You may be asking yourself the question, ‘how do I make an injury compensation claim’, as this may well be the first time you have had to make a claim for compensation.
PICA will take care of every aspect of your injury claim, from start to finish, and we make sure you get 100% of the compensation you deserve. PICA are a leading UK claims management company regulated by the Ministry of Justice and are members of the Claims Standards Council.
Whatever type of injury you have sustained if you feel that it was someone else’s fault then call our claims advisers now, request a call back, or complete our simple claim form and we will contact you.
Whether you have slipped or tripped in a shop or street, have whiplash from a motor accident, or have been injured from a faulty product PICA will help you make a claim.
Things to consider when making a claim
In order to pursue a personal injury compensation claim what must first be established is whether or not the accident in which you sustained an injury was someone else’s fault. It is not uncommon for companies such as us to receive a high number of calls from claimants who have injured themselves as a result of their own actions.
This unfortunately cannot be the case for a successful claim as the compensation needs to be paid by the “defendant” such as an employer, government organisation, educational facility, shop etc.
It is a common misconception that the compensation awarded comes from a large fund created for the purpose of awarding compensation from some government organisation. The majority of the compensation we see awarded is in fact from the Public Liability Insurance policies held by those responsible for the accidents that occurred.
In order to be successful in making a claim for compensation we will need the name of either the individual or group who is responsible for injuries you have suffered.
Assuming that the accident was not your fault, there will need to be proof that not only did the accident take place, but also it was of no fault of your own. Acquiring proof is typically easier than imagined.
For example pictures of the incident location can be of great help to our injury solicitors as they allow for a better understanding of the accident and how you were injured. Furthermore accident reports are of great importance as they are documents created for the purpose of recording an accident whether it is in a shop, hospital, work place, school and so on.
If you have an accident in a shop or an accident at work then please make sure that the relevant personnel are aware of the situation. Once you leave the premises it is all too easy for some shops to deny that the accident took place on their premises.
Accidents which are the result of a pothole in the road must have photographic evidence to support the claim. The pictures taken should also include a means by which to measure the depth of the pothole to allow for perspective.
Rarely do we accept cases where the pothole is less than 1 inch in depth. Remember also to take the pictures as soon as possible as highway maintenance is an ongoing process so you may find that you are too late to take a photograph.
To further support your claim for compensation the details of witnesses who were present at the time of the accident may be required. We understand this may not always be possible however where witnesses were present we advise that details are gathered to help ensure the success of your claim. A name and telephone number is all that we need.
In a majority of cases there is no need to seek further professional diagnosis as often the injuries you have sustained will speak for themselves, such as a fractured bone, ligament damage, bruising, and lacerations and so on. However for claims involving Industrial Deafness and Disease we will need to have the condition confirmed by a medical practitioner because an assumption cannot be used as fact.
We advise that if all of the relevant information has been gathered that you make a claim as soon as possible. We understand though that this may not always be the case due to whatever reason and so a limit of three years is provided.
The three year rule starts from the point of knowing about the injury. For instance if you are looking to claim for industrial deafness and you have been aware of the loss of hearing for two years but haven’t yet had it diagnosed then this could potentially be accepted as a case. On the other hand if you have been aware of the deafness for five years but only recently had it diagnosed then we would be unable to pursue a claim for industrial deafness on you behalf.
In terms of time limitations for children it is accepted that a minor is usually unable to make a claim for themselves and so they have three years starting from their 18th birthday to make a claim. A parent or guardian is able to claim on behalf of the minor within three years of the accident occurring.
Our role is to supply you with a specialist injury solicitor. By having the aforementioned information ready we hope to ensure the success of your claim.
You may still be unsure whether or not you have a claim, or may even feel worried or embarrassed to ask about making a claim. Rest assured our friendly and confidential advisers will be happy to discuss any concerns and questions you have no matter how big or small so please feel free to either call or email us and we will be happy to discuss the process of making an injury compensation claim with you.