Personal Injury Claims: Answers to Commonly Asked Questions

A personal injury can stay with you, physically and psychologically, long after the incident itself. A claim may be the last thing on your mind, yet it is often the route to the compensation that recovery requires, and to a measure of justice besides. These are the questions we hear most often about personal injury claims.

What injuries can I claim for?

A personal injury claim arises where an injury or illness results from the fault of another person or organisation. The familiar categories are road traffic accidents, accidents at work, accidents in public places, and slips and trips. The effects differ for everyone, and compensation reflects that: it can extend to pain and suffering, earnings already lost, earnings you will lose in the future, and medical costs, all of which your solicitor will discuss with you.

What evidence do I need?

Gather what you can, and let your solicitor judge its weight: bills, photographs, reports, and a written note, made while memory is fresh, recording where the incident took place, who was there, what happened and how any witnesses can be reached. Good evidence gathered early is worth a great deal later.

How quickly must I make the claim?

A personal injury claim must generally be issued within three years of the date of the injury. In some cases, such as clinical negligence, the three years may instead run from the date you first became aware of the negligent act. There is no need to rush the substance of a claim, but there is every reason not to delay its start: begin in good time and the rest can proceed calmly.

About the author: Dr Aamir Nawaz, LLB (Hons), LLM, PhD, Solicitor, Barrister (np) and Notary Public.