Common Types of Personal Injury Claims
Personal injury claims are filed every day and for a myriad of reasons. If you’ve been involved in an accident or slipped and injured yourself in a public place, whilst you mightn’t be eligible for compensation it’s always advisable to contact a personal injury solicitor to discuss your situation.
Moreover, as most personal injury solicitors operate on a ‘no win no fee’ basis, enquiring about your situation won’t cost you a penny and you therefore have nothing to lose.
The most common types of personal injury claims
The most common types of personal injury claims filed are, in order of the number of claims filed annually, road accidents, workplace accidents, tripping accidents, assault claims, home accidents, product defect accidents (also known as product liability) and accidents that take place on holidays, domestically or abroad.
The term ‘personal injury’ is very broad and also incorporates industrial disease case claims including asbestosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, occupational deafness and repetitive strain injuries, the latter a particularly common claim. Furthermore, the term also includes dental and medical accidents, i.e. medical negligence claims.
Road accidents
The most common types of personal injury claims filed are road accident claims. This says a lot about the busy, hectic nature of our roads and motorways.
If you’re involved in an accident you shouldn’t admit fault, even though it might have been you who was responsible for the accident.
Seek medical assistance immediately even if you don’t believe yourself to be injured. Some injuries, like whiplash for instance, mightn’t be recognisable immediately. Moreover, if you’ve suffered injuries, waiting too long to seek medical treatment can make it difficult to prove that your injuries were from the accident.
If you can, take pictures of the accident as well as your injuries. Photographic evidence goes a long way and you can count upon the insurer of the other party trying to play down the severity of the accident and your injuries.
Keep a record of the doctors you’ve seen, the medical specialists you’ve been referred to, etc. and keep every receipt you’re issued.
Get a copy of the police report and ensure that all the details are correct. If something has been omitted this can, and often does, throw a spanner in the works though if you notice an omission early on there’s a chance that it can be rectified.
Contact a specialist legal firm, i.e. one that specialises in personal injury compensation claims like Rusellworth Personal Injury Solicitors. If you need to file a claim for compensation you’ll need legal assistance and as mentioned earlier, since most solicitors operate on a ‘no win no fee’ basis you won’t be out of pocket for making enquiries.
Workplace accidents
After road accident claims, workplace accident claims are the most commonly filed claims for compensation, though this shouldn’t be seen as indicative of workplace health and safety standards because workplace health and safety standards have come leaps and bounds over the years and workplaces are safer than ever before.
If you have an accident at work ensure that it’s recorded in the accident book which your employer should have made available, however, if there isn’t an accident book, write down the details of the accident and the injuries you’ve suffered and make two copies, one for your employer and one for yourself.
Some employees’ contracts might state that they have an obligation to report injuries to their employer but regardless of whether or not there’s anything to that effect in your contract, notifying your employer is a must.
Contact a solicitor when injured in an accident – your livelihood could be at stake.
About the Author:
A company that is dedicated to helping clients get the compensation they deserve, Rusellworth Personal Injury Solicitors is a reputable provider of claim assistance in the UK.
Category: Law
I’ve always wanted to know more about these personal injury claims. I always see commercials on the TV and it always appeared that the most frequent advertisements are for medical complications. Interesting to learn what is really most common.