If you have had an accident and have suffered from an injury or illness as a result, you may want to think about contacting a personal injury solicitor to make a claim for compensation. This can not only compensate you for pain and suffering that you may have been subject to, but also can help cover costs of things like medical expenses, time off work, and adjusted living situation if the accident has meant that you have had to alter the way you live your life.
What is ‘Personal Injury’?
The term ‘personal injury’ refers to a physical injury or illness which is inflicted to your body and/or mind rather than damage to property or reputation. Personal injury claims can be pursued against a singular person, company, or authority. For example, if you slip and fall in a supermarket aisle as a result of a spillage and you fracture your elbow, you could enlist the services of personal injury solicitors to help you file a claim because the company is responsible for your pain and suffering.
Common examples of accidents you can be compensated for
There are many different types of accidents for which you can pursue personal injury claims for. These include:
- Road traffic accidents: these are the most common kind of injuries to result in legal action in the UK. Road traffic accidents can involve motorcycles, bicycles, buses, cars and pedestrians.
- Accidents at work: accident at work claims often occur when an employer fails to provide a safe work environment and an employee is caused serious harm.
- Accidents in public places: these types of claims can be pursued when you get injured in a public place, such as a public car park or a main road. In these claims the defendant is the local authority responsible for the public space.
- Defective products: if you get injured by or ill from using a product, you could get compensation. This is because all manufacturers have a duty to make sure their products are safe.
- Accidents involving children: these claims aren’t intended to help if your child has simply fallen over or bumped their head, but more for if an adult with a duty of care for them such as a teacher has neglected their duty and it has led to serious illness or injury.
- Criminal injury claims: if you are unfortunately the victim of a crime, you could claim compensation.
- Fatal injury claims: it is possible to claim compensation if a loved one has passed away following an accident that wasn’t their fault.
How claiming compensation for your injury can help
Many people believe that claiming compensation after an injury that wasn’t your fault just means that you’re feeding into the culture of ‘where there’s blame, there’s a claim’. However, as Meresbrook Pollard solicitorsemphasise, making a claim can be help you get your life back on track after an accident, saying that “unfortunately, some might still see seeking financial compensation as a way of scamming people or companies out of money. This of course isn’t true, as compensation is awarded out of necessity to help people rebuild their lives.”
If you are to suffer a genuine injury – which is the only way personal injury solicitors will take on your case – it can have a serious effect on your day-to-day life. For example, if you are in a car crash which leaves you with whiplash, this can mean you have to take time off work. If you’re lucky you will be fully paid for this time off, but if you don’t, you’ll be left out of pocket for something which happened by accident. Or, if the crash is more severe and you are left unable to walk, you might have to have equipment installed in your house to make mobility easier for you.