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 | Beckett & Co Solicitors | |
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
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IS THERE A TIME LIMIT FOR MAKING A CLAIM?
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| YES! In the majority of personal injury claims there is a time limit of 3 years from the date of the accident. Children who are injured whilst under the age of 18 can generally claim at any time up to their 21st birthday. However, some accident claims have a shorter time limit so it is important to seek legal advice regarding your potential claim as soon as possible. It is better to start a claim as soon as possible after the accident so that vital evidence can be obtained to support the claim |
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CAN I MAKE A CLAIM EVEN IF I DID NOT HAVE TIME OFF WORK?
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| YES. Many people think that they are unable to claim if the injury did not result in time off work or if they were paid in full during an absence from work due to the injury. However, even if you have not incurred any financial losses as a result of the accident (such as loss of earnings) you are still entitled to claim compensation for the pain and discomfort caused by the injury. |
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IF I HAVE AN ACCIDENT DO I HAVE TO GO TO HOSPITAL?
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| There is no requirement to attend hospital after an accident although in many cases hospital treatment will be required. If you did not go to hospital after your accident you can still make a claim. However, it will be necessary to prove your claim by reference to medical evidence and therefore it is generally advisable to have at least a check-up with your GP following any type of accident. |
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IF I MAKE A CLAIM WILL I HAVE TO GO TO COURT?
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| If you have been injured in an accident that was clearly not your fault then generally your claim will be settled without the need for you to attend court. In cases where there is a dispute about the accident then there is a small chance that you may be asked to attend court. However, the number of cases that actually reach a court hearing is low - around 2% of cases |
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HOW CAN I FUND THE LEGAL COSTS INVOLVED IN MAKING A CLAIM?
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| There are a number of different ways of funding the legal costs of a personal injury claim. For instance you may have a legal expenses policy as part of an insurance policy which you already have – for example, your motor policy, your household policy, or a bank / credit card scheme. If you are a member of a trade union you may be entitled to union assistance with funding. However, if you do not have existing means of funding a claim we will be happy to work on a 'no win - no fee' basis. |
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HOW DOES 'NO WIN - NO FEE' WORK?
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| Basically, if you win your claim and we recover compensation for you then, on conclusion of the claim, we will charge for the work that we have done. However, you will not be asked to pay our charges as we claim these on your behalf from your opponent’s insurance company in addition to the compensation awarded to you. This means that if you win you receive ALL of your compensation without any deduction for costs or other expenses.
If you lose your claim then you do not have to pay our costs. |
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IF I MAKE A CLAIM WILL I HAVE TO PAY ANY COSTS?
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| NO! We will ensure that your costs are covered so that you need not worry about getting a bill for legal costs in connection with your claim.
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HOW DO I MAKE A CLAIM?
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| CONTACT US! We will discuss your claim in detail, including the funding of the claim and any no win – no fee agreement. We offer free, initial advice about your claim on a no obligation basis so that you are under no pressure to proceed with a claim if you choose not to. If you do wish to go ahead with your claim we will ensure that your claim is progressed quickly, with the minimum amount of fuss and will ensure that you are kept informed of developments at every step of the claim. |
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HOW DO I GET FURTHER INFORMATION?
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| For more information contact Donna Beckett who will be happy to have an informal discussion about your claim. You can contact us by FREEPHONE on 0808 155 1105 or click on the 'Contact Us' link above. |
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