How To Make A Claim By Using Accident Injury Solicitors
By Danielle Jordan. Last Updated 8th February 2023. In this guide, we are going to look at the process of using accident and injury solicitors to help you to make a claim. For example, if you were to be knocked off your bicycle by a car driver, you might be able to make a cycle accident claim. We aim to look at why you could have a valid claim, and how to get a claim started.
Accident and injury solicitors
First, though, we need to explain that no two claims are exactly the same. They could be similar, but never identical. Therefore, you may find we don’t answer all of your questions in this guide. We can only cover the basics. However, our claims line is open 24 hours a day, 7 days of the week on 0800 073 8804. Give our advisors a call to get your questions answered, and learn how we could potentially help you by providing No Win No Fee personal injury solicitors to process your claim for you. Alternatively, you can request a callback using our contact form
Select A Section:
- What Are Accident Injury Solicitors?
- How Do I Provide Evidence For A Claim?
- What Makes Up A Personal Injury Claim?
- How Might An Accident Occur?
- When Could I Use Accident Injury Solicitors?
- Where Might An Accident Take Place?
- The Latest Statistics For Personal Injury Claims
- What Compensation Could I Achieve If My Case Wins?
- Could I Hire No Win No Fee Accident Injury Solicitors?
- Get In Touch With Legal Expert Today
- Extra Information About Using Accident Injury Solicitors
What Are Accident Injury Solicitors?
You may be able to use accident and injury solicitors to help you to make a claim for harm or losses you suffer due to an accident. However, in order for a claim to be possible, you will need to prove that a third party owed you a duty of care and was is at least partially liable.
In this guide, we will look at how accident and injury solicitors could potentially help you, by processing a claim on your behalf. First of all, we present some background information. This will include an overview of the claims process, a look at how to prove your claim, and when it could be appropriate to appoint a solicitor. We also give some example scenarios of how, where, and why accidents could happen that might leave you with a valid claim.
The latter part of this guide moves on to give general claims advice and information. You will find tips and advice on how to start a claim. Additionally, financial considerations are covered. You will find we have added an example compensation table, and a discussion of some reasons why you might seek damages. The concept of a No Win No Fee agreement is outlined as well. We end this guide with some final advice on starting a claim and some useful reference links.
The Claims Deadline Explained
You need to start your compensation claim within the correct deadline. You will have as long as you need to complete the claim, as long as it is begun within the claims time limit. Within the Limitation Act 1980, we find a general claims time limit of three years. But certain other factors can have an impact on this deadline. As examples, if you are under the age of 18 or you are covered by the Mental Health Act 1983. You can call and ask our advisors what the actual deadline will be in your own case.
How Do I Provide Evidence For A Claim?
In order to prove that you personal injury claim is valid you will need to provide evidence that shows proof of your claims. If you have chosen to use a personal injury solicitor they can help you with this process. But having evidence is key to a successful claim.
In many areas of life you are owed a duty of care. In some areas you owe others a duty of care. When this duty is breached those who are harmed could be eligible to make a personal injury claim. There are lots of pieces of evidence you could use to prove your claim such as:
- CCTV
- Witness details as they may be asked to provide a statement later on.
- Medical evidence
- Photographs of the injury
- Images of the cause of the accident
- Copies of accidents logs
If you are not sure whether you have valid personal injury case our advisors can help. Just a quick phone call and they can tell you whether you could be eligible for accident and injury compensation. There is no obligation to proceed withy our services. But if they think your case could have a successful out come they may offer to connect you with one of our accident claim solicitors.
What Makes Up A Personal Injury Claim?
When you arrange for a team of accident and injury solicitors to process a claim for you, they will follow the applicable procedure for processing the claim. Depending on the circumstances of the claim, the procedure can differ. For example, if you were making a criminal injuries claim you may be making it through the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA). In general, your lawyer will help with the following.
- Evaluating your claim and advising you on the types of damages you could seek.
- Helping you to prepare any supporting evidence required.
- Communicating with the defendants legal representative as needed.
- Advise you on any additional steps you might take to improve the chance of your claim being a success. Such as undergoing a medical examination.
- Processing the claim on your behalf.
- Representing you in court if required to do so.
Accident And Injury Solicitors – Do I Need To Stay Local?
