at home, with hobbies, etc. Your losses include anything that you have literally had to pay out for or have lost out on financially as a result of the injuries. For example, lost earnings from time off work, travel expenses to medical appointments and physio, medication paid out for, etc.
To find out if you have a potentially successful claim for compensation, feel free to give us a call today for a free, no obligation claims assessment.
