Personal Injury Solicitors
Swanage

We know how an injury can affect your life

If your life or work has been affected by your injury, we can 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 people in Swanage, Dorset and across the UK. We can help you claim your compensation too.

What happened?

The claims process is different, depending on how and where you were injured. Personal injury solicitors tend to specialise in specific types of claim.

Please select how you were injured:

Work
accidents

Road
accidents

Public
places

Medical
negligence

Other
accidents

Am I entitled to make a claim?

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

• 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. There are a number of other factors that can affect whether a successful compensation claim will be possible, such as the accident circumstances or whether there was a criminal incident.

We can give you a clearer answer over the phone. Speak to a personal injury solicitor now on 0800 376 1001. Alternatively, find out if you have a claim with our Instant Claim Checker.

How long does a child have to start a claim?

As an injured child's parent or guardian, you can act as a 'litigation friend' and instruct a solicitor to start a compensation claim on behalf of your child.

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:

Serious injury claims

A serious or catastrophic injury is defined as an injury that results in a life-changing disability. Serious injuries typically include brain injuries or amputations.

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 injury compensation

Will I have to visit my solicitor's office in person?

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

You can talk to a legally-trained advisor about your accident or injury, before you choose 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 Swanage and cross the UK.

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

FAQs

Have you helped many injury claimants in Swanage?

We assist 100's of injured claimants in Swanage and Dorset every year.

Your solicitor will fight hard to win your case and recover the best possible compensation sum, regardless of whether you were injured whilst doing your job, in a car collision or in a public park.

Do you work on a 100% No Win, No Fee basis?

Our no win, no fee service means that 100% of your legal fees are covered if your case is not successful. You will not need to pay anything upfront to start a claim.

Swanage injury solicitor reviews

All solicitors are regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). Despite the strict professional standards that lawyers must meet, the quality of service they deliver can vary.

Online reviews and recommendations from friends and family can help you to decide which injury lawyer is the right fit for you.

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.