The first thing to do is to make sure you have gathered statements from any witnesses to your accident. Whether you were involved in a car crash, or slipped over on a wet floor at work, if someone saw what happened to you, getting them to give a witness account will be hugely beneficial to any payout you are likely to receive.
The next thing you should do is to discuss your accident with a professional personal injury specialist. Choosing a lawyer, rather than a typical claims management company is an important step here, as the latter are only interested in ‘farming’ your claim out to a third party for financial benefit. A genuine solicitor will try to help you to get your payout settled in a quick, hassle-free way on a no win no fee basis.
It’s likely that you will then need to attend a medical examination to assess the severity of your injuries. This is an important step in determining how much compensation you are likely to receive. It is vital to attend this as failure to do so will have a negative effect on your chances of receiving compensation.
When your solicitor has gathered all of the available evidence, he will present it to the person at fault, whether that be your employer, another driver, a medical expert or someone else responsible for your injury. This time is probably the longest, and it is likely that you will feel a bit impatient with the length of time you hear back from your solicitor regarding your case. However, there is a lot of negotiating that needs to happen, and in the majority of cases, they will be able to get you a direct settlement which means you can avoid a trip to the county court.
Compensation claims can take time; usually the more serious they are the longer they will take. However, putting your trust in a qualified solicitor is the first step to receiving the money you deserve.
