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How To Make a Personal Injury Claim
12 October, 2017 4 minutes reading time
Millions of people suffer from accidents every year, many of which are either not their fault, or are the result of someone else’s negligence.
The injuries can range from cuts and bruises or broken bones, through to life affecting injuries and permanent disabilities that can have a serious impact on a person’s life.
Compensation in personal injury claims is intended to provide financial support to those who have had any area of their life affected by an accident.
If you can prove that your accident was the result of the negligence of a person or organisation, then you may eligible to receive compensation.
How do you claim?
First, you need to look after your health before you take things any further. Once you are ready, you can begin to seek compensation for pain and suffering and any loss of earnings or future loss of earnings, or any losses attributable to the accident.
The process of making a claim can simply start by contacting our specialist team and talking us through the circumstances of your accident or injury.
We will then look into who is to blame and why. This process may involve collecting evidence such as statements from witnesses, documents and official reports.
What do you need to do?
You will need to provide us with an explanation of the circumstances of the accident that caused your injury, along with any supporting evidence you may have collected.
You need to keep a record of everything that has happened to you following the accident, including hospital visits, any resulting medical bills and any lost hours of work or earnings.
Whilst the vast majority of cases will be settled without the need to go to court, complex and higher value claims may require you to attend a court hearing.
How is a compensation claim calculated?
Once we know and understand your claim at the correct point we will arrange an appointment with a medical specialist who will examine the full extent of you injuries.
Their assessment will then allow us to put a valuation range on the compensation for pain, suffering and loss of amenity.
Loss of earnings claims are calculated based upon your average take-home pay during the three month period prior to the accident.
If you are unable to return to your job due to injuries sustained in accident, then this will again be factored into your compensation claim, along with any effect on your future pension entitlement.
Other costs resulting from the accident; including damage to clothing or personal effects, travel/medical costs and help from family members, can also be recovered as part of your claim.
All cases have a unique set of circumstances behind them so there is no exact science in calculating compensation, but all of the above factors will be taken into consideration when submitting a claim.
What happens once a claim is submitted?
We will lodge the claim with the party ‘at fault’ and their insurance provider, notifying them of your claim and providing a timescale in which they will need to respond.
If the party ‘at fault’ admits liability, we will then look to seek and secure the appropriate level of compensation. If, however, they deny liability then further evidence may need to be provided or the case may need to go to court for a judge to decide who is liable for the accident.
Our team of personal injury specialists will be there to help along every step of your claim.
If you would like more information on this subject, or if you are looking to make a claim, please contact us today at law@curtisparkinson.com or by calling 0115 964 7740 – Curtis Parkinson Solicitors Nottingham.
Please note that all views, comments or opinions expressed are for information only and do not constitute and should not be interpreted as being comprehensive or as giving legal advice. No one should seek to rely or act upon, or refrain from acting upon, the views, comments or opinions expressed herein without first obtaining specialist, professional or independent advice. While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy, Curtis Parkinson cannot be held liable for any errors, omissions or inaccuracies.