I’ve been involved in a car accident that wasn’t my fault. How do I know if I Can Make An Accident Claim?
Whether you are simply looking for friendly advice after being involved in an accident, or are all set to make a personal injury claim, Free Legal Justice has a panel of accident claims specialists in Stirling that are available and eager to help- for free! With years of accident claim know-how and a wealth of experience, our panel of lawyers and trained team members will listen to what you have to say, and guide you through the entire car accident claim process.
Car Accident Claims In Stirling
Car accidents are one of the main causes of personal injury in the United Kingdom. According to the data released by the Department of Transport, there were 157 630 reported personal injury car accidents in Great Britain for the year ending June 2019.
In simple terms, a car accident is any type of incident that involves a car. Car accidents can happen for a variety of reasons and can lead to a variety of personal injury car accident claims. A Car accident could involve a situation where two cars collide with one another, or where a car collides with a motorbike or bicycle. Car accidents also include incidents where a pedestrian is injured by a car.
Being involved in any form of accident is a traumatic experience for everyone involved. Besides the emotional stress and shock, a car accident often results in injuries to one or more parties. Injuries caused by car accidents can range from whiplash, to serious head injuries, broken limbs, and in extreme cases, death.
How do I Make A Car Accident Claim that happened in scotland?
You should always get help from a legal professional who specialises in accident claims. Making a personal injury claim can often seem like a daunting task, but the team at Free Legal Justice is here to support you every step of the way. Our accident claims team in Stirling aims to offer every victim of an accident the opportunity to have their accident claim evaluated before they decide to make a formal claim. As a victim of a car accident, we want to give each individual a voice, and the chance to discuss their case fully and freely with a legal professional that specialises in accident claims. Our expert team will deal with your case sensitively and discreetly, and will protect your privacy and security throughout the entire process. The Free Legal Justice team is here to listen to you and will happily discuss the merits and value of your car accident claim after the first free consultation, with no obligation on you to appoint us as your lawyer.
Free Legal Justice has been working with car accident claims for a long time. We know and appreciate that accidents, both minor and serious, can affect people in different ways. Free Legal Justice takes each case seriously and deals with each client on an individual basis, giving 100 percent effort to ensure that clients receive the compensation they deserve.
Who Can Make A Car Accident Claim?
It isn’t just drivers who can claim for injuries sustained on the road – car accidents can cause injuries to all sorts of people, including passengers, drivers, and innocent bystanders. If you or a loved one has been injured in a car accident that wasn’t your fault, you may have a potential compensation claim.
Can I Make A Car Accident Claim that happened in stirling On Behalf Of Someone Else?
If the person who suffered injuries in a car accident was younger than 18 years old, or is deemed to be a ‘protected party’ who is mentally incapable of making their own decisions, then a parent, guardian or close family member may make a compensation claim on their behalf. If a family member has died as a result of a car accident, you may be able to claim on their behalf. If the deceased has a valid will, the executor of the estate will be responsible for pursuing any claim on behalf of the dependents. If the deceased did not have a valid will, the law sets out exactly who can make a claim following the death of a loved one. Making an accident claim for fatal injuries can get very complicated, so it is important that you seek the help of an accident claims lawyer before you make your claim.
One of the Free Legal Justice accident claim team members in Stirling will be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to discuss your case, and will be happy to give you more guidance on the process of making an accident claim on someone’s behalf.
How Long Do I Have to Make My Accident Claim?
Generally, you can make an accident before the expiry of three years from the date of the car accident, or from the date of your injury diagnosis. There are exceptions to this time period, for example you may be allowed a longer time period if you are claiming on behalf of a child or protected person. On the other hand, if the car accident was the result of criminal activity such as a hit and run, time limits may vary if the claim is instituted through the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority.
How Do I Make An Accident Claim that happened in stirling?
If you think you might be eligible for an accident claim, it is important to take steps as soon as possible to start your compensation claim. The first step in finding out if you have a valid car accident claim is to speak to one of Free Legal Justice’s friendly team of accident claim experts in Stirling. Our accident claim specialists will help you through the entire claim process, from beginning to end. Free Legal Justice will help you to collect all the necessary details and information about the car accident, and quickly be able to assess the best way to help you make your accident claim and get the justice you deserve.
