Personal Injury Solicitors
Leeds

Making a personal injury compensation claim

Our personal injury experts are here to help.

You can make a compensation claim on a no win, no fee basis. If your injury claim is unsuccessful you won't have to pay any money to your solicitor.

What happened?

Starting a personal injury claim is not complicated, but the process will differ depending on how and where you were injured.

Please select how you were injured:

Work accidents Road accidents Public places Medical negligence Other accidents

Am I entitled to make a personal injury claim?

You should be able to claim financial compensation for your injury if the accident (or date of injury diagnosis) happened:

• in the last three years (limitation) and
• was caused by another party (causation) and
• that party owed you a duty of care (liability).

To get a clearer idea if you can make a claim, you can check your claim online, or for a more definitive answer, speak to an injury claims advisor on 0800 376 1001.

Is there anything else that can affect my eligibility to claim?

Yes. There are quite a few other factors that can affect whether a successful compensation claim will be possible, such as the type of accident or when the date of knowledge was.

If you would like to find out if you have a claim, speak to us now on 0800 376 1001. Alternatively, find out if you have a claim with our Personal Injury Claim Checker.

Can I claim if I was injured as a child?

If you are the parent or guardian of an injured child, you can start a claim on their behalf, at any time until the child's 18th birthday.

If you were injured when you were under 18 years old, you have until your 21st birthday to make claim.

Read more:

Child injury compensation claims

How much compensation can I claim for an injury?

The amount of money you could claim for your injury will depend on:

• the extent of your injury, and
• any financial losses or costs you have incurred.

At the start of your claim, your solicitor will consider the many ways your injury has affected your life. Your solicitor will take all of these effects into account to calculate the correct compensation award for you.

General damages

General damages are awarded for pain, suffering and loss of amenity (PSLA).

Awards for general damages are set by the Judicial College and published in their guidelines for personal injury awards.

Special damages

Special damages are for financial losses and expenses you have incurred as a result of the accident.

Read more:

A complete list of recoverable losses in an injury claim

Calculate my injury compensation

Calculating how much compensation you can claim for an injury can be complicated.

Our injury compensation calculator tells you if you may have a claim, how much compensation you could claim, and what you can claim for.

Find out what your injury claim could be worth now.

Road accident claims in Leeds

Government data reveals there were 1796 road accidents in Leeds in 2021, including 1372 slight accidents, 403 accidents and 21 fatalities. Accidents in the Leeds region in 2013 included car crashes on the dual carriageway of the A58 and A61 junction and on the single carriageway of the A61 and A653 junction.

If you've been injured in a road traffic accident in Leeds, or anywhere else in the UK, we understand the pain and suffering you may be going through. If your injuries were caused by another driver, cyclist, pedestrian or any other road user, you may be entitled to claim no win, no fee compensation.

Whether you were injured in a hit-and-run, or were hurt in a collision with another vehicle, we're here to help. This guide to road accident claims sets out everything you need to know about starting a claim.

Read more:

Claim road accident compensation

Work accident claims in Leeds

In Leeds, there were 568 non-fatal work accidents and 0 fatalities in 2021, according to official Government data.

If you have sustained an injury because of your employer's actions or negligence, you have the right to make a claim.

Whether you were injured while working as a doctor or a plumber, our work injury claim guide covers everything you need to know about making a successful work accident claim.

Read more:

Work accident compensation claims

How common are work accidents in Leeds?

Clinical negligence claims in Leeds

Clinical negligence (medical negligence) is the term for when a patient sustains an injury or illness as the result of the carelessness of a doctor, nurse or other health worker. We can help you make a claim against any of the clinics and NHS trusts responsible for Leeds.

Read more:

Clinical negligence compensation claims

Public place accidents claims in Leeds

An occupier (owner or operator) of premises has a legal duty to take reasonable care to ensure the safety of visitors.

Whether your accident occurred on a footpath or in a hotel, and someone else was responsible, you may be entitled to make an injury claim.

If you've been hurt in an accident in a public area, we can help you.

