Personal Injury Compensation Claim, Car Accident

Drivers on the road have a duty of care to the passengers in the vehicle, other road users and pedestrians. If you have suffered as a passenger, cyclist or pedestrian at the hands of a driver then you may well be entitled to compensation.

According to the office of statistics, in the UK in 2008 there were 170,591 road accidents reported to the police that involved some form of personal injury. 68% of these injured passengers in motor vehicles. If you have been involved in an accident that wasn’t your fault, then you could successfully claim compensation.

Once you make the decision to make a personal injury compensation claim, you should gather together all the information that relates to the accident itself. This will make it easier to relay it all to the solicitors who will act for you.

Information that should be collected includes:

• Witness statements from anyone who saw the accident
• Injuries suffered
• Pictures of the accident scene
• Journal of events and doctors appointments

It will not always be necessary to go to court with many personal injury claims. (see Injury Claim Answers) The vast majority are settled prior to this stage by way of a system known as a Part 36 offer; this is were the third party insurance company make a financial offer to settle the matter out of court. If a reasonable offer is made but not accepted and the court case proceeds to court, your case could be hampered so it’s usually better to accept it.      

It would be a mistake to assume that you will definitely be entitled to damages simply because you are making a personal injury compensation claim. Circumstances of the accident will need to be considered by a personal injury solicitor, who will be able to advise on how successful you are likely to be. In other cases, the damages sum may be reduced if you are found to be partially responsible; for example, failing to wear a seatbelt.