Good personal injury advice is available from the many personal injury law firms in the UK and many people understand the personal injury concept and what they need to do to pursue a claim for personal injury.
However, for the uninitiated, a personal injury can be said to an injury or illness, physical or mental, caused due to negligence of another party. The injury is said to be more grievous when either permanent damage is caused or when losses in income or increase in expenditure occurs. Such personal injury can sometimes prove to be fatal and result in death of the injured party. If such a loss can be proved in a court of law, the complainant can be awarded compensation as per their demand or an understanding between the two parties or the court’s ruling.
Personal injury includes injury occurring at work, which may be work related (in case of working with chemicals or asbestos) or not. Discrimination, harassment or stress at work can also be prominent causes of psychological injury or illness and can also be classified as work related personal injury. Similarly an injury caused on the road can be due to traffic accident or faulty working of a vehicle one is driving or riding. Injuries caused by slipping and tripping on private or public premises are also classified under personal injury and the injured party can make a claim and ask for compensation from those who are in charge of the premises. A very common complaint of personal injury is of errors of medical practitioners or hospital staff. This kind of injury claim (usually known as medical malpractice claim), can be made against an individual doctor/nurse, the staff or the hospital administration.
Reasons for seeking out personal injury advice
The most obvious reason for claiming for personal injuries sustained due to negligence is the loss of income, revenue or the losses or expenditures incurred in the present or forecasted in future. Claiming for personal injury compensation ensures that the affected party has enough money to take the necessary measures to undertake proper medical treatment or to correct whatever loss of income has been suffered.
Another reason for making an injury claim is that an individual, or a group of affected people may want to prevent similar happenings in the future by bringing the matter to notice of everybody involved and to make sure that the judiciary intervenes if needed.
How can personal injury advice from a lawyer help you?
Once you have decided that you need a lawyer, you will need to engage a good lawyer who you think is likely to guide you through the entire legal process and ensure that you get the best deal.
A solicitor will be able to evaluate your case in all respects and determine your chances of winning and will be able to reasonably estimate the amount that you should be claiming in compensation.
At this point, you should make sure that you discuss the legalities and financials of the case with your lawyer. You will need to discuss how you’ll fund the entire legal process. Luckily for the complainant, most UK lawyers nowadays function on the “no win, no fee” policy which means that they’ll get paid only if their client wins. This not only makes the client more confident but also takes the financial burden off the clients’ backs.
You should make sure that your lawyer sends you a letter which discusses all the important points discussed and clearly spells out:
Their readiness to take your case
In case you have hired a firm, the name of the lawyer appointed to your case should be clearly mentioned in this letter. Also, your day-to-day contact person’s name should also be there.
Time estimate for the process should be mentioned
The financial arrangement for the funding of the case should be mentioned clearly.
Any other details discussed during your meeting(s).
In order to make the claim, you need to provide the necessary information to your lawyer. This includes:
- The date, time and location of the incident.
- Witness name and contact, if any.
- Medical details of injury and treatment.
The lawyer will then look into the financials and go over the compensation amount that needs to be claimed based upon loss of earning and expenses incurred because of injury.
Sometimes the personal injury claims are limited by statutes and there is a specific time frame by which they should be reported. The general rule is that a personal injury claim should be made within 3 years of the incident. In case of minors, the statues of limitations expire on their 21st birthday. If an injury or illness manifests itself much later in life, the statue of limitations runs out only after 3 years of discovering the injury. Your lawyer can clear these legalities for you. The important task for you is to recognize the need to make a personal injury claim, take the decision to take action and get yourself the best attorney to handle your case.
An experienced, qualified and professional lawyer will be able to provide quality personal injury advice and present your case to the court in the best possible manner, thus increasing your chances to win the case. You are in charge here and it is for you to take action and make sure you get yourself the best help you can manage
Author
Gill Laing is a qualified Legal Researcher & Analyst with niche specialisms in Law, Tax, Human Resources, Immigration & Employment Law.
Gill is a Multiple Business Owner and the Managing Director of Prof Services - a Marketing Agency for the Professional Services Sector.
