Accidents

As a result of an accident that was not your fault you can claim compensation for:

• pain, injury or illness;
• lost earnings or if it has affected your ability to carry on working in the role you were working in;
• incurred expenditure you would not otherwise have incurred to replace or repair damaged property;
• medical bills; or
• adaptions made to your home.

During your free, no-obligation consultation our specialist solicitors will discuss whether you are entitled to make a claim. If negligence is established, we will discuss the various options with you, including the no win, no fee element of your personal injury claim. You will be provided with a step-by-step breakdown of how we will proceed with your accident compensation claim without obligation to proceed.

In the vast majority of cases, our accident claims are funded on a no win, no fee basis, which are known as Conditional Fee Agreements (CFAs).

This means that if your case is unsuccessful you will not have to pay anything. We will only take on your case if, after assessing your claim, we decide that there is a reasonable chance of success. Our initial consultation is free, so you won’t pay a penny if we don’t accept your case.

Only a small percentage of personal injury claims brought will actually proceed to trial, though we do prepare every case in depth to make sure we are ready should it go to court.

The personal injury procedural system is geared towards encouraging parties to be open with each other so that any claims for compensation can be settled without the need for going to court, which can save both time and cost.

A lot of people are naturally nervous and uncomfortable about going to court. We understand this and will advise you every step of the way, should your case reach a trial.

There are strict time limits in personal injury claims. The usual rule is that a potential claimant has three years from the date of an accident within which to bring a claim for compensation.

The court does have the discretion to override the three year period, but it is not regularly exercised.

The three year time limit is slightly different in cases involving repetitive injuries and diseases.

There are two further points to note in respect of the limitation for bringing a personal injury claim and these relate to bringing a claim on behalf of a deceased person and bringing a claim on behalf of a minor (someone under 18).

1. In the case of fatal accidents, the three year period will start to run from the date of death or when the death is linked to a particular incident or accident.
2. In the case of minors, their three year limitation period will not start to run until their eighteenth birthday – therefore, their three year limitation period would not expire until their twenty-first birthday.

Although there is a three year period within which to bring court proceedings, it is important that you seek legal advice as soon as possible should you believe you might have a claim.