Accident claims for personal injury can be touch-and-go

Personal injury accident claims

The amount of people making claims for accidents in the UK is constantly on the rise. It is estimated that there are over 11 million accidents that cause personal injury each year, and 2 million of these are as a result of negligence from another person. Some people can be confused as to where they may be able to make a claim for an accident, whether or not a claim is going to be made, if personal injury has taken place, certain actions need to be taken into consideration. This could include:

• Informing the police. If the personal injury was caused by a car accident, the police will need to be informed
• Informing the insurance company if necessary
• Reporting the injury to the doctor. The injury may seem minor at first but could become more severe at a later date which would give cause to make an accident claim. If this is the case, a medical report will need to be provided
• Gathering evidence, i.e. taking photographs or making notes of the details involved in the event

It may not be necessary to make a claim for an accident but it can do no harm being as prepared as possible in case the accident turns into a claim at a later date.

Accidents at work

No matter how small the accident is, if it happens whilst at a place of work then it will need to be recorded in an accident book. Some workplaces do not have accident books, if this is the case then write down details of the accident and resulting injuries, keep a copy and then send a copy to the employer. Having details like this can make a big difference if it comes to making an accident claim.

What can I claim?

If a personal injury has taken place and an accident claim is to be made, there are two sorts of compensation that can be claimed for. These are general damages and special damages.

General damages can be given as compensation for injury. This can include payment for pain and suffering or loss of future earnings. The courts will decide on the amount paid towards the accident claim.

Special damages are received for actual financial loss caused by the accident up to the date of the hearing. This can include; transport expenses, medical bills and damage to property amongst other things.

In some cases, both parties are partly to blame for the accident. For example, in a road accident, one party may be at fault but the other party was not taking precautionary measures like wearing a seatbelt. If a claim is made for an accident like this, deductions can be made on the compensation.