subject: Understanding what's involved in a personal injury claim [print this page] Understanding what's involved in a personal injury claim
Making a personal injury compensation claim can be very daunting, especially if you have no previous experience of dealing with solicitors and know little about how the law works in practice. Knowing what is involved can make the process a little easier and may help to reduce the stress involved.
In most cases you have three years to start a personal injury claim (there are a few exceptions), however to ensure that your case stands the best chance of success it is worth starting straight away when the event is still clear in everyone's mind and when evidence is easier to gather. Many claims can be settled quickly often within a year however for more complex cases, perhaps involving accidents abroad, the length of time could be considerably longer.
So what are some of the important stages of making a claim?
1. Gathering the evidence: one of the most important stages of the claim is to establish the facts surrounding the accident. This is likely to involve witness statements and obtaining any photographs that may be of use
2. Establishing who is at fault: One of the critical steps in the process is establishing who is at fault and determining who their insurer is. Where the injury is as a result of a car accident it is often fairly easy to establish this, however if an accident took place on someone elses property this can take more time to establish
3. Gaining an admission of liability. Once the evidence has been gathered it is necessary to prove the fault of the other party with their insurers. If an admission of fault is not forthcoming litigation proceedings are normally undertaken to move your case forward.
4. Establishing a fair level of compensation: Once liability has been determined the correct level of compensation is established, and will cover both compensation for your injury and compensation for any financial losses as a result of the accident
5. Claim settlement: Once the issue of liability and the value of compensation has been determined then the claim can be settled.
Due to the detail and diligence that is required making a claim can be a lengthy process so it is in everyone's interests that the claims process is started as early as possible. Whatever the nature of your injury, take professional legal advice as soon as possible from an expert personal injury specialist.
welcome to Insurances.net (https://www.insurances.net)
