Claims for personal injury can arise out of accidents on the road, at work, on public or private property, or as a result of a criminal act or occurrence and can lead to the victim suffering physical or psychological injuries. 

The symptoms of those injuries in turn can often affect the victims working, social, and domestic life.

Once the third party involved in the accident or incident has admitted they were at fault for the accident or incident, the next steps will be to gather evidence to value the injury and then the claim as a whole. 

But how do you then go about making a personal injury claim and how is it valued? 

Compensation claims for personal injury are split into two parts.

1. Compensation for the actual injury/illness sustained; and

2. Compensation for any resulting financial losses

    

1. Pain & Suffering 

When making a personal injury claim for the actual injuries sustained, evidence in support of those injuries will be required from an independent expert which in personal injury claims for example could be from a general practitioner (GP), orthopaedic surgeon, psychiatrist or neurologist depending upon the injuries and symptoms. 

The reports produced will then confirm what injury you have sustained, the cause, how long it will take you to recover, whether you require any further or ongoing treatment, and whether there will be any permanent damage. 

As well as the physical or psychological symptoms from the injuries caused, the impact upon your personal and working life will also be detailed in the medical reports obtained. 

Once this medical evidence has been compiled, we will be able to assess your claim and value the injury or illness. We refer to the ‘Judicial College Guidelines’ used by all personal injury practitioners, which provide valuation brackets for most types of injury, as well as looking at similar cases referring to similar injuries to those that you have suffered to enable us to be more specific about the value of the injury itself. 

The guidelines and cases take into account the type of injury or illness you have, the duration of your symptoms, what treatment was required, and the impact it has had on your personal and working life. In this way, the injury or illness element of your claim can be valued.

2. Financial Losses

Not only can an injury have a physical and psychological impact on you, but your finances also often suffer as a result of the symptoms that you have. 

This could be due to loss of earnings because of not working, family or friends may have to care for your various needs, and travel and medication costs may also be incurred amongst many others. 

All of these losses can be recovered as part of your compensation claim. 

It is therefore important that you keep a record of receipts and maintain a record of any financial losses incurred to help you progress your claim. 

Once both parts of your claim have been put together, it can be valued before being presented to the third party for a settlement to be reached. 

If you need help or advice following an accident, incident, or illness, get in touch with Louise Plant on 01473 232121 or email lplant@prettys.co.uk