Compensation Claims: What Are They?

If you’ve suffered from a personal injury, you’ll probably have a lot of questions about what happens now. The most important will be around your health and your recovery.

But you might also have questions relating to your legal rights and whether you can make a compensation claim.

What is a compensation claim?

Compensation is a financial payout awarded to victims of accidents that were caused by someone else’s negligence. By making a claim for compensation, your legal team presents your case to the party responsible and then works to get you what you’re legally entitled to.

You might need help after being injured. This could be help getting around – such as a wheelchair or other mobility aids – or it could be financial help while you’re forced to take time off work to recover.

Compensation can make it easier to fund this help. The purpose of compensation is to get you back into a position like you were in before your accident ever happened. Sometimes, if your injury has been life changing, that won’t be possible.

But the compensation you’re awarded could help you get your independence back and make your life easier than it would be without it.

Can I make a compensation claim?

There are certain requirements to meet to be able to make a compensation claim. For a claim to be possible, you should have:

• Been in an accident caused by someone else’s negligence
• Had an accident in the last three years
• Suffered a personal injury as a result of the accident

Your injury can also take the form of illness. This makes it possible to claim against employers who didn’t do enough to protect employees from industrial diseases, such as mesothelioma.

It is also possible to claim against the professionals who should have treated any initial injury or illness you had. If your healthcare professional did not treat you properly and you were the victim of medical negligence, you could be able to claim compensation.

The compensation claim process

To make a claim, you should get legal help as soon as you can. This is because you only have three years from the date of your accident to make a claim. And although this may sound like a long time, it’s best to start the process quickly as evidence may be easier to obtain and your memory of what happened may be clearer.

Talk to First4Lawyers about making a compensation claim

If you have a claim, our compassionate and helpful advisors will match you to a specialist solicitor. Your accident lawyer will then take over your case and work to get you the compensation you may be entitled to.

They will put together the evidence around your case and present it to the party responsible or their insurer. You can help them by responding to any queries quickly and providing them with any information or documents they request.

How can I pay for a claim?

When you first speak to your solicitor, they will discuss your funding options. In most cases, you will be able to pursue a claim on a No Win No Fee basis. This means you won’t have to pay anything upfront, leaving you free to focus on your recovery.

It also means you won’t have to pay any legal fees if your claim is unsuccessful. If it is successful and you are awarded compensation, you’ll pay your solicitor a success fee. This will usually be a percentage of your compensation.

What can I claim compensation for?

As part of the process, your solicitor will value your claim. This means they will establish how much compensation you could be entitled to. The figure will be made up of a number of things, including:

• Adaptations or modifications to your home or car
• Care you’ve received
• Changes to your lifestyle
• Damage to your personal property
• Having to give up any hobbies
• Loss of earnings
• Loss of a career
• Medical treatment you’ve paid for
• Pain and suffering caused by the injury
• Travel to and from medical appointments

This makes it important to keep any receipts or invoices for anything that you spent money on as a result of your accident.

Making your claim

Nobody wants to be involved in an accident. But if you are, the law allows you to claim compensation. This can go a long way towards boosting your recovery and getting you back to your best.

So if you’ve been injured in an accident caused by someone else, you don’t have to take it lying down. You are entitled to justice.

To find out if you can make a compensation claim and how we could help you do it, just give us a call or start your claim online. We’re here to get you what you deserve.