If you contact a member of our accident claims team in Stirling now, you will receive free professional advice on the merits of your accident claim, so that you can know where you stand before you take legal steps against those who caused you injury. To correctly advise you on the merits of your car accident claim, Free Legal Justice will need as much information as possible about the accident. You should have as much information as possible ready for your free consultation with one of our accident claims experts, including details such as:
- How the car accident happened, and nature of the injuries suffered or damage caused as a result of the car accident;
- Your car registration details;
- The name, registration number, and contact number of the individuals involved in the car accident;
- Any police reference numbers or emergency service attendance details; and
- Location of where the car accident happened.
As a normal part of the accident claims process, we will send you for an independent medical examination, where a doctor will conduct a full assessment of your injuries and write a report based on your injuries. This medical report will be used in support of your damages claim and will help to value the amount of compensation that you are entitled to.
Once Free Legal Justice has started your claim, we will also ask you to share any possible evidence that you have collected at the scene of the accident with us. This evidence will be used in support of your accident claim, and may include:
- Details of any witnesses
- Photographs of the accident scene
- Photographs of your injuries
- Details of medical appointments that you have attended
- Details and receipts of any medication that a doctor has prescribed to treat your injuries
It is important that you keep a record of all other information, reports, and receipts which could be used in support of your claim. Don’t worry if you don’t have all of this information right now. With a single call to our helpful team, we will explain the merits of your claim based on the information that you can provide. The important thing is that you get in touch with a Free Legal Justice professional as soon as possible- the sooner we have the details of your car accident claim, the sooner one of our accident claims experts in Stirling can get started on your case, and help you get the maximum compensation that you deserve.
What Is My Accident Claim Worth?
The amount of compensation that you might receive in an accident claim can vary considerably depending on the type and severity of your injuries. No matter how minor or how serious your injury, we are specialists in claiming for everything from fairly minor to serious injuries. One of our accident claims experts in Stirling will be able to value your claim once you have given us the details of the accident and the injuries you have suffered.
As a victim of a car accident where your injuries were caused by another person, you can potentially claim for any costs of any medical bills, loss of income due to your injuries, as well as the cost of repairs for the damage caused to your car. There are many elements that can form part of your claim, and the compensation amount will vary based on the seriousness of the injuries and the overall impact that the injury has had on your life.
Your car accident claim will include general and special damages. Put simply, general damages are compensation for personal injuries, and special damages are compensation for out of pocket expenses. One of our accident claims experts in Stirling will explain to you in detail what you can include as general and special damages if you decide to make a car accident claim. Our accident claims team in Stirling is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to give you free legal advice and answer any questions you might have about your injury claim.
General Damages In An Accident Claim
The general damages part of your accident claim is calculated by comparing your independent medical report with the official Judicial Board Guidelines for the Assessment of General Damages in Personal Injury Cases. This prescribed guideline sets out how much can be claimed as general damages for different levels of injury. The final compensation amount will depend on aspects such as how serious your injury was, complicating factors, as well as the length of the recovery period or degree of permanence of the injury.
There are countless injuries that can be included in car accident claims. Some of the injuries that the Free Legal Justice team deal with most often include whiplash, head and brain injuries, loss of limbs, breaks, fractures, and in some cases, even loss of life.
Upper Body Injuries
If you have suffered minor injuries to the upper body area, including the neck and shoulders, you may have a compensation claim of up to £6,000, depending on the nature of your personal injuries. If you have suffered more serious upper body injuries, for example dislocation and fractures, you could have a claim of up to £29,000. The largest compensation payout that any claimant can receive will be for severe injuries, such as permanent damage causing paraplegia, where the amount of compensation can be anything between £35,000 and £100,000.
Back Injuries
Back injuries are risky, agonizing and overall draining. If you have hurt your back in an accident, there is a high risk that you have suffered spinal damage and it is important that you get a medical assessment to make sure that this is not the case. A back injury can result in you becoming less mobile, or even result in you becoming paralysed. A claim for minor back injuries can reach up to £9000, while severe permanent back injuries to nerve root or spinal cord can give you a compensation claim of up to £120 000.00.
