By Ed Morrison. Last Updated 10th October 2024. Accidents happen every day up and down the country. Some of them are completely unavoidable and nobody is to blame. However, some accidents are caused by negligence and can leave the victim suffering serious injuries. If you have been injured because of somebody else’s mistake, you may well be entitled to make a compensation claim. In this article, we will look at what types of personal injury claims are possible and how much compensation could be paid. To help with this, we have included a personal injury claims calculator table listing many common injuries.
You could claim compensation for an accident in a public place, accidents at work or a road traffic accident, providing someone else was to blame for your injuries. We’ll provide a full list of common claims later on. Essentially, though, any type of accident in which you are injured that was caused by somebody else could make you eligible for compensation.
As we progress through this guide, we will consider what you need to do to claim and what evidence you need to supply. We will also look at some common questions such as, ‘How many personal injury claims go to court?’
How We Can Help You Claim
We believe that anybody who has suffered an injury as a result of negligence should be entitled to start a claim. For that reason, we provide free legal advice for all callers.
Also, our specialist advisers offer a no-obligation case review to assess the merits of your claim. Should your claim be suitable, we could introduce you to a personal injury lawyer from our panel. In an effort to reduce the stress associated with the financial risk of funding a lawyer, our panel offers a No Win No Fee service.
We are here when you are ready to begin your claim. If you would like to discuss your legal options today, please call us on 0800 408 7827 right away. Any advice we provide is free whether you make a claim or not. To learn more about No Win No Fee personal injury claims before calling, please continue reading.
About Personal Injury Claims
- What Is A Personal Injury Compensation Claim?
- Do I Have An Accident Or Injury Claim?
- Different Types Of Personal Injury Claims
- Accident And Injury Claims Calculator
- No Win No Fee Personal Injury Claims
- FAQs About Making A Personal Injury Claim
- Resources Related to No Win No Fee Claims
What Is A Personal Injury Compensation Claim?
Anybody who has been made ill or suffered an injury in an accident caused by somebody else could be eligible for compensation. They could claim for their injuries as well as financial losses caused by the injuries.
Compensation for financial loss is awarded to put the claimant in the same position, or as close as possible, as they were before the accident. That means any losses caused by the injury could be claimed back. Also, you could claim for any pain and suffering as well.
Claims are possible against any organisation or an individual whose negligence caused the injuries. That could include:
- Local authorities.
- Road users (including pedestrians, cyclists, car drivers and public transport drivers).
- Occupiers of public places like shops or restaurants.
- Owners of public buildings.
- Your employer.
- Bodies responsible for roads such as the Highways Agency.
There are times when the occupier of a building might blame the owner for your accident and vice versa. If you work with us, and your claim is taken on by a personal injury lawyer from our panel, they will review your claim with you so that it becomes clear who is to blame. By assessing your claim thoroughly, it should mean no time is wasted by claiming against the wrong party.
Please call today and let us review your potential personal injury claim with you for free.
Do I Have An Accident Or Injury Claim?
As we have described earlier, personal injury claims might be possible if you are injured in an accident caused as a result of somebody else’s negligence. There are several things that you will need to prove. They are:
- The responsible party (or defendant) owed you a legal duty of care to protect your safety.
- The defendant was negligent and as a result, an incident took place.
- You were injured or made ill because of the incident.
A duty of care is a legal obligation to individuals to meet certain standards. It is derived from various pieces of legislation. For example, all employers have a duty to try and keep staff safe as reasonably possible in the work environment due to the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.
Supporting Evidence To Back Up Your Claim
To successfully sue for an injury, you will need to produce evidence that establishes the defendant’s duty of care and proves that a breach of it led to the incident you were hurt in. The following actions could give your personal injury claim the best possible foundation:
- Get medical attention. As well as being important for your health, getting treatment means having medical records you could use as evidence.
- Collect photos of the accident scene. These images should show the incident location at the time it happened, or at least before anything is changed or removed.
- Ask for footage. This could be CCTV or road traffic camera footage. You may have even collected dashcam footage.
