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It is important to stress that the below information is only a generally guideline; to ensure you make your claim in time, speak with an expert injury lawyer as soon as you can.
If you have had an accident and have been injured through no fault of your own, the general rule is that you have three years from the date of the accident to make a claim for compensation.

At The Injury Lawyers we believe that the best thing to do is make your claim for compensation as soon as possible after the accident.  This is for the very simple reason that events will be fresher in your mind and we may even be able to provide you with some no cost private medical treatment which would mean that you could recover from your injuries sooner rather than later.
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The roads and streets can be a dangerous place – having worked in this industry for as long as I have, you tend to pick things up most people would miss. Next time you are out and about shopping, walking your dog, or visiting your friends and family, take notice of what’s on the ground you are walking on. It goes without saying that I ask you not to concentrate too hard to ensure you don’t walk in to anything or walk in to the road; but, if you can, just have a look at what’s around you on the streets and roads.

You will probably notice raised paving slabs, cracked concrete, gaps in the kerb, or the dreaded pothole in the road. Normally, these aren’t things you would look out for or particularly spot when you are out and about; but, if it’s in the back of your mind, you will probably begin to notice a lot of dangerous defects out there.

That, ladies and gentleman, is the reason why people end up making a claim against the council. Claims for compensation in general, but particularly council tripper claims, have a bad reputation for some unknown reason (although it probably has something to do with the way our lovely media paint a council claim). If you work in this industry, consciously try and look out for, or have tripped over a defect in the past, you will likely notice the extent to which they litter our pavements and traffic routes.
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10 People died today, and 100 more people suffered brain damage, loss of limbs or paralysis.

In fact, this happens every day on Britain’s roads. These are the cold statistics; but behind the facts for every person killed or injured on the road, there are friends and families whose lives are shattered by such an unexpected and horrifying event.

You may – perhaps rightly – think you are a good driver, and deaths and injuries are everybody else’s problem or fault. But every day normal people like us take risks, make mistakes, and end up causing loss of life. (Source: Green Flag)
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Whilst I don’t want to put a downer on everyone’s September by mentioning the looming winter months as we approach colder climates and shorter days (which I can’t believe how quick the nights are drawing in – I say this every year…), but summer is really over, and we should probably begin preparing for potentially serious adverse conditions given the last two winters of snow and ice.

I’m sure you all remember last year don’t you? The day Britain came to a standstill when we were pummelled with an insane amount of snow. I certainly remember my six hour journey (one that normally takes me 20 minutes) where I had a real concern that I would be involved in an accident or stuck out all night on the roads. With this kind of weather that we may now have to learn to expect in Britain, there is a lot we have to do to prepare ourselves for the worst.

So – what can you do to make sure you don’t end up in a car accident as wet weather and colder conditions commence their grim approach?
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Claiming compensation for injuries resulting out of a relatively straightforward road traffic accident is simple.  Your claim can be over in a matter of weeks or months, and what’s best, with the right lawyer on hand, you won’t even have to go to that much effort – they will do all the work for you.

Prior to April 2010 claims for compensation from road accidents could take months or sometimes years.  The Defendant had a period of 21 days to acknowledge your claim and then a further 3 months to investigate it; and that was just to provide an admission or denial of liability. 

Things have changed thankfully.  Now, what is required is for you to submit what is known as a Claims Notification Form or ‘CNF’ through an online portal on the Ministry of Justice website.  Once your lawyers have done this on your behalf the Defendant must acknowledge the CNF within one business day and then they have a further 15 business days in which to admit or deny liability.  This is wholly different from before.  Liability could be admitted for your injuries within 16 days; whereas under the old system, investigations into your accident may not have begun at the same point.  It really is a fast and straightforward process nowadays and an injury lawyer will be more than happy to take you through the process and make sure everything is done correctly.
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If you are injured or experience ill health because of a faulty or defective product, you may be entitled to claim for compensation.

The Consumer Protection Act 1987 (CPA) provides important safeguards to protect consumers from defective products. It makes it easier for a person to claim compensation if they are injured because of a fault in a product.

Nearly everything we buy could be a product that is covered by the CPA.  The CPA recognises that, if not manufactured or sold properly, any product could potentially be harmful to a person’s health. Product liability covers a wide range of products including everyday items such as food, cosmetics or clothes, through to one off items such as electrical goods and children’s toys.
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On the 9^th September the media confirmed that the government had finally announced that it will ban the referral fees that are paid to insurance companies in return for them passing on the details of the victims of accidents.

This move is welcomed by us at The Injury Lawyers. We have always criticised these payments in the past because they are, in our opinion, bad for the client and the personal injury profession.

Referral fees are paid by some firms of solicitors, mainly to claims management companies and insurance firms, but it can be to anyone who passes on details of an injured person, such as a garage or even the police. Many insurance firms, large and small, have passed on the details of their policyholders after they have contacted them to report an accident that was not their fault. In return for these details, many personal injury solicitors pay a referral fee to the insurance company.
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The referral fees involved in personal injury claims is a topic we have blogged about and condemned on so many occasions. We, as in independent firm of specialist personal injury lawyers who hate the concept of referral fees where middlemen profit from injury victims in return for passing details around, are proud to have never been a part of it.

Just in the last few months we were ecstatic to hear that our former Justice Secretary Mr Jack Straw had exposed what has been called the insurance industries “dirty little secret” when he investigated how the details of one of his constituents was passed around for profit following a road accident. We were overjoyed to hear the investigations concluded that the real reason for insurance premiums being driven up was a symptom of the referral fees rackets.

Now, it appears we are finally making some headway in ridding the country of the referral fee disease.
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One of the most common questions people ask when they make a claim is ‘how much will I receive from my claim?’ If you have been injured as the result of an accident that was not your fault, you are entitled to claim compensation. In the majority of cases, financial compensation is the only remedy available and it is only natural for claimants to want to know how much they will receive.

There are two types of compensation, or ‘damages’ as they are formally called – ‘special damages’ and ‘general damages’.

Special damages are those paid to compensate the claimant for the actual financial losses caused as the result of an accident.  The aim of a personal injury claim is, as far as is reasonably possible, to put the injured person back in the position that they would have been in had the accident not have occurred.
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There are several ways of making compensation claims, and there are several companies you could enlist to help you. In fact, the world of compensation claiming can be made so confusing when you have no idea what to do or where to turn.

So – to help you out, read this guide on the best ways of making a claim, and what to look out for when deciding who should represent you.

At the end of the day, you’ve been injured at no fault of your own, and you are legally entitled to recover compensation for your injuries and losses (losses such as lost earnings or medical expenses).
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