Read more:

Public place accident claims

Serious injury compensation claims

Catastrophic injuries that involve long-term treatment and recovery, or have a debilitating impact on your life, include paraplegia, spinal and brain damage and amputations, but could also include other injuries such as eye injuries, bowel cancer and serious pharmaceutical error.

If you have suffered a serious injury, we understand the vital difference a successful claim can make.

Compensation can ease the financial load and reduce stress, helping you and your family to focus on your recovery. Our panel of expert serious injury solicitors coordinate with insurance providers and medical professionals, to help you get the rounded support you need.

Read more:

Serious and catastrophic injury compensation

Do I need to visit a solicitor's office?

If you are planning to start a claim, you do not need to go to a solicitor's office.

On a quick phone call with a friendly advisor, you can explain what happened and find out if you may have a claim. There is no obligation to start a claim.

If you decide to start a claim, you will speak to a specialist solicitor. Your solicitor will always be available to answer any questions, and they will keep you updated every step of the way.

How we can help you

Your solicitor will fight for the best possible compensation settlement for you, and the highly-experienced panel of solicitors have an excellent track record of winning injury claims in Leeds and cross the UK.

• FREE
  consultation
• Find out
  if you can claim
• No obligation
  to start a claim

FAQs

Have you helped many Leeds injury claimants?

We help 100's of injured workers, road users and other claimants in Leeds and West Yorkshire every year.

A specialist solicitor will fight hard to settle your claim and recover the best possible compensation sum, regardless of whether you were injured at your workplace or in a public park.

Can I get 100% No Win, No Fee?

If your claim is not successful, our No Win, No Fee policy covers 100% of your legal fees. This means you will never be out of pocket.

Leeds solicitor reviews

All personal injury solicitors are regulated by the SRA. Although injury lawyers must meet strict professional standards, service levels can vary.

Personal recommendations and online reviews can help you select which solicitor is the right fit for your claim.

Read more:

Personal injury lawyer reviews

Can I claim for someone else?

Yes. It is possible to claim compensation on behalf of another person, in the capacity of a 'litigation friend'.

If, for example, an injured person is either too young or vulnerable, too injured or otherwise unable to claim on their own behalf, their litigation friend can handle the claim process for them.

The litigation friend will be responsible for communicating with the personal injury solicitors, and for making decisions in respect of the claim.

Read more:

Read more about claiming on behalf of another person.

Can I claim if I was partly to blame?

Even if you feel you were partly responsible for your accident, you may still be able to claim compensation.

You may also still be able to claim if something you did (or failed to do) meant your injuries were more serious than they might have otherwise been (e.g. you were knocked off your bike, but you weren't wearing a helmet).

If you were partly to blame, this is known as contributory negligence. Successful claims are often made on the basis of contributory negligence, although compensation may be reduced.

Read more:

Claiming compensation if you were partly responsible for an accident.

How long will my claim take?

The time needed to resolve a compensation claim and pay out compensation can vary considerably.

For example, straightforward car accident claims can settle in a matter of weeks, whereas complex medical negligence cases can sometimes take years.

Injury claims can also take longer if it is not clear who is responsible for your injury, or if liability is denied by the defendant.

This table sets out approximately how long personal injury claims take to settle:

Read more about how long personal injury claims take.

Will I have to go to court?

The vast majority of claims that are settled by the solicitor panel are settled out of court.

Only a very small percentage (approx. 2%) of personal injury claims go to court - typically only very complex cases, or those where liability cannot be resolved.

Read more:

Will my injury claim go to court and what if it does?

Can I get an early (interim) compensation payment?

If you suffer financial hardship as a result of an injury, you may be able to claim an interim compensation payment.

An interim payment is a partial settlement of your claim which is paid out to you before your claim is concluded. The amount you receive in interim payments would then be deducted from your final compensation settlement or award.

Read more:

Can I get interim compensation payments?

Author:
Jenny Jones, Senior litigator

About the author

With over 20 years' experience in the law, Jenny Jones has spent the last decade specialising in personal injury, with a particular focus on industrial disease cases.