- Speak to witnesses. They could provide contact details or potentially visual evidence of their own later into the personal injury claims process.
- Report the incident. A log in a workplace’s accident book or a police report could act as useful proof.
Another useful action is seeking the support of a specialist lawyer. Our panel’s lawyers can be instructed to help in many stages of the personal injury claims process, including evidence collection.
Call our free helpline to find out more about the services a lawyer from our panel can carry out for you.
Different Types Of Personal Injury Claims
There are many different scenarios that could lead to you being able to sue for an injury. Some examples include:
- Because of a road traffic accident caused by a driver who is under the influence of alcohol when they lose control and strike your car, you suffer a concussion and a serious hand injury. You could make a personal injury claim against the other driver.
- Your manager at work tells an employee to use machinery that they’ve not been trained in using at all. The employee makes an error and you are trapped in the machinery, suffering a severely broken bone in your leg and crushing injuries to your foot. You sue your employer because the accident at work was caused by their failure to take reasonable steps to keep the workplace safe.
- You are walking to the toilet in a restaurant when you slip on a wet floor that staff had not signposted or properly cleaned. You badly hurt your back and twist your ankle. This is a public place accident for which you could sue the restaurant.
If an accident was caused by a third party breaching a duty of care that they owed you and this breach left you with a physical or psychological injury, you could seek compensation. A lawyer from our panel of experts could offer guidance on how to make a personal injury claim and what important steps to take during the personal injury claims process to help your case succeed.
Just call our free helpline today to learn if you have valid grounds to start a personal injury lawsuit.
Accident And Injury Claims Calculator
We are now going to move on and look at how much compensation might be paid for different injuries. Our personal injury claims calculator table contains data from the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG). This is the document used by legal professionals when valuing injuries. The figures listed here cover any pain and suffering that results from your injuries. This type of compensation is called general damages.
As each and every compensation claim is unique, we advise that you use this data for guidance only. If you call our free legal advice line, an advisor could give you a more personalised compensation estimate.
| Injury | Severity Level | Compensation Guideline |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple Serious Injuries Plus Lost Earnings And Other Financial Damage | Severe | Up to £1,000,000+ |
| Head | Moderately Severe | £267,340 to £344,150 |
| Leg Amputation | Below-Knee Amputation of Both Legs | £245,900 to £329,620 |
| Back | Severe (ii) | £90,510 to £107,910 |
| Eyes | Total Loss of One Eye | £66,920 to £80,210 |
| Hand | Serious | £35,390 to £75,550 |
| Jaw | Very Serious Multiple Fractures | £37,210 to £55,570 |
| Arm | Less Severe | £23,430 to £47,810 |
| Neck | Moderate (i) | £30,500 to £46,970 |
| Ankle | Modest | Up to £16,770 |
It is important to note that any compensation award for injuries will normally be based on the severity. That means that, for personal injury claims, you should have an independent medical assessment. The personal injury lawyers on our panel will usually book these locally for you.
At your appointment, an independent medical expert would carry out your assessment. They will read through any medical records, ask questions and examine your injuries. After they have finished, a report containing their findings will be compiled. This report will be forwarded to your lawyer.
No Win No Fee Personal Injury Claims
We know that many people are concerned about the cost of letting a personal injury lawyer represent them. That’s why our panel of lawyers process accepted claims on a No Win No Fee basis. If your claim is taken on, this service could be beneficial.
Unfortunately, No Win No Fee services can’t be arranged for everyone. So, before your claim is accepted, a lawyer will need to review its chances. If they decide to accept your claim, they’ll provide you with a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA). This will show you what needs to happen before the lawyer is paid. Within the CFA, you will also see that:
- Payment for lawyer fees does not need to be transferred before the claim can begin.
- You won’t be asked to cover your lawyer’s fees while they are still working on your case.
- If a claim fails, lawyer’s fees are not charged to the claimant.
