Compensation may be available if you have been hurt as a result of negligence or a breach of a statutory duty. If you think this is the case then please contact us and we can discuss whether we feel anyone is liable for your injuries. We may be able to obtain compensation for those injuries together with any consequential financial loss you may have suffered.
Contact UsWe will discuss the claim with you and, if appropriate, lodge a claim on your behalf. Most personal injury claims are dealt with between solicitors and insurers under an online process governed by a Protocol which requires insurers to respond within a set period of weeks. They must either accept responsibility for what has happened or, if denied, explain why.
If responsibility is admitted we can then proceed to obtain medical evidence in support of your claim, which may also include obtaining rehabilitation or other medical treatment to assist with your recovery. Once you have recovered, you will be referred to an independent Consultant who will see you to prepare a medico legal report in support of your claim. This report will help us assess the level of compensation appropriate for your injuries/recovery. We can also claim for any financial losses and expenses which you have incurred as a direct result of the accident.
If responsibility is denied we will discuss with you the options available, which may involve issuing formal court proceedings. However, even if we do this it is not necessarily the case that the matter will progress to a court hearing as the vast majority of cases are settled by way of negotiation or mediation during this process.
In the first instance we will also discuss with you the question of costs. It may well be that your claim is suitable for a Conditional Fee (or ‘no win, no fee’) Agreement.
During this process one of our highly experienced team will support you through each stage of your claim, keeping you up to date with the progress of your case.
Compensation is only part of the story. Our first aim is to help an injured person access the rehabilitation, medical care and support needed to make the best recovery possible. Only then will we look at the financial aspect which involves us treating each person as an individual.
In most cases, there will be two main elements of compensation – an award for the injuries themselves (“General Damages”) and the repayment of any money you have paid out, or not received, because of your injuries (“Special Damages”).
In the same way as the individual claimant is unique so each claim is unique and the amount of compensation is personal to the Claimant. Accordingly, we need to look at how a particular accident has affect the injured person. The medical evidence will identify the “pain, suffering and loss of amenity” which has been and will be suffered, and we will assess the General Damages by looking at what Courts have awarded previously to persons with similar injuries. The sum for a minor injury from which a full recovery is made within a few months is a few thousand pounds; the most serious types of injury leaving devastating permanent symptoms attract award in excess of £350,000. Our solicitors are specialists in identifying where in that range ant claim falls.
In addition, we will claim for the actual, and projected future, financial losses that may be encountered. In many cases, this will cover loss of earnings and possibly private medical care and treatment. A calculation will be prepared tailored to the particular circumstances of the individual.
If a claim is successful, the party causing the injury will normally make a contribution towards the injured person’s costs which, in most cases, will cover the costs in full. If a claim is unsuccessful, the other side is usually unable to seek costs from the injured party.
However, if a Claimant loses a claim, they may still need to pay us for acting. Under this “no win, no fee” option, a client will only pay our fees if the claim is successful and not have to pay anything if it is not. However, to be covered by this Scheme, there may an additional sum (the “success fee”) to be paid and, as the other side will not pay this, it will need to be deducted from the compensation. There may be no need for that in your own case. We will discuss the whole question of costs carefully with you and whether it is necessary or desirable for this option to apply.
