Obtaining an injury in an accident which was caused by another party’s negligence is frustrating, upsetting and can have wide-reaching consequences. As well as the physical pain, distress and trauma can last longer, as can the treatment, ongoing care and absence from work. These are just some of the reasons why making an accident claim might be the right thing for you after your injury. The problem is that the process is obscure and few people are entirely certain of how it works and what to do.
The first thing to do before making an accident claim is obviously to have your injuries treated. Not only is this important to your physical and mental recovery but it will also help your accident claim to ensure that your doctor has recorded the details of any injuries.
Should your injury happen at work then you must inform the company’s health and safety representative of what happened: it will then be recorded in the accident book. You should also inform your trade union if you have one because they may be able to offer support and advice on recovery and making an accident claim.
In the weeks after an accident there are many expenses so if you decide to make an accident claim, keep receipts for expenses such as taxis to hospital appointments, medication, care or early private treatment such as physiotherapy because you may be able to claim them back later.
In some cases the evidence required to make an accident claim can disappear, jeopardising your claim, so it is important to contact your solicitor as soon as you decide to make a claim. This is particularly important in cases of slip and trip accidents caused by poorly maintained pavements because once the pavement is repaired your evidence is lost.
You may see television adverts for claims management companies offering accident claim services on a no win no fee basis. Think carefully before contacting such a company because they are not actually lawyers, but rather auction details of claims they have ‘farmed’ to the highest bidding law firms. All of that means that your element of choice in who handles your claim is removed. Potentially you could be given a poor quality solicitor. Should cost be a concern, remember that there are many law firms which can offer no win no fee services without the middleman. Additionally, trade unions often help with legal fees in the event of workplace accident claims.
Comments on this entry are closed.