Accident Claim

Use Compare Compensation Claims services completely free of charge and get what you really deserve for your injuries. Compare Compensation Claims does not deduct any money from your compensation, you keep 100% of it. Any fees or charges introduced are the doings of solicitors/claim specialists. Compare Compensation Claims does not have a part in these fees and would recommend that all claimants to carry out research prior to any selection, and/or clarify any issues with Compare Compensation Claims and their chosen personal injury lawyer.

Compare Compensation Claims provides a service to find you the best ‘compensation services’ on the market. Compare Compensation Claims introduces you to the ‘right’ personal injury solicitor by fulfilling your search criteria. You don’t have to worry about being in the unknown anymore, as we at Compare Compensation Claims work round the clock to ensure you have all the relevant information at your fingertips. We do all the hard work in finding you the best deals.

In this day and age everything is moving at a fast pace. People are too busy and don’t have the time to search phone directories or explore the internet for hours on end. Compare Compensation Claims takes the time and effort to provide you with all the vital information needed in an easy, understandable and unique way.

Comparing has become the ‘norm’, as everyone is comparing to find the best deals, so why not compare the personal injury industry! We are talking about injuries that can affect your life, the pain, the stress and the inconvenience. So it’s sensible enough to get the best for yourself, right? Compare a comprehensive range of personal injury solicitors and hand-pick your own services.

“…don’t suffer in silence.”
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When you compare with Compare Compensation Claims you don’t have to search for or worry about finding the right injury lawyer for your particular type of case. We see to that. Read our dedicated pages on various accident types such as Passenger Claim, Whiplash Compensation, Car Accident Claim, Motorbike Accident Claim, Accident Help.

Action to be taken

Whatever you are intending to do about your personal injury, actions you could take include:-

inform the police if, for example, the injury resulted from a road accident
if the injury resulted from a road accident, report it to your insurance company. The insurance policy may be invalid if an accident is not reported
report the injury to your doctor because it could become more serious. You should do this even if the injury seems minor. If you subsequently go to court to get compensation for the injury, the doctor will be asked to provide a medical report
gather evidence about the accident and injuries. For example, it may be useful to take photographs of the scene of an accident and of what caused the injury. You should also, if possible, write an account of the incident while details are still fresh in your mind. If there are witnesses, you should make a note of their names and addresses.

Accidents at work

If the accident happened at work, it should be recorded in an accident book. If your workplace does not have an accident book, you should write out brief details of the accident and injuries, send them to your employer and keep a copy. Your contract may say that you have to report an injury at work to your employer. If you are self-employed, you have a legal responsibility to report some accidents resulting in injury to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) or to the local authority environmental health department. In England and Wales, there is more information about reporting accidents to the HSE on its website.

Taking legal action

If you want to take legal action to claim compensation for a personal injury you will need to get advice from a solicitor specialising in these types of cases. This must be done as soon as possible as there are strict time limits on taking legal action.

Time limits

There are different time limits within which you must begin legal action in a personal injury claim. You should therefore get legal advice urgently if you wish to claim compensation.

The most common claim in a personal injury case is negligence and the time limit for this is three years. This means that court proceedings must be issued within three years of you first being aware that you have suffered an injury.

In some cases, a court may decide to extend a time limit, depending on the circumstances of the case.

If you are considering taking legal action and have not yet been to a solicitor you will need to be aware of the time limits for taking action and should seek help from an experienced adviser, for example, a Citizens Advice Bureau adviser.

Claiming compensation for personal injury – No Win, No Fee agreements

If you have suffered an injury for which someone else was to blame, you might be thinking about claiming compensation.

You might want to claim compensation because:

of an accident at work
of a road traffic accident
of a mistake during medical negligence/treatment
you have had an accident in the street, accident in a shop, or in some other public place.

In most cases you cannot get financial help (legal aid) to claim compensation for a personal injury, and you will need to pay expensive legal fees upfront which you are unlikely to get back if you lose your case.

If you are unable to get legal aid, or do not have an insurance policy to cover your claim, one option is to enter into a ‘conditional fee’ or ‘no win, no fee’ agreement with a solicitor.

If you enter a ‘no win, no fee’ agreement, you won’t have to pay your solicitors’ fees if you lose (although you may still have to pay some expenses). If you win, you will have to pay your solicitors’ fees and these will be much higher than if you lost your case. However, you should get back most of these from the other side and still be left with most of the compensation you have been awarded.

You should think very carefully before entering a ‘no win, no fee’ agreement as, win or lose, you may still have something to pay, and this can often be much higher than you might expect.

Paying the other side’s costs

Under a ‘no win, no fee’ agreement, you will have to pay the other side’s costs if you lose your case. To cover these costs, which can be very high, it is advisable to take out an insurance policy. This is known as ‘after-the-event’ insurance. Many solicitors will ask you to take this out before they start your case.

