This needs to be deduced with reference to medical evidence. In a claim involving serious injury this may mean that several medical reports are required in order to assess the extent of the injury and the impact that it may have on the particular person.

For instance a person who has suffered multiple injuries may require evidence from an Orthopaedic Consultant with expertise in bone injuries such as fractures. They may also need medical evidence from a Neuropsychiatrist if they have suffered a traumatic brain injury and a Neurologist if they have epilepsy.

Such medical evidence may give some idea of the injured persons diagnosis, prognosis, treatment that they have received (an indication of what further medical reports may be required), what actually caused a condition, a persons life expectancy and what their requirements for care, specialised equipment and other heads of damage such as loss of earnings and need for future treatment. Usually a Interim or advance payment is made on account of damages and will be deducted from the damages award at the end of the claim.

This concerns both past and future losses and the purpose of this is to establish as accurately as possible the injured person would have earned, but for the injury.

This should take into account increases in pay, including promotion prospects, bonus and commission if applicable. The impact of any potential redundancy situation must also be considered.

This involves care and assistance that is provided as a result of the accident. This may be support with everyday activities such as getting in and out of bed and getting washed and dressed. Assistance with housework and going shopping.

This assistance may be provided by friends and family free of charge but may also extend to professional paid for care such as from a nurse.

As long as these costs are deemed to be necessary and reasonable. These may be costs that are preventative measures and so stop the injured party developing a condition whereby they would require further medical assistance.

This may cover a lot of different treatments such as physiotherapy, occupational therapy, psychological therapy, speech and language therapy, hydrotherapy, vocational therapy and podiatry and chiropody.

An injured person may require several of these therapies to help them return to a normal life and may have to be provided by a specialist provider.

Once again this type of therapy may be required to help a person adjust to the changes that have taken place and will take place through the course of their lives as a result of the accident.

This may include costs of private surgical treatment that may be required.

Usually this can be claimed as a mileage rate if they are travelling and would not have made such a trip if it were not for the accident. The same would apply for reasonable incurred taxi expenses.

Where a permanent disability prevents the injured person from driving a manual car then the conversation costs or additional costs of purchasing an automatic vehicle may be claimed. As well as the costs of adaptations and modifications.

These are items that do have a shelf life in that they may be outgrown or wear out as a person ages. Different prosthetic limbs for example may be required if the injured party takes up a particular sporting activity. Or if the injured party was young at the time of the accident they may require replacements as they grow.

This equipment would be over and above that which the average person would need on a day to day basis. For example hoists or devices that provide warnings or reminders, door entry systems and technology that can open and close curtains and blinds.

An injured party may modify their living arrangements so that they can lead as normal a life as is possible to do so. However, their home may not be capable of being suitably adapted. If this is the case they then are entitled to move to alternative accommodation.

Adapting a property may mean the installation of ramps, widening doorways, installing a stair lift, fitting alarms, and installing showering facilities.

The injured party may also suffer the increased costs of hearing and lighting as they may be less active and spend more time at home.

This would involve looking to the scheme of which the injured party is a member. The two types of pension scheme would be final salary or defined contribution scheme.

The particular types of pension loss arising from the final salary scheme may be the loss of the pension or its reduction due to loss of membership, or the loss of contributions from the employer or perhaps a reduction in contributions if the injured person returns to work but at a lower rate of pay.

Whilst with the defined contribution scheme the pension reduction or loss arises due to a loss of or reduction in the contributions from the injured party and / or the employer.