Suffering a personal injury that wasn’t your fault or experiencing medical negligence can be stressful and difficult to live with. If you’ve experienced pain and suffering and would like to investigate making a compensation claim, it’s hard to know where to start, what you should do and what, out of all the personal injury beliefs out there, is actually true.
With the help of our Factum and Fictio, two new members of the Personal Injury team, we’ve broken down some of the most commonly held beliefs and misconceptions around personal injury to help get you started. So take a look and find out if there’s fact or fiction behind these statements:
There’s a time limit on Claims
Factum says it’s TRUE – If you’re alleging fault through Clinical Negligence then proceedings must be issued within three years from the date of knowledge. The time limit for personal injury cases is also three years from the date of the accident. There are some exceptions to this rule but for most people there is a three year time limit so don’t wait too long if you think you might have basis to claim.
Personal Injury claims are only physical
Fictio say’s this one’s FALSE – Personal injury doesn’t always have to be physical. Clinical Negligence and Personal Injury claims can cover cases of post-traumatic stress, depression, shock and anxiety together with any other ongoing mental problems that may have been caused by someone else’s negligence.
FJG won’t nuisance cold call
Factum says this is TRUE – We’re qualified solicitors and we are regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. As a result, we will never cold call or send spam text messages. . Many claims management companies try and deal with personal injury cases using underhand marketing techniques and unqualified “claims managers”. It’s always best to get advice from someone who is legally trained.
An injury needs to be serious for me to claim
Fictio says this is also FALSE – It doesn’t have to be serious to claim but there are some occasions when it may not be worthwhile. It isn’t always easy to identify when a claim is too small without knowing the specific circumstances but we can assess the merits of any claim you think you may have.
Reputable Solicitors don’t offer “No Win No Fee”
Fictio says this is another FALSE statement– At FJG, we can act for clients on a “no win, no fee” basis (also known as a “Conditional Fee agreement”) supported by the Law Society’s approved accident line insurance scheme and underwritten by Abbey Legal Protection.
If I accept an offer made by the negligent party at the outset I can still go on to make a claim for personal injury at a later date
Fictio says this is FALSE – you will need to look at exact wording of any offer but quite often the negligent party will offer you money at the outset to encourage you to settle quickly. It is important to be aware that most Defendants make these offers “in full and final settlement” which means that you will have settled your claim in its entirety if you accept it. You may be undervaluing your claim by accepting these offers so make sure you seek legal advice before entering into negotiations with the defendants.
It’s Free to get your claim assessed by FJG
Factum says this is TRUE – Our Personal Injury expert, Rhian Lowe, will see you for a no obligation meeting to assess the merits of the claim you think you may have. As long as you can make it to one of our offices, these are carried out on a face-to-face basis as well.