Personal Injury Compensation Claim

Personal Injury Basics: Step-by-Step Guidance for Making a Compensation Claim

If you have suffered injuries in an accident, you may have some basic questions before contacting a solicitor to make your personal injury claim. Alternatively, you may already have started your claim with another solicitor, but struggle to understand key concepts of your case or have some unresolved concerns about how your claim is being handled.

In this article, we draw on over 25 years’ experience as specialist personal injury lawyers to answer the questions you are most likely to have. Examples include: what to do immediately after an accident; how to receive free initial legal help from a qualified solicitor; whether to make a claim yourself or use a professional; spam companies to avoid; how to find the right solicitor for your circumstances; the importance of attending at hospital / GP and how to estimate the compensation you may be entitled to.

We explain the stages of a claim both before and after court proceedings, with all legal terminology explained in plain English.

Table of Contents

How do you use this personal injury claim basics guide?

Using our personal injury claim basics guide is simple. Articles are both summarised and listed under headings, which describe the types of issue each article will answer.

Follow the headings in order or click the article of interest

If you have been involved in an accident, have contracted an industrial disease or suffered from clinical negligence – we suggest you look at the headings and click on the article listed beneath, which is of most interest.

Alternatively, follow the headings in order (we think you will find all of our articles helpful and revealing) .

Use Our Free Personal Injury Solicitor Help

We appreciate that we provide a lot of information which can be a little overwhelming. You can however contact us for help – either by phone or online at any time using our free legal help options..

Considerations immediately following an accident

As soon as your injured in an accident there are some important considerations you should address that will help with making a claim at a later stage. Some examples include:

Attending At Hospital / GP Following An Accident

Discover the importance of attending at hospital (or your GP) soon after your accident to ensure your are treated and proper records are made on your medical notes which can be referred to by your solicitor at a later time.

Records And Checks Before Claiming Compensation

Whether you have commenced a claim or still deciding whether to claim – there are a number of records that only you can keep and some checks you should make, which will give you the best opportunity of succeeding in a claim for compensation.

Time Limits To Claim For Personal Injury

How long you have to claim for personal injury is determined by statute generally giving three years to have your claim issued in court before it is too late to claim. Find out how this rule applies together with notable exceptions to the general rule.

Attend Hospital GP Doctor Accident Claim Personal Injury
Hospital Attendance With Doctor Following Accident

What is the process to claim compensation for personal injury?

Knowing how and where where you can make a personal injury claim is essential.

How To Claim

Discover the best way to claim compensation for an accident in the UK and how to claim compensation from the UK if you have been injured abroad.

Which Country To Claim In

The United Kingdom is made up of different countries, which have a slightly different legal system. Discover how to know which country you should make your claim from when you have an accident in the UK.

There are a number of ways to get legal help from a specialist solicitor. Some personal injury solicitors can provide free initial help or alternatively you may have a legal cover policy that you are unaware could apply to your situation. Such policies could fund your whole claim not just initial legal help.

When To Use An Accident Claim Solicitor

This page discusses when you should consider making a compensation claim without the help of a solicitor, the benefit of speaking to a specialist lawyer before you decide whether to make your own claim and how to have the help of a specialist compensation claims solicitor without incurring expense.

Checking Expertise Of A Personal Injury Solicitor

Find out why it is generally the most cost effective approach to use a personal injury solicitor to make your compensation claim, how to know which lawyer has the correct expertise to make your claim and how to ensure you can claim your legal costs in addition to your compensation from the person you hold legally at fault for your accident.

Can you receive free legal advice on the internet? Is it advice and is it really free?

Check if you have legal protection on your household contents insurance, Should this be available – you will be able to access the insurance panel solicitor funded by your legal protection cover.

How do you choose the best personal injury solicitor to make your claim?

It can be difficult to know which solicitor is best to help you with a claim. The guides below address how you can have confidence in chooisng the correct solicitor to help you with your claim.

How To Select A UK Personal Injury Solicitor

Discover how to select a UK compensation claims solicitor for injuries following accidents at home and abroad (including road traffic accidents, work injuries, industrial disease, medical claims, etc); the importance of checking an injury lawyer’s level of expertise before signing an agreement.

What Is A Litigation Solicitor?

What is a litigation solicitor and how do you find a solicitor with a successful track record of winning personal injury claims at court.

Which court should you start your claim in?

