If an injury or illness has set you back, we can help you move forward

If your life or the life of a loved one has been affected by an injury or illness, we can help.

If your injuries were caused by the actions or negligence of another person or organisation, you may be entitled to claim compensation.

Whether you've been hurt in a road accident, at work, in a public place, or as a result of medical negligence, we can help you get the compensation you need to move on with your life.

What is a personal injury claim?

A personal injury claim is a legal process where an individual seeks compensation for harm suffered because of someone else's negligence or wrongful action.

Financial compensation aims, as closely as possible, to put you back in the position you were in before you were injured.

Of course, no amount of compensation can undo the pain or emotional trauma of an accident. But it can pay your medical expenses, lost earnings, and other expenses, helping to alleviate financial worry during a difficult time. It can provide recompense for the pain, suffering, and disruption you've experienced, supporting your healing and recovery.

Qualifying for a personal injury claim

Determining whether you qualify to make a claim depends on several key factors, primarily whether your injury resulted from someone else's negligence.

Your solicitor must prove that the person or organisation responsible for your injury had a legal responsibility to ensure your safety, known as 'duty of care'. This means they are legally obligated to act in a manner that prevents harm to others.

For instance, employers are required to protect the safety of their employees, drivers must consider the safety of other road users, owners of public spaces must maintain safe environments for visitors, and medical professionals must safeguard their patients' health.

So if you were injured in a work accident, in a public place, on the road, or from a medical procedure, and there was a breach of this duty of care, you may have a case.

Typically the injury must have occurred within the last three years, although there are exceptions, such as an injured child or where the symptoms were delayed.

Find out more:

Am I eligible to make a personal injury claim?

How much can I claim?

Compensation is calculated and awarded in two parts:

General damages

General damages are calculated based on the severity of your injury and its impact on your quality of life. This includes compensation for the pain and suffering experienced, as well as for the loss of amenity, which refers to any loss in your ability to do the things you could do before you were injured.

General damages are calculated with reference to the Judicial College tables, which are guidelines compiled from previous cases with similar injuries.

Special damages

Special damages are awarded to compensate you for any costs or losses you've incurred or might incur as a result of your accident. These costs might include loss of earnings (including future anticipated earnings loss), retraining costs, career trajectory impact, or any other out of pocket expenses.

Special damages may also be awarded for medical treatments or procedures that you might need to treat.

Read more:

A complete list of recoverable losses in a personal injury claim

Injury Compensation
Calculator

Get an accurate compensation estimate (including for multiple injuries), confirm your legal position, and check if you have a No Win, No Fee claim.

Updated March 2024 Compensation Calculator v3.04

What is the personal injury claims process?

The process your personal injury solicitor will follow when making a claim will depend on the circumstances in which you were injured.

Find out more about specific types of claim:

What happened?

The process for claiming compensation will vary depending on how your injury happened. Click the icons below to learn more:

FAQs

Will I need a medical?

You will usually need to attend a local medical appointment to help with the assessment of your claim.

Having a medical examination allows an expert to assess the extent of your injuries, establish the amount of pain and suffering you have sustained and the length of time it may take for you to fully recover.

The medical report will support your claim and form the basis of the evaluation for any compensation payment.

Read more:

What happens during a medical examination for an injury claim?

How long does a claim take?

The duration of a personal injury claim can vary from a few months to over a year, depending on the complexity of the case, the extent of the injuries, and whether the defendant accepts or denies liability.

Most claims don't go to court, but if they do the process may be extended.

Read more:

How long will my personal injury compensation claim take?

Can I claim for someone else?

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

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

Read more:

Can I make a personal injury claim for someone else?

How much does it cost to claim?

The most common way to fund a claim is with a no win, no agreement.

No win, no fee removes the financial risk and is the most common way for a claimant to make a personal injury claim. Under a no win, no fee agreement you will have no legal fees to pay if your claim is not successful.

There are alternatives to no win, no fee, however, and these are explored here:

How much does it cost to make a personal injury claim?

Can I get Legal Aid?

Legal aid is a form of government funding available to people who cannot afford legal representation. It has not been available since the government abolished it for personal injury claimants in 2000.

Before abolishing legal aid for personal injury claims, the government introduced Conditional Fee Agreements (CFAs).

Conditional Fee Agreements (more commonly known as no win, no fee), ensure that injured people can still make a legal compensation claim if injured in an accident that was not their fault - regardless of their income.

Read more:

Can I get legal aid for a personal injury compensation claim?

I was partly to blame - can I claim?

Yes. It's a common misconception that being partially to blame for an accident negates any right to compensation. However, the law is more nuanced when making a personal injury claim, and a claim still possible when there is fault on both sides.

Read more:

The accident was partly my fault. Can I still claim injury compensation?

It was just an accident - can I still claim?

Yes, as long as your injury was due to someone else's negligence or a breach of their duty of care. The term 'accident' implies no one intentionally caused your accident, but if it occurred because an individual or organisation failed to take reasonable care to prevent it, you may still have grounds for a claim.

What happened may seem like it was just an accident, but there may be mor nuanced circumstances. With work claims, for example, employers are more likely to be found fully liable under the principle of vicarious liability.

What if I was partly to blame?

It's a common misconception that being partially to blame for an accident negates any right to compensation. However, the law is more nuanced when making a personal injury claim, and a claim still possible when there is fault on both sides.

Find out more:

The accident was partly my fault. Can I still claim injury compensation?

What are my chances of winning a claim?

Your chances of winning your claim largely hinge on your solicitor's ability to prove that another party was liable for your injury. If the evidence is clear, the likelihood of a successful claim is very high. However, winning can also depend on the quality of legal representation, and the adherence to legal procedures and deadlines.

Read more:

How likely am I to win a personal injury compensation claim?

How often do injury claims go to court and what if they do?

Only about 2% of personal injury claims end up in court. The vast majority are settled out of court through negotiations between solicitors and insurance companies.

The injury claim process is less about courtroom battles and more about reaching an agreement. When claims do go to court, it's typically because they are complex or there's a dispute over who is liable. In those rare instances where claims do go to court, they are generally decided by a judge, not a jury.

Read more:

How often do injury claims go to court and what if they do?

No win, no fee injury compensation claims

With no win, no fee, you can claim injury compensation without financial risk. If your claim isn't successful, you pay nothing. If you win, you only pay a pre-agreed percentage of your compensation.

Find out more about how no win, no fee claims work

How we can help you with your injury claim

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.

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

If you have any questions, or would like to start a No Win No Fee injury claim, we are open:

Mon-Fri 8am-9pm, Sat 9am-6pm, Sun 9:30am-5pm

Call us for FREE advice on 0800 376 1001, or arrange a call back from a friendly, legally-trained advisor:

Call me back
Review testimonial image
Quittance testimonial quotation marks

Handled with the utmost professionalism... extremely kind, courteous and empathetic.

The Good Solicitor Guide

Howard Willis, Personal injury solicitor

Author:
Howard Willis, Personal injury solicitor