When you make a personal injury claim, your own involvement in the claims process will be minimal, so that you can concentrate on recovering from your injuries. However, you will still have to provide some information to your accident claim company and solicitor, so that the facts surrounding your case can be properly established.
Here are the four main things that your accident claim company needs to know:
- When your accident happened: This is so that your Date of Limitation, otherwise known as your Date of Knowledge, can be established. You only have three years from this date to make a personal injury claim. That’s because under the Limitation Act 1980, limitations do apply to personal injury claims. Your Date of Limitation is the date your accident happened, or the date your injuries were first diagnosed by a medical practitioner (whichever is soonest).
- Details about how your accident happened: This is so that your eligibility for financial compensation can be properly established, and so that the facts surrounding your case are clear. To be eligible for compensation, you must have a level of diminished liability. In other words, you cannot make a claim if you were 100 per cent responsible for the accident. You can, however, make a personal injury claim if you were partly responsible.
- Details about your injuries: UK claim lawyers for UK accident claims need to know details about your injuries, so that they know what they are claiming for. You should disclose the nature of your injuries and the full extent of your injuries to your solicitor. However, as part of the personal injury claims process, you will still have to attend a medical examination, so that the true extent of your injuries can be established, along with a recovery period and prognosis.
- Details about any evidence you have: Strong personal injury claims have evidence to back them up. Evidence can include photographs of the scene of the accident and your injuries, video footage caught on a smartphone or dash-cam, CCTV footage, witness statements or witness details and emergency service reports. If you do have any evidence, it is important to remember that you have a legal duty to disclose it to your solicitor, even if that evidence might weaken your personal injury claim.
With these four things, your accident claim company should have everything they need to start processing your personal injury claim. You will also need to sign a ‘consent form’, giving your solicitor or lawyer permission to access files on your behalf, but aside from that, your solicitor will handle the entire claims process for you from start to finish.