As we explored above, there are advantages to having the support of a solicitor. However, when searching for personal injury solicitors, you may wonder if you have to find legal representation in the area where the accident occurred. There is no obligation to work with local traffic accident solicitors, or other specialised solicitors.
Accident and injury solicitors may be able to work with you no matter where you are based in the country, as long as they have the relevant training in that area of personal injury law. For example, if you suffered injuries in a workplace accident, you may want representation from work accident solicitors. A solicitor with specialist knowledge of workplace injuries will know what evidence could strengthen your claim.
Some solicitors may offer a national service because most correspondence will occur through the post, email, or telephone call. They can arrange any appointments you may need to support your claim, such as a medical exam to occur in your local area. However, should you wish to meet with your solicitor in person, this can typically be arranged.
If you would like any advice about finding a specialist solicitor to support your claim, call our advisors.
How Might An Accident Occur?
Below we look at the different types of specialised solicitors. It is not imperative to have a solicitor represent you. However they can be very beneficial especially if this is something that you have never been through before.
- A team of cycle accident solicitors could be able to help you claim for a bicycle accident.
- Criminal injuries lawyers could help you claim through CICA.
- A firm of car accident claim solicitors may be able to help you claim for a car crash.
- Holiday accident claim solicitors could help when pursuing claims for accidents abroad.
- A solicitor could help with motorbike accident claims, if you are injured on one that was not your fault.
- Accident at work solicitors could potentially help you to claim for a work-related accident.
When Could I Use Accident Injury Solicitors?
You could seek out accident injury solicitors if you have suffered injuries because those who should have been keeping you safe failed in this regard. While at work, on the roads or shopping in a public place you are owed a duty of care. If this duty is in breach and this negligence causes you harm then you may have a valid personal injury claim.
However, in some cases, there may be more than one third party that shares liability. Or even you yourself were partially to blame for the accident. If you are unsure whether your claim might be valid or not, call and speak to a claim advisor. Once they have talked over your claim with you, they will tell you if it is viable or not.
Where Might An Accident Take Place?
There are laws in place so that you can go about your daily routine without being harmed unnecessarily. Although these laws are in place accidents and injuries still occur that could have been avoided. This is because there has been a breach in the duty of care owed to you. Below we look at places where you are owed this duty and places where accidents causing injuries could happen.
- In a shop, restaurant, bar, or other publicly accessible retail premises.
- Public places such as a park or a playground..
- Council-run premises such as a town hall.
- At a medical facility such as a hospital or clinic.
- On a public or private road.
- At your place of work.
The Latest Statistics For Personal Injury Claims
By referencing data made available by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE), we created the graph below. It shows common causes of non-fatal workplace accidents in Great Britain for 2020/21.
What Compensation Could I Achieve If My Case Wins?
How much compensation can the best accident injury lawyers near me get for me? It is impossible to come up with an average compensation value for a personal injury claim. Simply because each claim is unique in some way. However, using the guidelines produced by the Judicial College for valuing injuries, we were able to make the example compensation table below. It shows possible ranges of damages for different types of injuries.
| Health Problem | Severity | More Info | Possible Damages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Injured back | Severe (i) | Serious injuries involving the spinal cord and nerve roots that result in serious consequences not normally associated with back injuries. With incomplete paralysis and significant impairments to bladder, bowel, and sexual functions, there will be severe pain and disability. | £91,090 to £160,980 |
| Amputation | One foot | Due to the loss of the ankle joint, the injury is also compared with a below-knee amputation. | £83,960 to £109,650 |
| Facial scars | Very Severe | Scarring on the face of a relatively young claimant (typically in his/her teens to early 30s), the cosmetic effect being disfiguring and the psychological impact severe. | £29,780 to £97,330 |
| Eye | Total loss of one eye | Age, psychiatric consequences, and cosmetic effect will determine the level of the award. | £54,830 to £65,710 |
| Jaw fracture | Very serious | Fractures that are very severe and require prolonged treatment with permanent consequences, including severe pain, restriction in eating, paraesthesia, and/or the risk of arthritis in the joints. | £30,490 to £45,540 |
| Pelvis and hips | Moderate (ii) | The injury is significant to the pelvis or hip, but the disability is not major or the risk of a permanent disability is not particularly high. | £26,590 to £39,170 |
| Toe | Amputation | The loss of the big toe or great toe. | In the region of £31,310 |
| Ankle | Moderate | There may also be a risk of future osteoarthritis from fractures, ligamentous tears, and the like, which result in less serious disabilities, such as difficulty walking on uneven terrain, difficulty standing or walking for long periods of time, discomfort on stairs, and scarring from metal plates. | £13,740 to £26,590 |
| Bowels | e | A piercing injury may result in permanent damage, but with time the injured part will regain its natural function and control. | £12,590 to £24,480 |
For a more accurate estimate, please call and ask an advisor to arrange for a solicitor to value your claim for you. You might also like to try using our personal injury claims calculator.
