Personal Injury Solicitors
Exeter

Making a personal injury compensation claim

We're here to help.

Making a no win, no fee claim could help you get the compensation you need for an injury or illness that wasn't your fault.

Each year, we help injured claimants in Exeter, Devon and across the UK get the compensation they need to fund their recovery.

How did your injury happen?

Depending on how your injury happened, the compensation claims process will vary. A specialist solicitor will guide you through the stages of making a claim.

Read more:

Work
accidents

Road
accidents

Public
places

Medical
negligence

Other
accidents

Am I entitled to make a personal injury claim?

The key criteria for making a claim are that the injury must have occurred:

• within the last three years, and;
• another person was at least partly to blame, and;
• that person owed you a duty of care.

Are there any other points to consider?

Yes. In practice, there are several factors that can have a bearing on whether a successful no win, no fee claim will be possible, such as the specific details of the accident, how close to the claim limitation date you are or whether your claim meets your chosen solicitor's risk assessment criteria.

A brief phone call will tell you whether you can claim. There is no obligation to start a claim with Quittance. Alternatively, find out if you have a claim with our Online Claim Checker.

Can I claim compensation on behalf of a child?

If you are the parent or guardian of an injured child, you can start a claim on their behalf.

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.

What can I claim for after an injury? (see list)

Examples of special damages (losses you can claim for) include:

• Lost earnings (including future earnings)
• Medical treatment costs
• Physiotherapy
• Travel costs
• Costs of care
• Costs of adapting your home or car

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:

Serious injury compensation

Claims for particularly serious injuries might include serious burns, complex fractures and head trauma.

Severe scarring, eye injuries, and debilitating health conditions are also considered to be serious injuries.

Your solicitor will liaise with doctors, health professionals and insurance providers to ensure you receive the care you need. Serious injury compensation will help to reduce the impact of bills and other expenses, so you can concentrate on your recovery.

Read more:

Serious and catastrophic injury compensation

Will I need to meet my solicitor face to face?

Personal injury claims are carried out by phone, post and email, so there will be no need to travel to your solicitor's office when claiming compensation.

A friendly advisor will talk to you about what happened on a brief phone call. Your advisor can then confirm if you may have a claim, but there is no obligation to proceed.

If you decide to make a compensation claim, your solicitor will take you through the process over the phone. You will be able to speak to your solicitor at any stage and you wlll receive regular updates.

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 Exeter and cross the UK.

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

FAQs

Has Quittance helped many Exeter injury claimants?

We can help you start a claim for no win, no fee injury compensation, whether you live in Exeter, Devon, or anywhere in the UK.

Regardless of whether you were hurt on a bicycle or in a public place, your injury lawyer will recover the best possible compensation for your injuries.

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.

Exeter solicitor reviews

All injury lawyers must meet strict professional standards, but service levels vary considerably.

Personal recommendations and online reviews will help you to choose the best solicitor for your needs.

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 has spent the last decade specialising in personal injury, with a particular focus on industrial disease cases.