Accidents At Work - Type Of Claim...

If you have suffered a personal injury or injuries through no fault of your own, you are entitled to make an accident at work claim for your injuries and the pain and suffering it has caused or continues to cause.

Your injury may have left you unable to work, or perhaps it has affected your day-to-day lifestyle, or meant that you have been unable to drive or go to social events. It may even have caused you to need help with care in the home. You may be eligible to claim compensation for loss of earnings and for any financial loss you may face as a direct result of the accident. Compensation in cases like these can be quite substantial.

If the accident was caused by a fellow work colleague, due to what they did or failed to do, your employers will usually still be liable. At PHC Law our personal injury solicitors help many work accident victims every year to successfully recover compensation from their employers. Examples of the cases we have handled include:

• Repetitive strain injuries
• Scaffolding accidents
• Forklift truck accidents
• Hand and wrist injuries
• Back injuries
• Factory accidents
• Slip, trip or fall accidents
• Vibration white finger

We can help you to receive work accident compensation for your injury and guarantee to recover the maximum compensation that you are entitled to by law, including any financial loss or any additional expenses you have incurred as a result of an accident at work.

At PHC Law, we offer a no win no fee service which means you can make an accident at work claim without having to worry about having to pay for any legal costs for a personal injury solicitor to represent your case.

If you claim is successful, you will receive 100% compensation. Your solicitor will recover all of their costs from the third party’s insurers, relieving any that making an accident at work claim will have any impact on your employer or their business. Your compensation will be by your employer’s accident insurance.

There are no deductions taken from your claim and if in the unlikely event your claim is not settled, you still won’t have to pay a single penny. Win or lose the prospect of making an accident at work claim is completely risk-free.

When you make an accident at work claim your solicitor will access the compensation amount you could be entitled to for General damages.

"General damages" is the legal term which means the same as "compensation"

General damages are the compensation amounts you are entitled to claim for the pain, suffering and amenity that accident has caused you. In many cases, general damages are the largest part of the compensation.

The level of general damages applicable in your claim is based on the severity of your, how long it will take for you to recover, how the injury has affected your day-to-day lifestyle and whether you will have any long term or permanent effects.

General damages also include compensation for any lost future earnings if your injury is serious enough to prevent you working later in life. Possible future promotions and pension entitlement will also be considered.

Additional compensation may be recovered for loss of congenial employment. This is awarded on the basis that your employment was “more than just a job". This can apply to any job for which you felt that you had a vocation and due to the long term effects of your injury you can no longer carry out. It is not limited only to people such as nurses, firefighters and police officers.

“Loss of amenity” is the extent to which your life has been affected by the accident. You may be a keen golfer and are unable to play because of your injuries, or you might not have been able to participate in other hobbies even if only for a short time. This also covers any changes that you have had to make in your employment because of your injuries and any inability to fully carry out household or domestic tasks, etc that you used to perform.

Please note that you are likely to recover more quickly from your injuries if you receive ongoing medical treatment or rehabilitation and in appropriate cases.

Through our experience, the vast majority of clients who have instructed us to deal with their accident at work claim have at some point needed to have taken time of work to attend medical appointments and in more severe cases, have suffered a substantial amount of financial loss and needed to take time of work as a direct result of their injury.

As part of your accident at work claim, we will investigate into how much compensation you are entitled to claim for financial loss and will ensure you receive the maximum amount that you are entitled to.

Compensation for financial loss is to reimburse you for your financial losses and any other out of pocket expenses you have had to incur.

During your case, we will send you a questionnaire to complete with as much information as possible and will require you to return this to us with any copies of receipts, invoices, wage slips and documents to support the amounts you wish to claim for. It is important that throughout the claims process, you keep us informed of any ongoing expenses you have incurred that we can claim back for you. We will send you a “Schedule of Special Damages” setting out all the items that you wish to claim for.

Here is a brief guide as to what your solicitor will consider you are considered compensation for to include as part of your accident at work claim:

Loss of earnings

Including the wages that you have already lost and may risk losing in the future as a result of your accident. We will calculate your losses by obtaining details from your employer and will also need your national insurance number and a copy of your most recent wage slips. Calculating your anticipated future loss of earnings can be more difficult but it’s usually only necessary if your injuries are very severe. In such cases, we might need to assess the level of any pay increases, promotion prospects and any other benefits (e.g. pension).

Travelling Expenses

You can claim for any travelling expenses you have had to pay out of your own pocket for any

• Visits to your GP, hospital or other medical practitioner providing treatment
• Attending the appointment for the medical expert
• Any other journeys – you will need to state why each one was necessary.
• Any journeys made by your relatives to visit you in hospital

Medical Treatment and Expenses

These items can include

• Hospital charges for emergency treatment
• Prescription charges and non prescriptions items, e.g. painkillers
• Surgical supports, bandages, tubigrip etc
• Treatment provided by physiotherapists or any other practitioners your have received private medical treatment from
• Care provided by social services or a private agency
• Care provided by family or friends, claimed at an hourly rate (eg helping you with cooking, cleaning, ironing, personal hygiene, etc

These items can include:

• Vehicle repair or storage costs and any policy excess, following a car accident
• Items bought because of injuries
• Additional utility costs due to having spent more time at home than usual
• Additional telephone and postal costs having had to contact people in relation to your claim
• Repair or replacements costs for damaged clothing, jewellery or any other belongings

Whilst considering making an accident at work claim you can have the peace of mind in knowing that your claim will be dealt with my a qualified personal injury solicitor.

