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A large number of personal injury claims are caused by slips and trips by pedestrians because of defects or hazards on the footpaths, and road traffic accidents involving collisions between various road users.

However, over the last few years as people try to keep fit, save money, or help the environment, there have been an increasing number of cyclists on the roads. Although the government has introduced various measures, such as cycling lanes, to make using a bicycle safer and more convenient, it is unfortunate that the roads remain a dangerous place for cyclists.

The two most common types of accidents that result in personal injury to cyclists are the result of being hit by a vehicle whilst on the road, or because of a defect in the road or pavement surface.
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The wonderful World Wide Web is an absolute wealth of useful information. I honestly don’t know how I’d live without it!

There are literally hundreds – if not, thousands – of websites, blogs, news articles, and resources that give you information about making a claim for compensation, and what you should do. So, to help you out, here is a concise guide containing the 5 essential things you need to know about making a claim for compensation. Hopefully this should answer all of your queries!

1. You’ve had an accident, what should you do!?
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Personal injury and how to claim may seem like a daunting prospect to grasp at first; particularly when it’s riddled with crazy legal jargon and terminology. It will come as no surprise when I tell you that accident victims can be easily overwhelmed and disheartened at the idea of claiming. When paired with the substantially traumatising experience of the accident itself, victims are often left feeling angry, alienated, and cheated.

But fear not! Help is at hand, in the shape of our genuine No win, No fee agreement, shouldering the burden and pressures which accompany claiming for compensation, giving you the time and priority needed to focus your attentions on more important issues, such as your speedy recovery.

After information about your claim has been received, our primary action is the creation of a letter of claim which states the critical information surrounding your accident. This is sent to the third party defendant (person or company at fault). From here the third party defendant has a period of three weeks with which to pass this letter of claim to any relevant insurers, insurance brokers, or solicitors who represent them, or confirm they are dealing with it themselves.
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After experiencing a brief ‘Indian summer’ in late September/ early October, the weather is now turning cold again and it surely won’t be long until we are reaching for those hats, scarves and gloves in preparation for the, if the past two winters are anything to go by, seemingly inevitable deluge of heavy snow and ice.

The past two winters of 2009 and 2010 are said to have been the coldest in the UK for over 100 years, so not many of us will remember many worse winters. The cold weather bought with it heavy snow and ice, which lead to a huge increase in accidents and resulted in extremely busy periods for personal injury lawyers, such as ourselves, who were inundated with new claims and advice enquiries.

But how easy is it to make a claim against a local authority for compensation following an accident as a result of snow and ice? Well, the answer is unfortunately not very easy at all and this is illustrated in the case of Rhiannon Pace V City and County of Swansea 2007. In this case the accident victim was injured in a Road Traffic Accident caused by black ice on the road. It was accepted by the Judge in this case that the accident was caused by the ice, however he ruled that the local authority had not been negligent. When considering this case, the Judge considered two questions, the first of which is: Was the local authority’s winter maintenance plan proper and reasonable?
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Cosmetic surgery is on the rise, and that comes as no surprise given the media / social pressure on people and their appearances these days. In particular there is increasing pressure on celebrities to look their best at all times – God forbid them leaving the house without a face full of make-up and dressed in their scruffs – the ‘paps’ would have a field day!

I can certainly see the attraction of surgery, if I had the choice I’d look like Cheryl Cole … I mean, who wouldn’t?! But have the extremes people go to for that “perfect” look gone too far?

Take for example the new reality soap The Only Way is Essex; where cosmetic surgery is the norm as the majority of the female cast have had different work carried out including, nose jobs, teeth enhancements, breast enlargements, and more recently there is even talk of bum implants! Additionally a recent episode screened a botox party where the guests were encouraged to undertake the treatment.  Since the show there was reportedly a huge increase in surgical enquiries; presumably individuals wanting to look like the celebrities they see on screen.
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At The Injury Lawyers, our experience of people who have been injured through no fault of their own in road traffic accidents is that they want to be compensated as quickly as possible. 

This is not because they are impatient, but because having a damaged or written off car is bad enough, and they are now further suffering as a result of their injuries, and just wish to get better and get back to where they were as soon as possible and forget about what happened.

Just short of two years ago, the compensation claiming process for road traffic accidents could be described as a little arduous.  This is because, even for straightforward accidents it could take nearly 4 months to get an admission of liability, and then several months thereafter to sort out a medical report and settle your claim.  Fortunately, since 30 April 2010, this has all changed: under a new protocol for low value injury claims arising out of road traffic accidents, being compensated has got a whole lot faster.  Here is a quick guide:
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For most of us, claiming for compensation for injuries arising out of an accident which was not your fault is something we are unlikely to do.  This is because, although accidents are frequent, it is unlikely that it will actually be us that is involved in them; right?  That said, it could well be us in that situation one day.  How then, if we decide to make a claim for compensation, do we actually do this?

Fortunately there are a wealth of injury lawyers out there who will happily take you through the process and do almost all the work for you.  However, it is still important to know what happens, so here is a quick guide.

Once you have instructed an injury lawyer who you are sure will not charge you a penny for their work, will provide great service levels, and get you the maximum compensation you deserve, all you have to do is provide them with as much information about your accident as possible. 
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With the winter months almost upon us, we can still see the damage that last winter did to our roads and pavements.  On our daily journeys to and from home, it sometimes feels as if we are driving on an obstacle course, weaving around the holes in the ground, trying to avoid damage to our vehicles.

There is not just the issue of what damage a poorly maintained road can do to our vehicles, but there is also the issue of public safety.  A pothole can be a tripping hazard to pedestrians.  Motorbikes, mopeds and bicycles are extremely vulnerable to these defects of the road.  Any incidents involving these types of highway users could be catastrophic.

It is the duty of the Councils to keep our highways as safe as possible by carrying out regular inspections and maintenance checks. So – when are the counsels going to fix the holes properly and not just lay a bit of tar to cover the hole to get us through the next couple of months?
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Claiming for compensation for injuries that were sustained in accidents which did not involve motor vehicles is different, but still nevertheless straightforward.  Here is a quick guide:

The first step is to produce what is known as a ‘Letter of Claim.’  It outlines who you are, your accident, the injuries you have sustained in this accident, and why it should be considered that the Defendant was negligent and should provide you with compensation.  This is a simple document which, so long as we have as much detail as possible, can be submitted to the Defendant straight away. 

The Defendant then has a period of 21 days in which to acknowledge the Letter of Claim.  In most cases they will write back to your legal representative to inform them that they have noted your wish to pursue a claim and that they will now investigate your claim or will pass the claim to their insurers / claims handlers / solicitors (a typical practice) who will investigate on their behalf.  Once the Defendant has acknowledged the Letter of Claim they have 3 months to come back with their position on liability; i.e. whether they will admit or deny liability.
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Burns can not only be extremely painful and uncomfortable, but they can be highly annoying because it can be difficult to alleviate the pain and discomfort. As well as being in discomfort for who knows how long, dependant on the severity of the burn, you could end up with some form of scarring.

So it comes as no surprise when our expert team of advisors get calls from victims of burn injuries all the time wanting to know whether they have a good claim for compensation or not. Given the potential serious nature of burn injuries, you need advice from an expert firm of personal injury specialist; so feel free to give us a call.

Whether you have been burned by a flame, scolded by hot water, burned by high temperature steam, or ended up in contact with a harmful chemical substance, once you have received your medical attention as quickly as possible, we will see if we can help you out. For now, here is a quick guide to give you a little bit of an insight in to claiming for burn injuries:
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