In fact, you will only need to pay your lawyer their fee if they win compensation for you. If that happens, a success fee will be deducted from your compensation. This will be used to cover the cost of your lawyer’s work. Success fees are a percentage of your compensation. To stop overcharging, they are legally capped. You’ll find your success fee percentage in your CFA before signing it.
To check if you are eligible to make a personal injury compensation claim on a No Win No Fee basis, please call our team today.
FAQs About Making A Personal Injury Claim
We are almost at the end of this guide about how a personal injury solicitor could help you claim compensation. Therefore, on top of our free legal advice, we are now going to answer some frequently asked questions. After you have read them, please contact us if you would like to ask anything further.
How long do I have to start a claim?
In the majority of cases, a 3-year time limit applies to personal injury claims. Usually, this will start from the date of your accident. However, if your injuries are not diagnosed until later (as with industrial illness claims), your time limit will begin from the ‘date of knowledge’. There are exceptions, however. Freephone us to discuss this.
What evidence do I need to make a claim?
To support your claim, evidence is needed to prove that the accident took place, who was responsible and what injuries you sustained. This evidence can include witness statements, medical records, dashcam footage, CCTV, photographs and accident reports. Also, if they attended the accident scene, a police report could be used as well.
Will I have to see a doctor?
It is vital that you can prove the extent of your injuries or illness when making a personal injury claim. Therefore, an independent medical assessment can be crucial. A medical professional, such as a doctor, will assess your injuries and provide a report to explain the injuries you sustained and your future prognosis.
How many personal injury claims go to court?
It is very uncommon for personal injury claims to go to court. One reason for that is that a personal injury solicitor will check the viability of the case before accepting it. That means they’ll usually have a good idea about the cases chance of success. That said, if an amicable settlement cannot be reached, a court hearing might be required.
Could my employer sack me for making a claim?
If you make a personal injury compensation claim following an accident at work, it is illegal for your employer to sack you for this. Furthermore, they are not allowed to treat you any differently or discipline you for it. Should you suffer because of your claim, an unfair or constructive dismissal case might be possible.
Can I claim on behalf of another person?
For personal injury claims, it is possible for an adult to represent a child. They could also do so for a person without the mental capacity to represent themselves. By becoming their litigation friend, you will deal with their personal injury lawyer and courts on their behalf. Any compensation that’s awarded will be checked by a court and placed into a trust fund.
Could I get a personal injury claim interim payment?
While you are waiting for your claim to be settled, you may have expenses relating to your injuries that you can’t cover. If that’s the case, a personal injury claim interim payment could be requested. The court shouldn’t need to get involved with this if the defendant has already admitted liability.
What special damages could I claim?
When making a personal injury claim, as well as seeking compensation for your injuries, you could also ask for special damages. The idea here is to return you to the financial position you were in prior to the accident. If financial losses were caused by your injuries and you have proof, you could recover the costs. Therefore, you could ask for travel expenses, care costs, medical expenses, lost income and the cost of modifications to your vehicle or home as part of your claim.
As a result of reading our guide, if you have decided to begin a claim or would like to discuss anything with us, you can:
- Call our team on 0800 408 7827.
- Use our online live chat.
- Get in touch by filling in our online enquiry form.
Related No Win No Fee Claims Resources
Thank you for taking the time to visit our site today. We hope that the information we have supplied about making No Win No Fee personal injury claims has been useful. In this final part of our guide, we have provided some links that might come in handy. Please let us know if there is anything else that you require.
RIDDOR – Information about when companies have to tell the Health and Safety Executive about accidents at work.
The Motor Insurers’ Bureau – Details about claiming through a government scheme if you are hit by an uninsured driver.
You can get further information about personal injury claims from our guides:
- Sue for a broken cheekbone injury.
- Broken hip compensation claims.
- Claiming for a broken rib injury.
- I hurt myself at the airport, can I sue?
- How to sue a takeaway in a personal injury claim.
- Sue for an injury at a bus stop or bus station.
- How to sue a nursing home for personal injury.
- Learn how to sue a prison with No Win No Fee support.
Article by HAM
Edited by VIC