Did you Know?

Interesting personal injury facts that you may not be aware of

Most people when they first call us are a little wary of asking key questions. In all honesty, its perfectly natural to want to understand a legal process before you enter into it and the more questions you ask, the better your experience will be.

So here we summarise a few points that may help and further down the page we discuss some unusual claims that lead to surprising outcomes.

What is a claim worth?

We cant really say how much each compensation claim will be worth because each and every case is different. However we can say that the average whiplash or soft tissue injury can achieve compensation of £2500-3000 based on our own case results

Do you have to go to court to receive damages?

This is probably the biggest misconception about personal injury. the vast majority of cases DO NOT get anywhere near a court. Around 95% are settled by amicable negotiation. Insurers realised long ago that court cases cost money - they now have far more sensible attitudes about how to deal with reasonable claims.

How long do claims take?

Once again this can differ from case to case based on a) Liability and b) the injury suffered. For example, a claim involving a broken leg will obviously take longer than one for soft tissue injuries. An average timeframe would be between 6-8 months where liability is uncontested.

Who pays the fee for our legal service?

We are a firm of solicitors and yes there is a legal bill to pay if you instruct us. BUT this fee will be paid for by the other party's insurers if you succeed in winning compensation. If you fail - then your case along with our bill will be dropped. This is the broad concept of NO WIN NO FEE. Unlike some other firms, we also pay 100% compensation for all claims except those involving hit and run drivers or the CICA (see below).

ROAD ACCIDENT CLAIMS

Hit and Run accidents

Did you know that if you are involved in an accident with a hit and run driver OR one that has no insurance - you can still claim compensation for your injuries and property damage.

A body called the Motor Insurers Bureau (MIB) will deal with your claim. The MIB are an insurance industry funded body who provide compensation for victims of uninsured or untraced drivers. There are certain restrictions for property damage such as a compulsory £300 excess and exclusion of any damage covered elsewhere on a comprehensive policy - but injury claims are usually pretty straightforward.

We specialise in MIB claims so why not call for advice today of you find yourself in this sort of situation.

MEDICAL NEGLIGENCE CLAIMS

Can you claim against a doctor?

Many people wrongly believe that they cannot claim compensation from doctors who mistreat them or are guilty of medical negligence.

Whilst these claims can be particularly tough, where you can show that a medical professional gave advice, failed to give advice or committed an act or omission that led to an injury - you may be able to claim damages.

You can also make a medical claim with the benefit of public funding (formerly known as legal aid) which is not allowed for any other type of personal injury matter. These claims usually involve grave or serious injury and it is only right that patients / family members should exercise their legal rights if they or a loved one has been harmed

VICTIMS OF CRIME

Can you claim if you have been assaulted?

If you are hurt following an assault or similar criminal act, you are able to recover compensation from a Government funded body known as the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA)

The CICA will access the official police file on the case and try to determine whether a victim of crime is deserving of compensation. They will not make a criminal injury award to anyone who contributed to an injury (eg someone who starts a fight or throws the first punch etc) nor will they pay anyone with an existing (current) criminal record. However most genuine victims of crime will receive a fair hearing from the CICA and prospects for compensation in many cases are very good.

All awards are based on a tariff or scale. People who suffer multiple injuries receive a tiered award based on the most severe injury scaling down to the least severe.

You must claim within 2 years of an event. Please be aware that the CICA will generally not deal with road incidents involving hit and run or uninsured drivers. these cases (whilst obviously a crime) need to be referred to the MIB - see above.

Read more hear about criminal injury claims