5 Things you need to Know to Make an Accident Claim

When you have been injured in an accident that was not your fault and want to make a personal injury compensation claim, there are things you need to know before starting your claim.

Who was to Blame?

You will need to know who caused the accident you were injured in. In some cases this is fairly straightforward.

• A car crash is probably another driver

• Food poisoning could be the restaurant you ate at

• The cow that attacked you is the fault of the farmer

• The uneven paving slab you tripped up on is the local council

There are many accidents where it will be obvious who was to blame. But what if you had an accident on a building site where there are people either working for the main contractor, or they could be working for the electrical firm sub-contracted to the main contractor, or they could even be working for themselves. They could be delivery drivers or employed by any number of companies. This could be more complicated to sort out who is responsible for paying your compensation.

How severe are your injuries?

When you want to make an accident claim, the severity of your injuries is an important factor. Some injuries you could make a full recovery from in a few weeks, other can take a very long time and there are some you will never fully recover from. These can have life-changing effects and need accounting for when making your personal injury claim.

Will you be able to return to work?

It is quite normal to have to lose time from work to recover from your injuries. But what if your injuries are so severe you cannot go back to work? Loss of earnings can be part of your claim, but if you are in the situation where you will not be able to work again, the future earnings you will lose need to be claimed for as well. This will be more for a younger person as you would expect them to have had more working years left.

How much has the accident cost you in extra expenses?

It is inevitable that you will have extra expenses after you have been injured in an accident. You may have to spend money on prescriptions and travelling for a start. These might not seem much on their own, but when you constantly have to pay them out for a few months, they can amount to a lot of money. Then what if you are a young mother with toddlers, and while you are recovering need help to look after them? That has to be paid for somehow.

Where to make your claim

Using the right lawyers to make your claim is important if you want your claim to have the best chance of success. You need lawyers who are experts that specialise in personal injury compensation claims.