Not everyone is able to take out after-the-event insurance. Insurance companies will be less willing to insure you if they think your chances of winning are too low. If you can’t get after-the-event insurance, you should think very carefully about whether you still want to go ahead with your claim.

the cost of this back if you lose. If you win, you may get most of it back from the other side, but you might still have to pay some of it yourself.

For example, the court may decide that the cost of the insurance policy is too high and that the other side does not have to pay the full amount. If this happens, you would have to pay the difference out of your compensation.

If you can’t afford to pay for the insurance upfront, you should discuss this with your solicitor. Your solicitor might offer to pay for it. However, if this isn’t possible, you may be able to put off payment until your case has been decided. Alternatively, you will have to take out a loan. If you put off payment or take out a loan, you may be charged interest which you will not be able to get back, even if you win your case.

Success fee

This fee is charged by your representing pi solicitor and not us. The success fee is an extra amount you pay your solicitor if you win your case. Success fees in ‘no win, no fee’ cases are often quite high, and can be as much as double the amount charged in other types of legal case. You may not get all of this back from the other side and, if you don’t get it all back, you’ll have to pay the rest out of your compensation.

Before you enter into a ‘no win, no fee’ agreement, check with your solicitor how much of your compensation you will have to pay towards the success fee, and how much will be paid by the other side. If the amount seems too high when compared with the amount of compensation you are likely to get, you might want to think carefully about whether to go ahead with your claim. Alternatively, you might want to think about choosing another solicitor who charges a lower fee.

Hidden costs

There are no costs to you, as a claimant, for using Compare Compensation Claims, no deductions what so ever. Before you enter into a ‘no win, no fee’ agreement, check the terms very carefully for hidden costs. Depending on the circumstances, and the agreement you have with your solicitor, you might have costs to pay if:

your solicitor advises you to drop your case
you refuse to settle out of court when your solicitor advises you to
you agree to settle out of court against the advice of your solicitor
you refuse to co-operate with your solicitor in some other way
the other side is ordered to pay costs but can’t afford to.

You might also have costs to pay if your solicitor advises you to drop your case, but you carry on with a different solicitor. If you then went on to win your case, you might still have to pay a success fee to your original solicitor. This would be on top of any costs you have to pay to the new solicitor.

Claims management companies

All claims managers must be authorised by the government to carry out business. They must stick to a strict set of rules which cover how they advertise, take on business, deal with and represent clients. If you aren’t happy with the service you get from a claims manager, you can make a complaint. They must have an internal complaints procedure which they must tell you about.

Before you use a claims manager, you should check that they are authorised. You can report a claims manager who isn’t authorised to the Claims Management Regulation Monitoring and Compliance Unit by phone on: 0845 450 6858, or by email at: info@claimsregulation.gov.uk. To find out more about the rules covering claims managers and to check whether a claims manager is authorised go to their website.

Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL)

The Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL) is a not-for-profit association of solicitors, barristers and academics who specialise in personal injuries work. Many lawyers belonging to APIL are part of an accreditation scheme. The accreditation scheme guarantees members are competent in a particular field of personal injury. Accredited lawyers from Senior Litigator level upwards have at least five years’ experience of dealing with personal injury claims. All APIL members promise to follow a code of conduct and a consumer charter. They may be useful in helping you find a solicitor who can deal with your case. You can find out more about APIL at:

11 Castle Quay
Nottingham
NG7 1FW
Helpline: 0870 609 1958
Tel: 0115 958 0585
Fax: 0115 958 0885

Motor Accident Solicitors Society (MASS)

The Motor Accident Solicitors Society (MASS) is an association of solicitors experienced in dealing with personal injuries resulting from motor accidents. Participating solicitors provide a free initial consultation. MASS can be contacted at:-

St Bartholowmews Court
18 Christmas Street
Bristol BS1 5BT
Tel: 0117 925 9604
Email: office@mass.org.uk

Health and Safety Executive (HSE)

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom. It is the body responsible for the encouragement, regulation and enforcement of workplace health, safety and welfare, and for research into occupational risks in England and Wales and Scotland. Responsibility in Northern Ireland lies with the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland. The HSE was created by the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, and has since absorbed earlier regulatory bodies such as the Factory Inspectorate and the Railway Inspectorate though the Railway Inspectorate was transferred to the Office of Rail Regulation in April 2006. The HSE is sponsored by the Department for Work and Pensions. As part of its work HSE investigates industrial accidents, small and large, including major incidents such as the explosion and fire at Buncefield in 2005. Though it formerly reported to the Health and Safety Commission, on 1 April 2008, the two bodies merged.

