UK Personal Injury
UK Personal Injury Compensation
UK Personal Injury compensation is awarded to cover pain, suffering and loss, when an injury has been sustained due to third party negligence. If you have suffered an injury which was not entirely your fault, and which has been caused by the negligence of at least one third party, you could be eligible to claim UK personal injury compensation.
Many people would not even think of pursuing legal action in the UK to claim compensation for an injury. After all, accidents happen and are a fact of life. While this is true, and compensation cannot be claimed if an accident was entirely your fault, when someone else has caused your injuries, it is perfectly acceptable to pursue a UK personal injury claim, and to try to recover compensation for any loss or suffering.
UK Personal Injury Compensation Claims
Statistics suggest that the number of injuries sustained in workplace accidents is actually decreasing. According to the Health and Safety Executive, there has been a downward trend in work related illnesses and deaths in the work place over the past decade. Better working conditions and greater attention to personal safety has certainly helped to reduce the number of injuries. Even so, there are still half a million new cases of work related illnesses reported each year in the UK, many of which are eligible to claim UK personal injury compensation.
Road traffic accidents are also falling, according to the Department of Transport's 2010 report. Deaths on the road fell by 17% between 2009 and 2010, with serious injuries falling by 9% and a 6% reduction in minor injuries over the same time period. Even so, over 24,000 people were killed or seriously injured in 2010, with over 208,000 people suffering from injuries in total.
Although many people believe a compensation culture is developing in the UK, it is impossible to calculate whether UK personal injury compensation claims are rising, with many claims settled privately out of court, and increasing number of insurers contacting accident victims directly to make a rapid settlement.
Common Reasons for Filing a UK Personal Injury Compensation Claim
The two main areas for UK personal injury claims are road traffic accidents and injuries in the workplace. Whiplash injury compensation claims are numerous and, with the condition of the roads after last year's bad weather, there has been an increase in claims for vehicle damage as well as personal injury claims.
The increase in fuel costs and a drive to get healthier by cycling to work has increased the number of cyclists on UK roads, and accidents have risen by the same degree according to the latest Department for Transport figures. Bicycle compensation claims can often be made, whether an accident was caused by a negligent driver, or due to poor maintenance of cycle paths and roads.
Other common reasons for UK compensation claims include the following, but no matter how you have sustained an injury, if it has been the result of third party negligence, you should be eligible to claim UK personal injury compensation.
- Work related illnesses
- Slips, trips and falls
- Medical negligence and clinical malpractice
- Accidents involving children
- Birth Injuries
- Mental health issues such as PTSD, depression and anxiety
Why You Should Speak to a UK Personal Injury Solicitor
A UK personal injury solicitor will look at your case and assess your eligibility to claim compensation, and can advise you of the likelihood of making a successful claim. Your appointed solicitor will contact the defendant and advise them of your claim, make the necessary arrangements with the UK courts, and will negotiate with third party insurers to get fair compensation.
UK personal injury law is clear about who can claim compensation, and the conditions under which a claim can be made; however making a claim can be a complicated process, and the legal terminology and statutes can be confusing. Television advertising may give the impression that claims can be settled without even a legal process, or that any injury sustained can be easily compensated. You should be aware that life is rarely that simple, and when it comes to pursuing compensation, a personal injury solicitor can make all the difference to whether you are awarded any personal injury compensation.
When you are suffering from injuries the last thing you need is to be distracted from recovery by legal wrangling, which can often add considerably to the stress and strain suffered. Using an experienced UK personal injury solicitor can help smooth out the process, and will allow you to concentrate on recovering from your injuries.
Calculating UK personal injury damages accurately to get fair compensation is difficult without first seeking legal advice, and many unrepresented claimants fail to get the full compensation to which they are entitled. A competent UK personal injury solicitor will look at a case, and will calculate compensation accurately, and will fight for your right to get fair compensation.
The value of compensation claims generally increases with the help of UK personal injury solicitors and by using their services you will be will maximise your chances of making a successful claim.
UK Personal Injury Compensation Payments
UK personal injury compensation is awarded in two separate categories, each dealing with a particular aspect of damages. General damages are claimed to cover personal suffering and compensate for any pain that has been caused by an injury. Depending on the location and severity of the injury, and how this affects day to day life, will determine the amount of compensation awarded. General damages also cover any loss of amenity, or loss of function as a result of an injury. A keen tennis player who can no longer play as a result of an injury, could be awarded higher compensation to make up for that loss of amenity.
Special damages can also be claimed alongside general damages, and cover more easily identifiable costs arising from an injury. Loss of earnings from unpaid sick leave or an inability to work, the cost of medical bills and prescriptions, transportation costs and home care costs can all be included in a special damages claim. As long as the expense can be proven with the appropriate documentation, and it has arisen as a direct result of the injury, it can be included in any special damages claim.
UK Personal Injury compensation payments will also cover personal legal costs, such as after the event insurance payments and any disbursements paid when processing a claim. The idea of special damages compensation is to ensure that the victim of an accident is no financially worse off than if the accident had never occurred.
Coping with Ongoing Medical Costs
If you have been seriously injured in an accident, the costs of medical treatment can easily become unmanageable. A lack of finance to cover treatment is a situation which we can help you avoid. In strong compensation cases when negligence has been admitted a case may still take some time to settle as insurance companies battle to reduce their costs. In such cases our UK personal injury solicitors can apply to the courts to get a proportion of the settlement figure paid as interim payments. These payments are intended to cover costs until a full and final settlement can be reached. These payments can be invaluable for accident victims who require expensive treatment, and are an important part of many UK personal injury claims.
Free Legal Advice on UK Personal Injury Claims
If you have been injured in an accident which was not entirely your fault, and would like to check your eligibility to claim UK personal injury compensation, please call us today on our free claims hotline. You will be able to speak directly with a personal injury solicitor, who will advise you on your eligibility to claim, and will explain the legal processes that need to be completed. We would like to have the opportunity of helping you get compensation for your injuries, but you are under no obligation to proceed with a claim.