When you commence a personal injury claim it will generally be pre-action. In other words – prior to the involvement at court. However, if your claim is not resolved (or children are involved) then court action will be necessary. Our guides below explain, which court your claim may need to be commenced in.

Compensation Claim Scotland

Find out how the law is different across the UK (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) such that If you have an accident in Scotland you should use a Scottish lawyer and the courts in Scotland to make your compensation claim.

County Court

Find out how much personal injury claim should be worth to commence a claim in the County Court and where in the country the final trial of your civil case is likely to be heard.

Small Claims Court

Find useful tips if you believe your injury claim might be minor enough to be classed as a small claim and you are contemplating starting a claim in the small claims court.

Our guides below explain about legal expertise and what you can benefit from by using our legal services.

About Kevin Bolton Solicitors

Find out all about Kevin Bolton Solicitors, and our Accident Claim Expert website. You will find details of both our legal expertise and our founder;s personal experience of personal injury claims.

Vegan Personal Injury Solicitors

We are proud to be whole food plant based diet solicitors. Find out how this affects our approach to helping accident victims – including offering free initial help and assistance.

The legal terms used by personal injury solicitors will often be confusing. Therefore, we provide tools to understand in plain English what legal terms mean. Our legal dictionary covers the basic definitions. Whereas if a legal concept requires further explanation – we provide a whole separate guide explaining more detail coupled with the different ways it might apply to your personal injury claim.

Find complicated legal words and phrases explained in plain English with a definition request facility for any terms not included within our dictionary.

Allocation Questionnaire

Find out the three tracks a civil claim for compensation following an accident in the UK can be allocated to – includes the small claims track, the fast track and the multi track.

Calderbank Offer

See how a Calderbank offer can be used by a Defendant to attempt to settle your personal injury claim whilst restricting the amount of costs you can obtain. We explain how to counter these effects.

Case Management Conference

Find out when and where a CMC takes place and the importance of having a solicitor act on your behalf at this essential court hearing.

Civil Court Cases UK

Discover the documentation necessary to start a civil accident claim in the UK courts.

Default Judgment

How the court determines the issue of fault when the person at fault does not submit a Defence to your personal injury claim.

Denial Of Liability

Discover the implications when the person you hold responsible for your accident denies fault and how an accident solicitor can force the Defendant to pay your compensation.

Disclosure List Of Documents

A disclosure list of documents describes a list by which both you and the person at fault provide details of all the relevant evidence you have to support your claim to the court and the other side.

Going To Court

Discover the process of going to court for a final trial to determine who is at fault for your accident claim and the amount of compensation you should recover.

Issue Court Proceedings

Find out how to make a court claim for compensation if the person you believe responsible for your accident or his insurance company refuses to pay your claim.

Letter Of Claim

The letter of claim is a formal document used to notify the person at fault of your claim. This article explains what a letter of claim should include to be effective in starting your claim for compensation.

Litigation Friend

If you are a child injured in an accident or suffering from a mental impairment as an adult – you will need a litigation friend to help you claim compensation. In this article we explain everything you need to know about litigation friends, including who can be your litigation friend and how one is appointed to your claim.

Part 36 Offer

A Part 36 offer is a formal offer used in an attempt to settle all or part of a personal injury claim – both a Claimant and a Defendant can make an offer. There are however risks of not accepting an offer depending on who has made the offer.

Without Prejudice Offer

Click for a full explanation of what the legal phrase “without prejudice offer” or “without admission of liability” means to your claim and when you should accept such offers.

What businesses to avoid & scams to look out for

Don’t be caught out by businesses, which have no legal expertise, including:

Accident Claims Company

Find out the pitfalls of using an accident claims company as compared with a specialist injury solicitor direct.

Telephone Number Spoofing

Find out what to do when a scam business is hiding their true number via spoofing, whilst cold calling members of the public to suggest making a fraudulent claim.

SUMMARY Of Personal Injury Basics

This page explained both the key stages and legal concepts in making a personal injury compensation claim. You not only learnt the key steps to take after an accident, but also how to start and progress a claim, how to get free legal help, how different courts and processes work. In addition – you plain‑English explanations of important legal terms.

We offer free legal options – either by telephone or online. You can select from a number of options. Our website not only provides access to comprehensive claim guides, but you can also call to speak direct with a solicitor to ask a question or have your claim assessed.

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