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We take on countless accident at work claims on a continuous basis. You’d think that with all the health and safety rules and regulations we have in place to protect us that there’d be far less of work accident claims being pursued through our legal system. One of the major problems and reasons they keep occurring is the lack of understanding and respect for the rules and regulations we have in place.

So, you’re injured in a work accident through no fault of your own, and you think you are entitled to some compensation. Firstly, contact a quality injury lawyer to find out if you have a claim. Secondly, and turning to our question at hand here:

YES – MAKE A CLAIM
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Many of you reading this will probably have a general idea as to what a claim for compensation entails. But do any of you really know what it is? I mean, what it really is?

The old stereotype of the man falling off the incorrectly provided ladders, or the lady slipping on the wet floor where no signs had been placed, is just microscopic view of the claiming world. There are so many ways you can end up injured, and end up having a valid claim.

So – to answer the question, I suppose it’s best to ask another question:
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OK – so we do have a lot of health and safety rules and regulations to comply with nowadays. We have training manuals to read, instruction videos to watch, and endless amounts of forms to sign to confirm we have thoroughly digested the information we are exposed to. But – has it really gone mad? Are we doing too much?

I think this is one heck of a hot topic for debate. Personally, I side with the sensible approach, whilst maintaining the importance that even the “little things” simply cannot be missed. Yes – we all have an obvious duty to look out for our own personal wellbeing – so there are instances when an accident really is the fault of the injured person (or just no one at all!) through a lack of common sense. But, if the necessary checks weren’t in place, and the required training was never completed, people’s health and safety is easily at risk.

I agree – there is a lot of red tape around it – but it’s far better to have it there than to not have it in place. For example:
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If you are reading this blog, then you have taken the correct first step to dealing with with your personal injury claim. It is always advisable to take independent legal advice on your personal injury claim, and finding the law firm you want to act for you is best done directly with the law firm. There are many referral agents out there who may want your claim. Referral agents act as middlemen by selling your claim on to personal injury law firms – this referral fee can be for a large amount of money (often up to £800!).

If a law firm has already reduced their budget amount for your case by paying this fee, it is likely that they will also give you a reduced level of service or face incurring a loss – which isn’t something a law firm is going to want to do!

In summary, it is best to leave the destiny of your claim in your own hands and choose the law firm that is right for you. Below I have listed some useful tips that you may want to look out for when researching potential law firms to instruct on your claim:
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Many of our clients when they approach us at The Injury Lawyers are aware that they may have a claim for compensation. What they are often not aware of is the extent to which they may claim back other losses that they have incurred as result of their accident. A good personal injury lawyer will advise of claims for further losses from the outset of a claim; the reason being that in many cases the losses are ongoing, and we want our clients to keep all the necessary receipts and other supporting documentation safe to help support the claim.

Once all the losses information is collated, it is at this point a Schedule of Loss may be drafted by your lawyer. A Schedule of Loss, or Schedule of Special Damages as they are sometimes called, is a document which sets out all your losses information and is disclosed to the other side in order to invite offers. Losses are normally dealt with separately to your injury compensation – so this is an item which is not included in the document.

I have set out below some of the items which are more commonly seen on a Schedule of Loss:
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If you have been involved in an accident where you have sustained an injury at the hands of a negligent third party, do not under-settle your claim.  At The Injury Lawyers, we hate hearing about victims of other people’s negligence who have unwittingly settled their claim for compensation alone directly with the party responsible, and as a result have lost out on thousands of pounds in compensation that they would have received had they had a quality injury lawyer acting on their behalf. 

Unsurprisingly, when we at The Injury Lawyers have to inform such people that they have settled their claim and there is nothing we or anyone else can do to obtain an increase, they are devastated.  In the industry, this is what is known as ‘Third Party Capture’.  It is where the other side, most likely through their insurers, try and settle your claim with you directly.  At the time, it may feel like you are getting what you deserve; but most people soon realise that they have likely been undercompensated.  At the end of the day, our advice to you is simple – do not settle your potential claim without independent and quality legal advice.  Ask yourself what is truly in it for the other side to compensate you directly – it’s really obvious – saving money.

