Claiming for Personal Injury
Routes to gaining compensation
If you have been unfortunate enough to suffer a serious personal injury as a result of someone else’s negligence then you are likely to be entitled to compensation for your losses.
There are several ways in which you can initiate a personal injury claim:
- Hiring a claims manager
- Taking legal action
Enlisting a claims manager
A claims manager or claims assessor will offer to take up your case, usually on a no win no fee basis, but is not a solicitor and sometimes will not even have a solicitor on their staff. A further catch is that they may take a large portion of the compensation that you win (as much as 50%).
Before engaging with such companies it is prudent to check that they are actually authorised by the government to carry out the services which they are operating. The government sets out strict criteria on how these companies must conduct themselves.
Taking court action
Alternatively you can take a personal injury claim to the courts. If you do this it is strongly advised that you find a solicitor to help you.
Time limits for court action
It is important to find a solicitor to take your claim to court as soon as possible, as there are time limits on taking legal action. In typical cases when the claimant is suing on grounds of negligence, the court proceedings must issued within 3 years of the claimant becoming aware of the injury.
Cost of legal action
Lamentably, taking court action over a personal injury claim can be very expensive. There are however sources of funding that you can look into. The most obvious is legal aid. See our Legal Aid page for more information on whether or not you may be entitled.
You may also be able to come to a conditional fee agreement with your solicitor, which means you will not have to pay their fees if you don’t win. You won’t get off scot free though, as you may end up having to pay the legal costs of the opposing side.
What you need to know about personal injury law firms
If you were unfortunate enough to have suffered a personal injury that wasn’t your fault, you may want to make a claim for compensation for any undue distress or inconvenience caused.
Everything you need to know about personal injury
You are more likely to suffer an injury at work than anywhere else. There are several very important factors you will need to look into if you do become injured whilst at work.
The benefits of a no win no fee accident claim
If you were unfortunate enough to be involved in an accident that you believe wasn’t your fault, then you may to entitled to quite a substantial financial settlement.