If you have been injured through no fault of your own, you may be eligible to receive financial compensation through a personal injury claim. Any injury or illness can cause financial loss for yourself and your family, especially if the injuries or illnesses are severe. Financial compensation reimburses you for lost wages, medical bills, travel expenses, and pain and suffering.
What is a personal injury?
A personal injury, in legal terms, is when an injury is caused to someone’s person, either physically or mentally, as opposed to their property.
A personal injury can occur because of
- road accidents,
- accidents in the workplace,
- exposure to harmful substances
- medical negligence
- assaults
- slips and trips in public places
- faulty goods and dangerous equipment
What are the steps involved in making a personal injury claim in Northern Ireland?
Seek medical attention
Always seek medical treatment in the first instance for a personal injury claim. A medical report will be required to provide detailed information about your treatments, diagnoses, and prognosis to support your claim and provide evidence in relation to injuries sustained.
Have your facts ready
You can help your compensation claim move more quickly by having all the relevant information prepared as you may need this if the case goes to court. This includes everything from dates and specific details about your accident, how the accident happened, where it occurred, witnesses, what injuries you have sustained as a result of the accident, what kind of treatment you are receiving and any doctor’s notes you have since the accident.
Regardless of how or where the accident or illness occurred, you need to document details about the situation.
You should contact:
- the police to file a report and contact your insurance company as well if the injury occurred because of a motor accident
- record the accident information in the accident book in your workplace
- the people in charge of the event if you were injured when participating in a sports activity or concert
- the business owners or the homeowners if you were injured on someone’s property
If you have photographs of the accident scene and of your injuries this will help you establish both negligence and the extent of your injuries. Document what happened, to the best of your recollection.
Consult a solicitor
The next step after seeking medical attention and reporting the accident to the proper authorities is to consult with a personal injury solicitor. H McPartland & Sons will ask some questions to find out more about the claim and advise you on the timeline of your case and what the perceived outcome would be.
Your solicitor is your best ally in proving your claim for financial compensation. Your second-best ally is your records, and we will help you organise your records to support your claim.
Response from the defendant
The defendant will either choose to accept or deny liability for your accident after receiving the letter. If they accept, your solicitor will move straight to working on your settlement to ensure you get the money owed to you as quickly as possible. However, in some cases, the defendant does not admit liability and the case may have to go to court.
Time limits
There are different time limits within which you must begin legal action in a personal injury claim. The most common claim in a personal injury case is negligence and the time limit for this is 3 years. This means that court proceedings must be issued within 3 years of you first being aware that you have suffered an injury.
Receiving your compensation
The final stage of the process is receiving your compensation, which should also cover any losses you have incurred because of the accident – medical fees, loss of earnings due to time off work or even vehicle damage if your claim was because of a road traffic accident.We know that after an accident you will naturally be upset, contact one of our experienced team at McPartland & Sons Solicitors to discuss your claim in a professional and friendly manner.
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