Breaking Down General Damages And Special Damages
Accident and injury solicitors could potentially help you to claim for both special and general damages. Special damages are paid in relation to monetary losses. General damages are paid to cover suffering, pain and trauma. We have covered each in their own section below.
What Are Special Damages?
Special damages, relate to a monetary loss of some kind. It could be possible for accident claims lawyers to help you claim for past losses, or future ones that are predicted. However, please be aware that you have to provide evidence of any losses you wish to try and claim for. Below, are some examples of reasons you may want to try and claim special damages.
- Care costs – you might have had to hire a nurse or other care professional to help at home.
- Private medical fees – for treatment not offered on the NHS.
- Lowered earning potential – if your working life will be negatively impacted, lowering your lifetime earnings.
- Ad-hoc costs – either associated with your injuries, or encountered during the claims process.
- Lost earnings – if you were not paid in full for any time you had to take off work.
What Are General Damages?
General damages, are paid to compensate for the suffering, pain or trauma that you faced or continue to face. Your personal injury solicitors could help you to claim for mental harm and physical harm. Below, are some examples of reasons why you might seek to claim general damages.
- Permanent disabilities or long-term impairment.
- Psychological injuries such as depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and new phobias.
- The initial pain and suffering caused by the accident and subsequent injuries.
- For any additional pain and suffering caused by your treatment.
To find out what types of damages might be appropriate in your own case, please call and discuss your claim with one of our claim advisors.
Could I Hire No Win No Fee Accident Injury Solicitors?
We may be able to arrange for a team of accident and injury solicitors to manage your claim under a No Win No Fee agreement. This is also formally known as a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA). By using a No Win No Fee solicitor, you gain the following benefits.
- No upfront fee needed for the solicitor.
- You will not pay any fees while the No Win No Fee accident claim is being processed.
- If the claim is lost, you do not pay your lawyer any fee at all.
If the claim is won though, you are going to have to pay your lawyer a legal limited success fee. The level of this fee would have been pre-agreed before the lawyer started processing your claim. For more information on how No Win No Fee works, please call and speak to a claim advisor. They can help you further.
Get In Touch With Legal Expert Today
Can injury claim solicitors near me help me to get my claim started right away? We can help you right now. Just use the information below to reach out to our team, as they are available 24 hours a day, every day of the week. They will evaluate your claim for you, and can organise a team of accident and injury solicitors to begin processing your claim for you.
Telephone: 0800 073 8804
Email: info@legalexpert.co.uk
Extra Information About Using Accident Injury Solicitors
Here are some useful links to other websites with some good information.
Claiming Compensation For A Personal Injury
Compensation After An Accident Or Injury
And here are some links to other claims guides we have published previously, they may be useful to you.
Would I Need To See A Doctor When Claiming For A Personal Injury?
How Much Compensation Can I Claim For a Fatal Accident or Wrongful Death?
Other Guides You Can Check Out
- Allergic Reaction After Eating At Five Guys – Can I Claim Compensation?
- Garage/Motor Repair Accident Injury Claims
- Coronavirus-Related Claims Against A Tesco Supermarket
- £65,000 Compensation For A Rotator Cuff Tear
- How To Claim Compensation Against A Polish Lorry / HGV Driver
- How To Make A Deafness Compensation Claim
- Allergic Reaction After Eating At An Indian Restaurant – Can I Claim?
- £4,000 Compensation For Laser Hair Removal Burn
- Can I Claim For An Injury Caused By A Jagged Object?
