The legal term “personal injury” describes an accident or incident which has resulted in a physical or mental injury. You can usually claim compensation when somebody else is at fault for your injury. These kinds of injuries can range from simple trips to serious injuries suffered at work.
The first step in the compensation process is finding someone to pursue the claim.
There are many people who will say that they can help you and who say that they are expert claim handlers and advertise extensively to that end. However, these people are rarely fully qualified and are effectively working out of the equivalent of call centres. Each individual claim is complex in its own way and it is better to have a fully qualified solicitor handle it.
A specialist solicitor will be able to review a claim for compensation and decide if it is worth pursuing and, if so, what the likely amount claimed will be. The amount claimed will depend on the nature of the injury and can also include specific claims for such things as expenses and loss of income.
Most solicitor firms can now offer a “No Win No Fee” service. I.e. the accused party will pay the legal costs of both sides as well as compensation. Even if the claim is unsuccessful, the person claiming can usually pay nothing. Your solicitor will explain how this works.
Nigel Holdcroft, a partner at Tolhurst Fisher LLP Solicitors said; “using a solicitor means that you will have expert advice on hand at every step of the way at no extra cost.”
The next step is getting a medical report commissioned.
Once you’ve made the claim, the process that follows will depend on a couple of factors. One, the nature and severity of the injury and two, the attitude of the person against whom you’re making the claim. Quite often theses claims don’t go to court because they can be settled following negotiations.
Claim Checklist:
1/ The accident must usually have occurred within the last three years.
2/ The accident must have been someone else’s fault.
3/ You must have received medical attention for the accident to be classed as an injury.
4/ The party at fault for the injury must be able to pay compensation (usually through insurers)
Corporate Solicitors Chelmsford Where somebody else is at fault for an injury there may be the opportunity to claim compensation. The next step is getting a medical report commissioned. One, the nature and severity of the injury and two, the attitude of the person against whom you’re making the claim.