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What is a personal injury?
Why should I claim?
Can I make a personal injury claim?
Can I make a criminal injury claim?
How long do I have to make a claim?
What does the compensation cover?
How much compensation will I receive?
Will it cost me anything to claim?
Will Compensation-Experts be handling my case?
How long will it take to make a claim?
Will I need to appear in court?
Will I need to attend any meetings with my solicitor?
If I decide to proceed, what happens next?
What is a Personal Injury?
A personal injury is an injury suffered that is caused by the negligence of a person, company or organisation. Such negligence could give way to a claim for compensation against the careless party.
A personal injury can be as the result of:
A personal injury can by psychological as well as physical, so it may be possible to claim compensation for distress or shock as well as for the physical injury.
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Why should I claim?
A claim for injury compensation will provide you with a lump sum of money to cover your suffering or to pay for any further care you may need due to your injuries. Making an accident claim will also help to stop future injuries to others, as an investigation will encourage safer work environments and more efficient hazard awareness procedures.
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Can I make a claim for personal injury?
If you have been injured in an accident you are entitled to claim compensation for your injuries so long as the following are met:
- The incident is the direct result of a neglect of duty of care towards you
- You have required medical attention ~ either GP or hospital
- The injury still requires treatment six weeks from the date of the incident
- The incident happened within the last three years
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Can I make a criminal injury claim?
If you have been a victim of violent crime you are entitled to claim compensation for your injuries, so long as the following apply:
- The incident has been reported to the police
- You have suffered more than one injury
- You have required medical attention on at least two separate occasions
- The incident happened within the last two years
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How long do I have to make a claim?
If you are thinking about making a claim for accident compensation, it is important to get legal advice as soon as you can, as there are time limits on certain types of claim.
- If your injury was caused by someone's negligence, you must start court proceedings within 3 years of the injury.
- If you are applying for criminal injuries compensation (CICA) the period is just 2 years from the date of the injury
- If it is child who has been injured, the time limit does not begin until their 18 th birthday
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What does the compensation cover?
There are two types of compensation you may be able to claim following an accident or personal injury:
- General damages
- Special damages
General damages are paid as injury compensation, i.e. how much the court decides should be paid out to cover your injuries or any future loss of earnings.
Special damages are paid to compensate any loss of earnings or financial costs caused by the injuries up until the date of the hearing. Such costs may include travel costs to hospital, prescription costs or medical expenses.
If the court decides you may be partly responsible for the accident or any injuries sustained you may receive a reduce amount of compensation, i.e. if in a car accident you were not wearing a seatbelt.
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How much compensation will I receive?
This depends entirely on your situation. There are a range of factors that must be considered in order to accurately predict the amount of compensation you should receive i.e. the severity of the injuries sustained, any expenses you have personally incurred during the period following the incident and any loss of earnings. See guidelines.
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Will it cost me anything to claim?
Compensation-Experts operate a 'no win, no fee' policy. The person responsible for your injuries pays our fees via their insurance company so you receive 100% of your compensation. Even if we lose the case, the company, at no cost to you, takes out insurance to cover the cost of legal fees.
*Our no win no fee policy is not applicable for claims of criminla injury or clinical negligence.
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Will Compensation-Experts be handling my case?
Compensation-Experts are a claims management team, which means we pass on your information to the most appropriate solicitor for you. This means there is a much wider selection of solicitors to enable you to get the best possible service for your claim.
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How long will it take to make a claim?
This is entirely dependent on the circumstances. If the responsible party admits liability then the claim will be much quicker than if liability is denied.
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Will I need to appear in court?
A lot of personal injury compensation claims are resolved out of court. If the claim is straightforward, the opposition admits liability and an amount is agreed then there would be no need for a court appointment.
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Will I need to attend meetings with my solictor?
Usually all claims can be dealt with by telephone, post or email so it would be unlikely that you would need to attend meetings. This enables us to appoint the best solicitor from across the UK to deal with your claim.
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If I decide to proceed, what happens next?
Within 48 hours of us receiving your online or telephone enquiry a professional personal injury expert will contact you to discuss your circumstances.
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