How to make a claim for an accident causing personal injury

An accident claim is made by an individual who believes that they have been injured due to the negligence of another person or business. An accident claim for personal injury is by no means a simple process; there are many different areas that need consideration and even more areas to consider when obtaining evidence for your claim. For the claim to be successful the very basics that need to be demonstrated are, that the accident caused you harm leaving you worse off than you were before the accident, that the accident could have and should have been prevented by the party you are claiming against. It is imperative in an accident claim to identify who the party at fault was. This needs to be indentified so that a claim can be made against them.

The overriding purpose of an accident claim is to cover the costs of any treatment incurred by the claimant as a result of the accident. This covers a variety of factors including current loss and future losses that may be incurred. This will all be dependent on the severity of the accident and the injuries sustained. I will now look in detail at what claims for different injuries and losses can be made with a specific example and average amounts of compensation received by past claimants.

An individual involved in an accident claim is entitled to be compensated for all current and potential future losses that are suffered as a result of the injuries from the accident. The following are a list of areas that can commonly be claimed for.

Special damages (These are easily assessed as they are quantifiable):

• Any damage to clothing or property. For example, a car accident claim would cover the costs of the damages to the claimant's car.
• Loss of earnings will be covered. If the injury is severe and the claimant is unable to work for a set period of time the claim should cover the amount of earnings that the individual is expected to lose.
• Any costs involved with medical practices. Any hospital bills, medication, travel expenses all costs involved with the treatment process can be claimed for.

It is essential to keep copies of all receipts showing evidence of the financial loss suffered throughout the process, so that claiming for such expenses can be successful.

General Damages (These are harder to assess as there is no easy way of identifying the true loss sustained):

• Monetary value needs to placed on the pain and suffering in general that the claimant has gone through.
• Monetary value also needs to be placed on how it will affect your general lifestyle in the future.

Although it is never possible to put an exact price on how much a claimant could claim, as there are some many variables that differ between cases, it is possible to give a rough average of how much an individual could receive for certain injuries. The following example will go through the different amounts of compensation on average an individual could potentially receive for varying levels of injury to the hand and arms. The list will read from the most minor to the most severe injuries.

• Wrist injuries: £2,250 - £38,000
• Moderate or minor arm injury: Up to £8,000
• Permanently disabled arm: £20,000 - £31,000
• Sever arm injury rendering it useless: £61,000 - £83,000
• Loss of both arms: £155,000 - £192,000

Accident claims are now a very frequent occurrence in the legal society. Individuals are well within their right to claim for injuries that happen to them due to accidents that occur because of a party's negligence. To ensure that the claimant receive the total monetary value that they are entitled to they should always take the process through an expert solicitor in the area of personal injury. This will ensure no gaps are missed, relevant evidence is supplied and the process is altogether more effective and successful.

I am a legal writer who specialises in accident claims, if you would like more information about personal injury and would like to find a solicitor, I suggest you have a look at lawontheweb.co.uk.