Personal Injury Solicitors
Shetland Islands

Making a personal injury compensation claim

If an injury or illness has affected your life or ability to work, we can help.

You may be able to claim injury compensation for any pain, suffering and financial losses.

We have helped injured claimants in Shetland Islands, Shetland and across the UK get the compensation they need.

How did your injury happen?

The injury claims process varies according to how your injury happened.

Read more:

Work
accidents

Road
accidents

Public
places

Medical
negligence

Other
accidents

Can I make a claim?

You should be able to make a compensation claim if you were injured or made ill:

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

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

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 circumstances of your injury or how close to the claim limitation date you are.

A short phone consultation will tell you whether you have a valid compensation claim. There is no obligation to start a claim with Quittance. If you prefer, you can check your claim online with our 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.

Anyone who was injured either during their birth or as a child can start a claim themselves once they turn 18 years old.

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:

Compensation for serious injuries

Serious injuries, often referred to as catastrophic injuries, are those which have a life-changing impact on an injured claimant and their family. These include brain injuries, and skull or spinal fractures, but could also include scarring, injuries and illness caused by exposure to hazardous chemicals.

We understand how vital catastrophic injury compensation can be, helping you to focus on your recovery and rehabilitation. A claim will help to ease the financial burden, stress and uncertainty following a serious accident.

Read more:

Serious injury compensation claims

Will I need to travel to a solicitor's office?

There is no need to visit your solicitor's office in person if you are thinking about making a claim.

You can begin with a free phone consultation with a legally-trained advisor. Your advisor will set out your options for compensation, and there is no obligation to proceed.

Once you do start your claim, a specialist solicitor will take you through each step. Your lawyer will be with you throughout the process, from your initial questions to the day you recieve your compensation.

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 Shetland Islands and cross the UK.

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

FAQs

Has Quittance helped many claimants in Shetland Islands?

Whether you live in Shetland Islands, Shetland or elsewhere, we can help you to make no win, no fee injury claim.

Whether your injury occurred in a road traffic accident or as a result of a missed diagnosis our team will make sure your claim is handled by a specialist injury solicitor.

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.

Shetland Islands injury solicitor reviews

Although the Solicitors Regulation Authority regulates professional standards for solicitors in England and Wales, the actual quality of service varies widely.

Personal recommendations, word of mouth and online reviews will help you 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.