Compensation Claims: Friend Or Foe?

However Martin Bare of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL) states that the number of claims in the UK is actually falling and that personal injury claims are important of civilized society. It is important to make sure that individuals live in a safe environment and any harm caused by negligence on the part of another should be brought to justice.

Personal injury claims can cover a wide variety of situations, from hospital malpractice to falling over a cracked paving stone on the street. Being involved in a car accident, suffering from work related stress and having a slip, trip or falls can all form the basis of a compensation claim. The main crux has to be that someone, somewhere has been negligence and this has lead to personal injury. But the British law is complex and it would be very difficult to pursue a claim without the help of a qualified lawyer.


However a lawyer must be paid for and there is no legal aid available for personal injury claims. This goes someway to explaining the plethora of ‘No win, no fee' advertisements, but be warned these deals may not be as good as they sound. While it seems that a ‘No win, no fee' offer will keep you financially safe if you lose, you will be liable for the fees of the defendants solicitors, which will typically start at £5,000. This is a significant cost to bear on top of the emotional heart ache of losing a case where you believe the other side were at fault.

In addition the sums of money award for these types of compensation claims are often not as high as people imagine. Melanie MacDonald author of the Which? Essential Guide to Making a Claim says that often claimants are disappointed at the amount of money they are awarded, and had previously been overestimating the amount they would receive. As a rough guide, a typical ‘general damages' claim for recoverable injuries will net around £10,000. If you are making a claim for ‘special damages' you can expect more, but this would be to cover things such as loss of salary or future care.

A compensation claim can take months to reach conclusion and often will be settled out of court. However if you have been involved in a serious accident, it may be worth the wait. With the British welfare system inadequately funded, if you or a loved one do need treatment or longer term care the money you will receive will go some way to supporting you through this difficult time. If or the other hand your injuries are minor and superficial, you may find the whole process more stress than it's worth and it could end up costing you money!