5 Top Tips for Making a Personal Injury Claim

During a personal injury claim, your solicitor will usually be the one doing the legwork to get you the compensation you’re legally entitled to. But there are some actions you can take to make sure the process goes as smoothly as possible.

Here are some of our top tips for making a compensation claim after you’ve been injured in an accident that wasn’t your fault.

1. Start your claim as soon as possible

In the UK, you’ll usually have three years to make a claim after a personal injury. Although this can sound like plenty of time to get your claim started, it can go by quicker than you realise – especially when you need ongoing treatment for your injury.

It’s always advisable to start your claim as soon as you can. When you do, you’ll be able to give a clearer explanation of what happened as the details will be fresher in your mind. The same will be true for any witnesses.

You could also find it easier to get hold of certain pieces of evidence when you start your claim as soon as you can. This could be CCTV footage, workplace accident book records, police reports and medical records.

2. Have your evidence ready

This evidence could go a long way towards strengthening your case. Your solicitor may use a number of pieces of evidence when putting your claim together, as this is what will help to ensure you have the best chance of winning your case.

It will help if you can have all your evidence ready before beginning your claim. This will make it quicker and easier to hand it over to your solicitor when you do begin. So make sure you have kept all photos, videos, official reports and records of the accident.

You can also add any evidence of financial loss caused by your accident to your claim. This can include any bills for treatment – such as physiotherapy – or any travel costs getting to and from medical appointments. A loss of earnings through being unable to work can also be added to your claim. These financial losses could be compensated if your claim is successful.

3. Be upfront about all your symptoms

During the course of a personal injury claim, it can be easy to just report the main symptoms you’re suffering from after your accident, particularly when your doctor may be pushed for time and can’t ask you about everything you’re experiencing.

But it’s important to make sure you tell your doctor and your solicitor about all the symptoms you are suffering. This is because it can look like dishonesty if you bring up a new symptom halfway through your claim that you haven’t mentioned before – even if you were dealing with it from the start.

Try to keep a diary of your symptoms right from the moment of your accident if you can. Make a note of what you’re experiencing, how severe it is and how it is affecting your life.

4. Don’t always accept the first offer

If the party you’re claiming against admits liability and offers to settle your claim, you may be tempted to accept their first offer when your solicitor presents it to you. But it’s not always the best course of action.

Your solicitor will let you know if they think the offer is too low and will encourage you to wait for a higher offer – for what you really deserve for the pain and suffering you’ve been through. Don’t be afraid. Your solicitor knows what they’re talking about and they want you to be properly compensated for the injury you should never have suffered.

It’s also important to remember that once you accept an offer of compensation, you can’t then request more. So it’s important to make sure you’re happy with the amount you’re settling for.

5. Work with your solicitor

Trusting your solicitor may be the most important element of the entire injury claim. So it’s vital to find one you can trust to get you what you deserve. This is where First4Lawyers can help – we can match you to the right No Win No Fee solicitor for your claim.

From that point, they will take over the management of your case. It then becomes important to do everything you can to work with them. This won’t require much effort from you – it’s typically a matter of sending them the information and evidence you have and sending back anything they ask you to sign promptly.

But make sure that if you have any questions about the process – no matter how silly you may think they are – you ask them. Your solicitor has the knowledge and they will be happy to share it with you to help you feel confident about what’s happening.

If you need support with a compensation claim after an accident, our understanding team of advisors is ready to help. To find out more, just give us a call, request a call back or start your claim online and we’ll be in touch.