Each and every year, thousands of people in the UK have an injury at work, at home, outdoors, or on the road.

The road to recovery after an injury can be a challenging time as you deal with the emotional, financial, and physical consequences of an accident however, if you’ve been involved in an accident that wasn’t your fault, you could be entitled to personal injury compensation.

Despite popular belief, making a personal injury claim is not as daunting, complex, or costly as you might think, providing you entrust an experienced accident injury solicitor to handle the claim on your behalf.

For many people, talking about making a claim for compensation for any type of personal injury is a conversation that they avoid but the process is more straightforward than you might think.

What is a personal injury compensation claim?

If you’ve suffered a non-fault injury, you could be eligible to make a personal injury claim against the company or person responsible for your injuries.

An injury can encompass many types of injuries, and is not limited to simply a physical injury that you can see, for example, broken skin or broken bones. They can include ‘soft tissue injury’, for example, whiplash suffered in a road traffic accident that is not apparent on the day but the effects are felt within the next day or two and can become severe for weeks and months before it begins to subside. Physical injuries can also include bruising, which in some cases can last for days and weeks for which you may be compensated.

An injury can also include psychological injuries, for example, you may suffer from flashbacks following an accident, or experience nervousness and anxiety around traffic or in certain situations, ie, if you have been involved in an accident as a cyclist. It is important to make a note of how your injuries have affected your everyday life so you may be compensated for the same.

How do I make a personal injury claim?

Firstly, you will need to choose a specialist personal injury solicitor to act on your behalf and deal with your compensation claim. The solicitor will be with you at every stage of the process, helping to determine your options, whilst providing much needed support and advice at this difficult time.

From the first phone call to the settlement agreement, the personal injury solicitor acting on your behalf will ensure that you are kept well informed at every stage of the process.

As at Aston Knight Solicitors, many personal injury solicitors even offer an initial free consultation in order to determine whether or not you qualify to make a claim and begin the process. There are a whole host of personal injury solicitors in Manchester, however, here at Aston Knight Solicitors our professional, experienced, and friendly team is always on hand to answer any of your questions when it comes to getting you to the personal injury compensation that you deserve.

What does the process involve?

Once you have chosen a solicitor, they will begin the process by sending an initial claim letter to the company or person you are making the personal injury claim against. This letter will outline the details of your claim, including the nature of the injury and how it happened. In the majority of cases the defendant must respond within three weeks with their views on liability.

If they accept responsibility, your solicitor will send full details of your claim and supporting evidence; including medical report(s) in support of your injury claim and further documentary evidence in respect of your other losses, for example, policy excess, loss of earnings or damage to your property in the form of estimates, receipts or reports. The defendant will then be asked to make offers to settle the matter outside of court, that is to say without issuing court proceedings.

If they need to carry out further enquiries, the third party have a further three months in which to return to you with their definite position. Thereafter, if the defendant still does not accept responsibility, your solicitor will proceed with your claim as if the defendant has denied liability.

Alternatively, if they specifically deny liability, your solicitor will again send full details of your claim and supporting evidence and suggest a settlement figure. If the same is not agreed your solicitor will recommend you begin court proceedings.

At Aston Knight Solicitors, we have an excellent reputation with third party insurance companies and solicitors for making fair and reasonable offers to settle matters, knowing the Courts will take the same view if the matter proceeded to Court.

Once legal proceedings have commenced, the Court will provide a timetable to which both parties adhere to and the matter can settle at any time by either party or will be determined by the Court at a hearing. The whole process will take a maximum of nine months, with only complex matters extending beyond this time frame.

For a free consultation with an experienced solicitor, contact Aston Knight Solicitors, Bury, Manchester on 0161 399 1231.

The Aston Knight Solicitors No Win No Fee Promise.

Aston Knight Solicitors deal with all medical negligence and dental negligence claims on a No Win No Fee basis so there is no financial risk to you in making a claim*. This gives you the peace of mind and security to claim clinical negligence compensation without the financial worry.

Our experienced solicitors offer a free confidential initial consultation. All our cases are dealt with by an experienced solicitor – never a junior employee – why settle for less?

Aston Knight Solicitors have an excellent reputation as one of the leading specialist legal firms in the North West – why not take a look through our successes and testimonials to see for yourself.

(*there is no financial risk to you if you meet your responsibilities which include: give instructions that allow us to do our work properly; not ask us to work in an improper or unreasonable way; not deliberately mislead us; not withhold information; co-operate with us; return to us promptly with instructions when requested; go to any medical or expert examination or court hearing)