words Al Woods
Have you been involved in an accident where you have been injured as the result of someone else’s fault? Then you could be entitled to make a personal injury claim and claim compensation.
If you are looking to take legal action in claiming this compensation, then you must get the advice of a solicitor as soon as possible who specialises in this type of case. Below, we have gone through some important points to remember when taking legal action for a personal injury claim.
The First Action to Take
If you are intending on seeking personal injury solicitors to make a claim, there are a few things that you will first want to do to ensure you have a good case. Each of these should be individually assessed depending on what type of accident you have been in but this could include reporting it to the police or insurance company, seeing your doctor and gathering evidence such as photographs of the scene. As the folks at RobertDebry.com note, after an injury it can be difficult to get around. You may be at home recovering, at a hospital getting the treatment you need, or you may no longer have access to a vehicle after an accident. In these situations, it may be best to have a family member or friend help you with these initial steps.
Check Time Limits
When looking to receive compensation for a personal injury claim, you should always contact a reputable solicitor urgently as there are time limits placed on when you can start legal action. For the majority claiming personal injury compensation, they will be looking at a time limit of three years and this is for negligence. Court proceedings must begin within three years of the time that you sustained your injury. It is only in very exceptional circumstances that a court will extend this time limit.
The Cost of Legal Action
As you are probably already aware, claiming compensation for a personal injury can be costly. There are several ways in which you can do this including sometimes through a conditional fee agreement or an insurance policy.
With a conditional fee agreement your solicitor will only be paid if they win your case! If you lose, the solicitor will not get their fee, however, it is worth noting that you may still be expected to pay the legal fees from the other side’s expenses. If you are in this situation, a solicitor may ask you to take out insurance for this eventually. What’s great about a conditional fee is that even if you win, you will still not be the one to pay the solicitor’s fees as this will be up to the other side to pay in most cases.
How to Choose a Solicitor
Decided to go ahead and make a personal injury claim? Then now is the time to get in touch with personal injury solicitors who can represent you well and win you the case. A quick online search will bring you to a list of solicitors in your area. For those in the UK, Spencers Solicitors are one highly recommended firm who have more than 40 years’ worth of experience with personal injury work. For those in the US, Chambers and Partners have an only tool to use that can point you straight to the most recommended firms across the country.