Hands, Arms, and Wrists
It can be tricky to calculate the potential loss suffered as a result of a hand or wrist injury. Less severe hand and wrist injuries can leave you with a compensation claim of between £3 000 – £5 000, whereas a permanent injury or disability can stretch up to £30 000.
Lower Body Injury
Injuries to the lower body area include any kind of injury to your ankles, knees, hips and legs. As with the other forms of injuries, the amount that one can claim for lower body injuries will vary depending on the nature of the injury. Compensation claims for the less serious lower body injuries for example, can result in a payout of up to £10 000. If you have suffered lower body injuries that lead to permanent disability, loss of limb, or consistent pain and permanent discomfort, then your compensation claim could be up to £25 000.00.
Mental or Psychological Injuries
Again, the amount of compensation that you can claim for a mental injury will depend on the seriousness of the mental or psychological injuries you have suffered. If you have suffered psychological harm that is ruled as temporary, and things are expected to return to normal soon, your compensation claim can be anything between £4,000 and £10,000. Where mental and psychological injuries are more severe or permanent, the compensation claim can reach up to £50,000.
Head Injuries
Any injury to the head is a serious issue, because the brain is also at risk of injury. The amount of compensation that you will be entitled to claim will depend on how serious the brain injury is. A person suffering from minor head injury, with no injury to the brain, may be entitled to claim compensation in the region of £3,000 to £6,000. If there is major damage to the head and in particular if the brain has been affected, the compensation can be over £20,000. The most serious cases would be those where the victim is left completely unresponsive and has suffered permanent severe brain damage. Severe head injuries of this nature could fetch a compensation of over £200 000, and will be assessed on a case by case basis.
The sums that we have mentioned above are not in any way fixed compensation amounts, and are to be merely used as a guideline for what type of personal injury claims are available to accident victims. A member of our accident claims team in Stirling will be happy to assess your claim for free in a confidential, no obligation discussion once you have provided us with all the details of the incident.
Special Damages in an Accident Claim
Special damages forming part of your accident claim will include compensation for any additional expenses that you’ve incurred as a result of the car accident. This is a broad category of damages, and can range from loss of past and future income, to costs of counselling and therapy sessions, to traveling expenses, additional childcare expenses, as well as nursing and household adaptations that you have made to help you live with your injuries. Whatever additional costs you have incurred that are connected in some way to the car accident that was not your fault, our accident claims lawyers will explain to you which of these amounts will form part of your claim. We will also help you to obtain the necessary documentation to prove your loss of earnings, pain and suffering and estimated future expenses that you will incur as a result of the injuries.
It is important to know that special damages can only be claimed if you can show proof of the expenses that you have already incurred or will incur in future, for example by presenting receipts, reports, payslips and other documentation relevant to the damages.
If you have any questions about the claim process, or the calculation of your general and special damages claims, please get in touch with us by filling out the online form or by calling us on 0800 567 7074. Our accident claims team is available to help 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and are happy to answer any questions you might have about your potential accident claim, without any cost or obligation on your part. If you are unable to get to one of the Free Legal Justice offices, one of our friendly accident claims lawyers in Stirling will be able to do a home visit, so that you can discuss your case freely from the comfort of your own home.
How Much Will It Cost Me To Make An Accident Claim in Stirling?
Our accident claims lawyers in Stirling are happy to conduct all of Free Legal Justice’s accident claims on a No Win No Fee basis. This means that you will not pay any legal fees unless your compensation claim is successful. Free Legal Justice will carry all the upfront costs necessary to make your accident claim, meaning that you will only be charged a success fee if we help you to win your case. No Win No Fee agreements are a great funding option for our accident claims clients, to allow them to pursue compensation claims without the risk of being out of pocket.
Stirling No Win No Fee personal injury Agreements
A No Win No Fee agreement lets you continue with a compensation claim on the condition that if the claim is not successful, you won’t owe the legal team any money. Put simply, it is a way for you to take whatever legal steps necessary to claim compensation for your injuries, without any financial risk of litigation weighing over your head. Our highly skilled accident claims lawyers in Stirling are happy to offer No Win No Fee agreements to clients seeking rightful compensation for personal injuries, because they are extremely confident in their legal skills and have a track record of successful accident claims behind them.