As one of the UK’s leading personal injury firms, we have an exceptional reputation for our commitment and dedication to all of our clients, recovering millions of pounds worth of compensation for accident victims throughout the UK every year.

What separates us from any other accident claims management company is that you will be dealing with a personal injury solicitor who is regulated to the most stringent of standards and will have direct access to them at all times.

The majority of our work comes from recommendation; something which we are dedicated to as a firm and that is paramount to our success.

The following steps will guide you through how and why you could be eligible to receive compensation.

Step 1: Medical treatment

No matter how minor or trivial the injuries you have sustained might be, it is important to make an appointment with your GP to make sure that your injuries are treated to prevent the symptoms of the injuries from getting worse. In more severe cases, an accident at work victim should visit their local accident and emergency unit to receive medical treatment and advice.

Step 2: Make sure that you have reported the accident

Most places of employment should have a first aider on site. Make sure that you have reported the accident to this person, your supervisor or manager. They will then record the accident details in an official record book. This ensures that all accidents are recorded for official purposes and also helps employers examine why the accident happened. It can help to prevent it happening to others in the workplace.

Having a record of the injuries you have sustained will also support your claim for accident at work compensation.

Step 3: Provide evidence to support your claim

Evidence is an important contribution towards supporting your claim for work accident compensation. Try to support your claim by providing the following evidence to your solicitor:

• Photographic evidence of the injuries you have sustained (if visible).
• Copies of any current medical reports in relation to the injury or injuries you have sustained.
• If there were any independent eye witnesses are the time of the accident, try to provide your solicitor with their details.
• Keep a copy of any doctor's certificates you have been issued with by your GP, especially any that confirm your need to take time off work because of your injury. You may be entitled to receive compensation for any financial loss that you have suffered.
• If you have had to pay for any prescription drugs that your doctor has prescribed, make sure you keep the receipts. Likewise, if you have had to pay for any other medical treatment – for instance, physiotherapy – you may be entitled to receive compensation for the medical expenses for which you have paid out of your own pocket.

With PHC Law you can have the peace of mind that any information you provide to us is strictly confidential.

We will represent your case without it costing you a single penny, assuring you of being at no risk of receiving any solicitor fees, whether you win or lose.

Our commitment to all our clients is to recover the maximum compensation that you are entitled to. Once you claim has been settled, we do not make any deductions and you will receive 100% compensation. That's our guarantee.

At PHC, our client care is exceptional and underpinned by our knowledge and expertise to exceed your expectations.

Our solicitors have a wealth of experience in handling many types of accident at work related claims and have developed an excellent reputation nationwide for providing a caring and professional approach to all our clients with fantastic success rates.

For more information, simply complete our form online and choose a convenient time that suits you for one of our solicitors to call you back. Alternatively, you can call us free by calling 0800 612 7 612.

Q. How much compensation will I receive for my accident at work claim?

A. Every individual's circumstances are different. Your solicitor will discuss with you the general and special damages that you may be entitled to. The term 'general damages' relates to the extent of your personal injury, the amount of pain and suffering it has caused, any long-term effects it may have on you, your day-to-day lifestyle, and your employment circumstances (whether it has meant you have not been able to do your job and been given lighter duties, for example). Special damages can include loss of earnings, hospital treatment, medical expenses, travel expenses or even any private medical care you have had to pay for. We guarantee to obtain the maximum compensation that you are entitled to for work accident compensation in order to make a good recovery from your injury and to also recover from any costs that have inconvenienced you.

Q. How long will my accident at work claim take?

A. We will recover your compensation as quickly and as efficiently as possible. If your claim is straightforward and there are no disputes or complications about any elements of your claim, your claim is likely to be settled within 6 to 12 months. However, there are a number of factors which can delay the settlement of your claim. A couple of examples of these would be:

If the other party involved disputes liability and the circumstances of the accident and who was to blame.

Arguments about the medical evidence concerning the seriousness of the injuries you have sustained and the amount of compensation you should receive for your injury.

Q. My colleague caused my accident. Will they have to pay the compensation for my accident at work claim?

A. No. Your employer's liability insurance covers the actions of employees. Your colleague will therefore not be obliged to pay any compensation claim.

Q. I have since left the company that I worked for when the accident happened. Can I still make an accident at work claim?

A. Yes, if the accident happened within the last three years, you are still entitled to make a claim for compensation.

Q. How does my solicitor recover their costs?

A. Our personal injury solicitors will recover all costs from the other side, giving you peace of mind and reassurance that there are absolutely no deductions from the compensation awarded to you or legal costs involved. You will receive the full amount that you are entitled to. If the case isn't won, you still do not have to pay a single penny.