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Due to the segmentation that exists in the UK’s personal injury market, it can be hard to gauge the precise value of the sector with any great accuracy.
To provide some context, however, there are more than 1,500 whiplash claims made every single day in the UK, costing the insurance industry in excess of £2 billion per annum!
But what exactly is a compensation claim, how can you make one and are there any time limits to consider? Let’s find out!
What is a Compensation Claim?
In the personal injury market, the word ‘compensation’ is used to describe the money awarded to individuals who have been injured in an accident that wasn’t their fault.
In broader legal terms, it’s a financial settlement that covers the cost and impact your head injury has had on your life, including long-term physical injury, your mental well-being and any short-term or future loss of earnings.
Because of this, the amount of compensation awarded can vary from one case to another, depending on a number of variable factors.
For example, whether or not a claim is settled in or out of court can be incredibly impactful, as can the scale of the accident and the extent of the negligence involved.
Do You Need Money to Make a Compensation Claim?
Of course, your claim will have to meet certain criteria if it’s to retain a chance of success, but the good news is that you won’t need to have money or spend heavily on legal representation.
The reason for this is simple; most compensation claims in the UK are processed under the terms of no win, no fee representation. This means that you won’t have to pay for representation unless your case is successful, in which case you can expect to pay out some 25% of your compensation sum.
So, you can immediately start to compare the market for this type of solicitor and conduct a free consultation to establish the details of your claim, while determining whether this is viable and can be pursued.
This is an important stage of the process, and compensation can only be awarded if you’ve suffered a costly injury as a direct result of the incident and the accident in question is at least partially the fault of someone else.
Is There a Time Limit for My Claim?
Another interesting item of criteria is that you’ll have to file your claim within three years of the accident (or the date that you became aware of a subsequent injury or related illness).
There are some exceptions to this rule. For example, you may have longer if you were injured as a child, in which case you’ll have until the age of 18 to file your claim. Similarly, adults with learning difficulties or similar issues may be afforded longer, especially if their claim is being processed by somebody else.
In addition to establishing whether you have a viable case, a solicitor will also help you to gather evidence (such as accident reports and medical records) and file your claim within the necessary timeframe.
Similarly, they’ll handle any compensation packages and out-of-court settlements, which are how most personal injury claims are ultimately brought to a close.