The Executive’s duties are to:

Assist and encourage persons concerned with matters relevant to the operation of the objectives of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.
Make arrangements for and encourage research and publication, training and information in connection with its work.
Make arrangements for securing government departments, employers, employees, their respective representative organisations, and other persons are provided with an information and advisory service and are kept informed of, and adequately advised on such matters.
Propose regulations.

If you wish to report diseases, dangerous occurrences or work-related accidents resulting in work-related injury other than that mentioned above, you should contact the Incident Contact Centre (ICC)

You can contact HSE at:-

Caerphilly Business Park
Caerphilly
CF83 3GG
Tel: 0845 345 0055
Fax: 0845 408 9566
Email:hse.infoline@natbrit.com

Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA)

If you have been injured as a result of a criminal act you may be able to claim compensation through the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority. You may have been the direct victim of, for example, an assault or your injury may have been sustained when you were attempting to help the police after a crime had been committed. A close relative of a person who died because of injuries can also make a claim.

You must report the incident to the police at the earliest opportunity and an application must normally be made within two years of the incident. However, in exceptional circumstances, the authority may be willing to extend this limit. An example would be if you are making a claim for abuse you suffered as a child.

A request for compensation must be made on an application form, which can be obtained from:-

Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority
Tay House
300 Bath Street
Glasgow
G2 4LN
Tel: 0141 331 2726/0800 358 3601
Fax: 0141 331 2287

The Criminal Injuries Compensation Agency in Northern Ireland
Royston House
34 Upper Queen Street
Belfast
BT1 6FD
Tel: 028 9024 9944
Fax: 028 9024 6956

Complaints about solicitors

Compare Compensation Claims is seperate from any company listed on our website, and therefore would advise any customers who have used our services and are dissatisfied with any of the personal injury solicitors listed, to make an official complaint. You may be dissatisfied with your solicitor for a number of reasons, for example, you may have problems with Legal Aid services and/or you may be dissatisfied with the outcome of the case. You cannot complain about these things to your solicitor. However, if you are dissatisfied with the way the case was handled by the solicitor, for example, delays, or losing documents or money, you can complain.

You should first try to resolve the complaint by discussing it with the solicitor. All solicitors’ firms must have a written complaints procedure and the firm will tell you who to contact if you have a problem with the solicitor handling the case. The solicitor must give you a copy of the complaints procedure if you ask for it.

If this does not resolve the matter, in England and Wales you should contact the Legal Services Commission (LSC). The LSC has a telephone help-line which can advise you about whether there are grounds for a complaint and, if so, how to proceed. You will need to contact the LSC within six months of the end of the work done by the solicitors, or within 6 months of finding out that there was a problem.

If you wish to proceed with the complaint, you should fill in a special form available from the LSC. The address is:-

The Legal Services Commission
102 Petty France
London
SW1H 9AJ.
Tel: 0207 783 7000

The LSC can provide information in languages other than English. If you let them know your preferred language, they can arrange to talk to you on the phone with an interpreter or they can translate their letters and leaflets into your preferred language.

The LSC will consider the complaint and, if appropriate, may require the solicitor to:

refund money which has been paid
order the solicitor to correct any mistakes or take any other necessary action at their own expense
pay compensation to you up to £15,000.

If the solicitor has broken any rules of professional conduct, the LSC may refer your complaint to the Solicitors Regulation Authority. If your solicitor has been negligent, you may be able to take legal action against the solicitor as well as complaining to the LSC. You will need to get legal advice. You may be able to get legal aid for this.

Solicitors Regulation Authority
The Law Society’s Hall
113 Chancery Lane
London WC2A 1PL.
Tel: 020 7242 1222
Fax: 020 7831 0344

If you are not satisfied with the way that the LSC has handled your complaint, you may also be able to complain to the Legal Services Ombudsman.

In Northern Ireland, the Law Society of Northern Ireland investigates complaints against solicitors. You should give your solicitor the opportunity to deal with your complaint first. To contact the Law Society, write to the Chief Executive at:-

Law Society House
96 Victoria Street
Belfast
BT1 3GN
Tel: 028 9023 1614

If the Law Society of Northern Ireland upholds your complaint it may order the solicitor to:-

reduce the bill
correct any mistakes at their own expense
take any other necessary action, such as referring the matter to the Solicitor’s Disciplinary Tribunal.

The Law Society cannot order the solicitor to pay you compensation. If you are not satisfied with the outcome of your complaint to the Law Society, you can write to the Lay Observer at:-

The Lay Observer for Northern Ireland
Londonderry House
21 Chichester Street
Belfast
BT1 4JJ
Tel: 028 9024 5028
Email and contact.

Further help

Citizens Advice Bureau

Citizens Advice Bureau give free, confidential, impartial and independent advice to help you solve problems.

The information on these pages and sub-pages are intended as a guide only. Whilst we endeavor to keep such information as up to date as possible, we make no claim as to its total accuracy or completeness. Please refer to our disclaimer.