Personal injury advice from
Thompsons Solicitors
Funding Your Compensation Claim
If you or a member of your family is suffering from a personal injury, illness or industrial disease caused by the negligence of someone else, our specialist personal injury lawyers may be able to help you claim compensation. Contact us today on 0800 032 8511 for claim advice, or by completing a claim enquiry form.
Personal Injury Claim Costs
What is 'No Win No Fee'?
Making Your Compensation Claim
Compensation
Our Personal Injury Lawyers
Personal Injury Claim Costs
The Legal Line offers a completely cost free, risk free service to its clients so, win or lose, you do not have to pay anything at all.
You will receive the full amount of any compensation awarded, with no deductions made, and you will not be asked to take out any loans.
Our lawyers will need to take out an insurance policy to help protect you from any costs associated with your injury claim. However this will be at no cost to you. In a successful case, the defendant will be required to cover the costs. If for some reason the claim is unsuccessful, a claim on the insurance policy will cover the costs of the defendant and any expenses your lawyer has incurred.
The only circumstances under which a claimant may incur costs, is in the event of a proven attempt to make a fraudulent claim. Any agreement with our lawyers would be rendered invalid if there is fraud and the responsible party would be liable for any legal costs.
NOTE: There are some circumstances under which we may not be able to offer a completely cost free service:
- Some accidents outside the UK, where the incident can not be pursued via the courts in England and Wales.
- CICA claims for injuries sustained as the result of a criminal assault.
Further details can be found within our costs and risks section.
What is ‘No Win No Fee’?
This term is often used to describe the Conditional Fee Agreement employed by most solicitors when dealing with personal injury compensation claims. It means that if your case does not succeed you will not be liable to pay any costs.
Some companies, despite claiming that they offer CFAs and run cases on a no win, no fee basis, do charge their clients. They do this by taking deductions from compensation awards, charging fees to cover the costs of medical reports or encouraging their clients to take out unnecessary loans.
It is because there are those who charge when they claim they don't, and because the quality of lawyers can vary, that it is always important to appoint a reputable, experienced lawyer to deal with your case and ensure that any agreement is explained to you fully.
Making Your Compensation Claim
In any personal injury claim it is necessary to show that the person you are making a claim against owed you a duty of care, that they breached that duty of care (were negligent), and that the injury you sustained was a reasonably foreseeable consequence of that negligence. In cases where it is clear that there is no one to blame and the accident was simply that, it would not be possible to claim compensation.
In every case, medical evidence will be required. Detailed expert evidence is often also required in disease cases to show that the condition suffered by a claimant was caused by exposure to a particular substance. Your lawyer will be able to advise you on the best way to pursue your claim.
Compensation
There are two elements to a compensation award.
The first, called general damages, is for the pain and suffering you may have gone through and any loss of amenity (perhaps an inability to wash your car, look after your garden, walk the dog). The award for loss of amenity can be for a short period after an accident or for ever if that is what the medical evidence supports.
Whereas the first element of compensation cannot make you better and can only really apologise, the second element of a compensation award, for your losses and expenses, is known as special damages and aims to put you back in a position financially as if the accident had never occurred. It is important to keep receipts for any expenditure you have related to the accident so that these can be reclaimed.
In serious cases, where a person may no longer be able to continue their employment, this can be taken into account. Costs for care, equipment, transport and housing modifications can also be factored into the calculations. If the person is still able to work but not in the same role as before, particularly if they held a public service role such as a doctor or police officer, an extra amount may be awarded for loss of ‘congenial employment’. A court can also make a financial award to recognise that an injured worker's prospects on the open labour market may be limited.
If a person is fatally injured, a dependent relative such as a widow and children may be able to claim a statutory sum for their bereavement and funeral expenses, but also sums for the loss of income and contribution to the household in the form of future losses.
Our Personal Injury Lawyers
The Legal Line lawyers are experts in all areas of personal injury, with extensive experience in recovering compensation for the victims of accidents and industrial diseases. They can provide specialist accident claim advice, assistance and guidance in helping you to pursue your claim to the best possible outcome.
For further information about the service we provide, visit our questions answered section. You can view details of some of the cases we have fought and won for injured people below, and in our personal injury news and success stories sections:
Joiner Compensated for Hernia Caused by Accident at Work
Unsuitable Car Park Surface Causes Accident at Work
Clinical Negligence Claim for Man Injured by Surgical Error
Delivery Driver Receives Back Injury Compensation for Stair Fall
Employee Injured by Dangerous Equipment in Dockyard Accident
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Testimonials
"It wasn't realistic for me to work any more and the loss of my income placed an additional strain on us."
Jane Evans
Mother of Rebecca
Personal Injury News
