Confused By The Accident Claim Process?
Obtaining an injury in an accident which was caused by another party’s negligence is frustrating, upsetting and can have wide-reaching consequences. Aside from the physical pain there can be long lasting trauma, hospital visits and inability to attend work. These are some of the reasons for which people choose to make an accident claim after their injury. Unfortunately, many people find the process of making such a claim confusing and aren’t entirely sure of what to do.
The first thing to do before making an accident claim is obviously to have your injuries treated. This is obviously helpful for your physical and mental recovery but also helps your accident claim by providing a record of injuries sustained.
Should your injury happen at work then you must inform the company’s health and safety representative of what happened: it will then be recorded in the accident book. You should also report the injury to your trade union, if appropriate, as they may be able to support you in your accident claim and recovery.
Many people find themselves incurring additional expenses in the period after an accident such as for taxis to hospital or doctor’s appointments and early physiotherapy treatment: keep receipts because in the event of an accident claim you may be able to reclaim them.
It is important to contact an accident claim solicitor as early as you can once you’ve made the decision to claim because in some cases the evidence you require could disappear. For example, in cases of injury sustained tripping on defective pavements, your evidence is lost as soon as the problem is repaired.
You may be attracted to claims management companies which advertise on prime time TV offering accident claim services on a no win no fee basis. Do think carefully before using such a company because they are not actually lawyers, rather they collect details of claims and sell them on to the highest bidder amongst many law firms. All of that means that your element of choice in who handles your claim is removed. You could be given a solicitor with little experience. If you are worried about legal fees it is worth remembering that there are many law firms who you could go to directly who will offer no win no fee services. Additionally, trade unions often help with legal fees in the event of workplace accident claims.