How To File A Personal Injury Claim

If you have been involved in an accident recently which you believe is not your own fault then you may have the right to file a personal injury claim. A personal injury claim is where you believe that you have been injured through another person’s negligence, you may find yourself out of work for weeks or even months due to the injury you have experienced, this will leave you with a lack of cash. Because of this, you then have the right to file a claim against this person. If you win your claim against this person, you will then win compensation for the injury caused.

Check you’re able to claim

Check You Can Claim
The first thing which you should do is check that you are able to file a claim against the person who you believe is at fault. If you have already accepted some kind of compensation from the person (such as them paying for your medical expenses or a cash settlement after the accident) then it is likely that you won’t be able to file a claim against them again. Once you have received some sort of settlement from the person, it makes it difficult for you to bring it up against them again.

Once you know that you can make a claim against the person you will need to get all your paperwork and evidence prepared.

Gathering paperwork and evidence

Paperwork & Evidence
You will need to get all your paperwork and evidence in order before you make the claim. Try and gather as much evidence as possible as this will make the process quicker, you should try and obtain a hospital or police report if there is one, photographs of your injury and photographs of the scene of the accident. If you have had a loss of income then you should also get this paperwork prepared so you can prove this.

Make the Claim
If you have all your paperwork in order, it is best to make the claim as quickly as possible. Depending on what type of injury it is and the people involved, it may be essential that you make your claim in less than a year of the accident happening, so to prevent any complications you should make it as soon as possible. You should contact a well-known solicitor such as business solicitors, they will present your case for you.

Making the claim and reaching a settlement

Settlement
Your solicitor will fight for your compensation, once they have received some kind of offer, they will contact you to see if you are happy with the offer. You will then need to decide if you believe the offer is enough, if it is you should contact your solicitor and tell them to go ahead and accept the settlement.

Summary

This article explains the steps involved in filing a personal injury claim, from confirming you are legally able to claim, to gathering paperwork and evidence such as medical or police reports, to making the claim promptly and working with a solicitor to negotiate and accept a settlement offer.

Questions this article raises

• How long do you typically have to file a personal injury claim?
• What happens if the other party disputes the claim?
• How are solicitor’s fees usually structured for these claims?