Following a personal injury, it can be overwhelming to think about the steps you’ll have to take to make a personal injury claim.
Here we’ll be going over the process you’ll have to follow to make successful personal injury claims, but if you would like to contact our experienced team of solicitors, then you can do so by making an enquiry, or by calling us on 0300 303 3629.
The initial enquiry
As with any claim, the first step will always be contacting us. Because all cases are different, our team of experienced solicitors are always happy to listen to our clients’ unique circumstances and objectives and are happy to evaluate your potential claim from the very start free of charge.
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After an initial consultation, if we believe your claim is legitimate and requires further investigation then we’ll agree to represent you. We have a wide range of funding options for your personal injury claim. If you’d like to learn more about these then you can find out more on our cost estimates page.
Finding out responsibility
After your initial enquiry, the main first stage of all personal injury claims is to understand who’s responsible for your injuries or illness. Whilst it isn’t always necessarily clear, and we may end up claiming against someone unexpected we’ll make your claim against the party responsible.
It’s important that you provide us with as much information as possible at this stage, as it’ll dictate the course of the personal injury claim.
Gathering evidence
At this stage, every piece of information you can provide about your accident will be beneficial to your case. Examples of useful information include:
- Where and when it happened
- What you were doing before the accident
- How the accident happened
- Who else was there and saw what happened
- Who you believe to be responsible
- What happened afterwards
Taking photographs of the scene of the accident is extremely helpful as evidence too, but if you’re not able to provide details of everything then that’s okay, we’re more than happy to carry out our own investigation.
Assessing your injuries or illness
We’ll also need to give evidence of your injuries or illness and the impact they’ve had on your life.
If you’ve already seen a medical professional after your accident, then we’ll be able to access your medical records after you sign a form. This is why it’s important to seek medical attention after you’ve been involved in an accident, regardless of if there’s anything physically wrong with you.
As well as this, at this stage we’ll also:
- Ask for photos of any visible injuries you’ve sustained
- Find out the long-term impact of your injuries/illness
- Arrange an expert medical assessment of your injuries/illness
- Consult specialists to find out how long your symptoms will take to heal
Totaling your compensation amount
Once we’ve received all the evidence we need, we’re ready to work out roughly how much compensation you will deserve. This will depend on:
- The pain and suffering caused by your illness/injuries
- The cost of any medical treatments, therapies, or rehabilitation necessary
- Travel costs to and from medical appointments directly related to the accident
- Lost income
- Adaptive equipment, this can include wheelchairs, prosthetics, or an accessible car
- Home adaptations, for example a stairlift
- Cost of care
- Items damaged by the accident
The calculation will always consider the costs and losses you’ll experience in the future combined with what you’ve previously incurred.
For some of these instances, we’ll rely on evidence you’ve supplied previously, but for others, we may ask for further evidence, such as receipts or pay slips.
Reaching a Settlement
Once we’ve established this compensation amount, we’ll try our best to agree the best possible final settlement with the person you’re making a claim against.
Whilst most claims will end here, in the unlikely scenario that we can’t agree to an offer, we’ll take your claim to court. In this case, you may have to attend court to give evidence yourself.
Note that going to court can be extremely time-consuming and stressful, and so we’ll always try to settle a claim outside of court if possible.
Receiving your payment
Once the court has made a decision or you’ve accepted an offer, the final stage is to make a decision on how you’ll receive your compensation.
Contact us to learn more
If you’re interested in learning more about the personal injury claims process, then you can contact our experienced team for a free consultation by calling us on 0300 303 3629 or by filling out an enquiry form. There we can give you the best possible start to make a successful personal injury claim.