A No Win No Fee agreement is a stress-free, financially-savvy way to make your compensation claim. Once you have discussed the details of your case with a member of the Free Legal Justice accident claims team in Stirling, and have agreed for us to continue with your compensation claim on a No Win No Fee basis, your work on the case is essentially finished. You can sit back, relax, and let your dedicated accident claims lawyer in Stirling do the rest of the hard work for you!
How Much Will I Be Charged If My Accident Claim Is Successful?
One of the best things about a No Win No Fee agreement is that you will never need to pay any legal fees in advance. A No Win No Fee agreement means that we will only get paid after the fact, if your compensation claim is successful.
Our accident claims lawyers in Stirling work on an average success fee of 25% of the total compensation received for your claim. Your designated lawyer will make sure to discuss the success fee upfront, and this success fee will be agreed in writing between the parties before you make your accident claim. If Free Legal Justice helps you to win your claim, we will receive the success fee as payment for our legal fees. Your trusted accident claims lawyer in Stirling will be able to answer any questions that you might have regarding the success fee once you have agreed to continue with your accident claim.
What Happens If My Accident Claim Is Unsuccessful?
Free Legal Justice carries the risk of your claim being unsuccessful. If we cannot help you to win your compensation claim, Free Legal Justice will not charge you any legal fees for the work done by your designated accident claims lawyer. That means that you will not need to pay Free Legal Justice a thing if your claim is unsuccessful.
To ensure that you are fully protected and have peace of mind over your financial risks, our team can help you to secure ‘After the Event’ insurance. This insurance covers you in the event that you are unsuccessful with your claim, and in case the court rules that you need to pay a part of your opponent’s legal costs during the case.
How Long Will My Stirling Accident Claim Take?
Every car accident is distinctive, as is the compensation claim process that follows the accident. Some accident claims can be settled in a matter of months, while others are more complicated and will take longer to resolve. The length of time taken to resolve a matter will depend on the facts specific to your case. Our experienced accident claims lawyers in Stirling have handled many of these types of cases before, and will be able to give you good idea of how long your claim is likely to take once they have assessed your claim.
In general, the length of time it takes for your claim to complete will depend on how complicated it is. Car accident claims can become more complicated if your injuries are extremely serious, if there is a dispute over the facts, or if you have been involved in a ‘hit and run’ accident, as this may make it more difficult to prove legal responsibility for the injuries.
No matter how your accident happened or who you think is to blame for the accident, it is important that you speak to a legal professional from Free Legal Justice as soon as possible to determine whether you have a valid car accident claim. Our experienced accident claims team in Stirling handle every car accident claim through a fast-track assessment and allocation process; so that we can help our clients get the compensation they deserve as soon as possible.
Our team of accident claims lawyers will be able to let you know how long they expect your claim to take once they have been through the details of your case with you. The sooner you get started on your car accident claim, the sooner you will get the justice that you deserve. Contact Free Legal Justice for a free, no-obligation consultation with one of our accident claims team members in Stirling today!
Why Choose our stirling no win no fee personal injury solicitor?
Free Legal Justice is here to support you through the entire accident claims process. We appreciate that each car accident claim is unique and each victim of a car accident is affected in a different way. We aim to treat each car accident claim with the same care and attention, and we devote all our efforts to ensuring that clients are kept updated on the progress of their case. Our passionate accident claims team in Stirling is here 24 hours day, 7 days a week to answer any questions you might have about your claim.
Whether you are suffering from whiplash, lower back pain, a broken arm, or are partially disabled because you were in a car accident, our accident claims team in Stirling is here to help. Our car accident claim team is devoted to getting our clients the maximum compensation that they deserve as soon as possible, so that their lives can return to normal. With a free consultation and absolutely no financial risk to you, you have nothing to lose- get in touch with one of our experienced legal experts in Stirling today to chat about your potential car accident claim.
Contact Free Legal Justice in Stirling at any time of day, on any day of the week, by filling out the short online form and waiting for us to call you back for free, or by calling one of our friendly accident claims handlers on 0800 567 7074. If you would like to discuss your case from the comfort of your own home, please request a complimentary home visit from one of our friendly accident claim handlers in Stirling today, so that you can start your accident claim and get the justice you deserve.
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