At The Injury Lawyers, we cannot settle your claim faster than the other side can do directly.  In fact, it may take a couple of months longer.  But only the other side themselves can settle your claim the fastest because they are the ones with the money that is owed to you.  What I would do is ask yourself a hypothetical question: would you rather have £1,000 now, or £3,000 in two months?  I know I would rather have the £3,000 later, and I am sure many of you would prefer the same. 
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It’s a lovely day today – let’s hope the weather stays nice over the four day weekend – give us a taste of what’s to come over this summer (hopefully!). But, anyone’s day and summer can easily be ruined when you end up injured in an accident through no fault of your own! Nowadays, it’s easy to end up injuring yourself – but it’s also an easy process to make a claim.

Help! I’ve been injured in an accident that wasn’t my fault!

Been hit in the rear by another car? Fallen down in a supermarket on a wet floor where no signs or preventative measures were in place to warn you of the hazard? Or been injured at work because your employer failed to properly train you for a particular task? If the accident was not your fault, but the fault of someone else (a company, or a person), you have the first ingredient in place to make a successful claim for compensation.
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Whiplash is one of those conditions that is not so plain to see but can cause the sufferer severe pain for lengthy periods of time. It is a common misconception that the condition is based solely in the neck area; in reality, this can be very different as I will explain below.

Symptoms

The symptoms of whiplash can vary greatly from person to person:

• Pain, stiffness, swelling around the neck, back, and shoulders.
• Pain may radiate to the shoulders or down the back
• Headaches which can be severe and recurrent

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I read today in The Shields Gazette that a police offer is seeking compensation from the Northumbria police after it was alleged that a faulty police vehicle caused Pc Christopher Pearson to be involved in a serious road traffic accident back in August 2006. 

It is reported that Pc Pearson lost control of his police car which caused him to hit a kerb and a barrier which caused the police car to roll over a staggering six times.  As a result of this major accident, Pc Pearson was lucky to only escape with whiplash, an injury to his back, and his knee.  Unfortunately, Pc Pearson was not the only person to be caught up in this incident.  His partner, Pc Emma Wilkinson, a passenger in the vehicle, also suffered injuries.  Pc Wilkinson has yet to return to work – and, approaching five years after the accident, Pc Pearson has only returned on limited duties.

Pc Pearson contends that a bald tyre and some loose fittings around one of the police cars’ wheels caused him to lose control of the vehicle.  The police officers, who were pursuing a suspect at the time, came off the road at a bend.  Pc Pearson states that ‘As we started to leave the bend I could see the road straightening up, and at that point in time the vehicle should have been moving in that straight line, but the vehicle itself, rather than going straight, seemed to be going.  The front near side at that point then hit the kerb…I could not understand why the vehicle was going in that direction.’  In essence, Pc Pearson suggests that the car was defective, and as such this caused the crash.  Northumbria police have so far denied liability.
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I envisage that there are many potential accident claims out there that are going by unclaimed.  One reason I can see for this is that people may feel it will be too much hassle to start a claim after what may have been a traumatic accident.

Well, I am here to tell you the opposite (so long as you get the right lawyer). Personal injury claiming with the right lawyer on board can be a simple process with as little hassle for you as possible. At The Injury Lawyers, we find the most stress is caused to clients when they do not know what is happening with their claim; this is why we have a policy of updating our clients every two weeks, whether something has happened or not. This not only makes sure our client is kept in the loop, but also that their claim is checked and worked on, on a regular basis.

When you start a claim there is a high chance it will come under the Pre-action Protocol for Personal Injury. This system encourages claims to settle at the earliest stage possible – i.e. before going to court – thus making the process easier on the Claimant and giving more transparency between both sides at the outset. To comply with this system, a Letter of Claim will be drafted giving a full description of your accident circumstances. Once this letter is sent to the Defendant, the clock begins to run; giving the other side 21 days to acknowledge the letter, and a further three months to investigate (normally through their insurers, solicitors, or claims representatives).
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