Accident Compensation and Injury Claims

If you have been injured in an accident no matter how minor and it was not your fault then you should consider making a claim for compensation.

A specialist solicitor should be consulted with a legitimate claim and they will advise you whether or not you have a case before taking it forward. With Eatons the client never pays a fee regardless of whether the claim is successful.

Your claims for compensation can include injury, illness or disease caused by accidents either on the road, at work or through medical incidents. ‘Fatal accident claims can also occur if a family member has died due to an unfortunate event.

Usually an accident at work will lead to a claim against your employer while if you suffer injuries on the road then the other driver’s insurance company will pay-up. The local council will be made accountable if, for example, you trip in the street but if the accident occurs on private property then the owner of the building/land can be sued.

You can also sue companies and manufacturers of products if they cause an illness while a hospital or your GP may be penalised if you suffer from a medical accident.

In order to seek compensation you need to fill in a court ‘claim form’ which details the case along with a medical report to confirm the injuries, illness or diseases suffered. It is also essential to list all the costs that that you have incurred in a ‘schedule of special damages’ which is then sent to the opponent and the court.

It is important to keep dates and details of events along with recording the name and address of the person, company or local authority you want to sue.

For a medical incident you should obtain your hospital reference number, the doctor and the date of your operation or treatment.

You can also make a compensation claim if you have lost anything or had possessions damaged as a result of an accident or illness. These include wages, expenses and property. 

Contributory Negligence occurs when you are partly to blame for the accident but as long as someone or something else was also responsible then you can still make a claim even though the compensation amount may be slightly reduced.

Compensation for ‘general damages’ takes account for likely future losses which are difficult to calculate precisely. These include being disadvantaged on the labour market due to pain and suffering and ‘loss of amenity’ which is the loss of the enjoyment of life.

You can also receive reimbursement for ‘special damages’ which is the money spent on correcting the initial accident. This ranges from the loss earnings and the cost of treatment required for injuries to the expense of repairing property.