Understanding your rights after an injury in England and Wales is essential for ensuring you are compensated correctly.
If you have been injured due to the negligence of another party, such as in a road traffic accident, an accident at work, or a trip or slip in a public place, you are entitled to seek compensation. This legal redress is designed to put you back in the position you would have been in had the accident never occurred.
General damages for pain and suffering
The first component of an accident claim if you have proven someone was to blame, is known as general damages. This part of the award compensates you for the physical and mental impact of the injury itself. It covers pain, suffering, and what is legally termed as loss of amenity. Loss of amenity refers to the way your injury prevents you from enjoying life or participating in hobbies and activities you previously took part in.
To assess your claim for your injury, we will obtain all your medical records and scans. These will be sent to an independent expert who will inform us what injuries you have sustained because of the accident.
We will look at the government guidance under the Judicial College guidelines and previous case law and tell you how much your injury is worth. The highest award for an injury is a severe brain injury worth up to £493,000.00. Claims are made up of other losses, which I will inform you of in a series of articles.
Contact our Dispute Resolution team on 01756 799000 or email litigationteam@MewiesSolicitors.co.uk for further legal advice if you are injured in an accident through no fault of your own.