Compensation claims are your legal right.
By: Carolyn Clayton | Posted: 02nd October 2008
Why is it that more than 2.5 million people in the UK have accidents each year, and very few claim compensation for their injuries?
Seeking compensation for pain and suffering is your civil and legal right and you would be daft to not claim. Why should you suffer and feel pain for an accident that was caused by incompetence of another? You shouldn’t.
Only about 30% of accident victims seek out a personal injury lawyer and sue for compensation which is crazy. “Conditional fee agreements” or better known as the “no win no fee” was introduced in 1995. It was introduced to give the people with incomes above legal aid eligibility limits the chance to fund personal injury litigation.
This “no win no fee” agreement eventually became available to fund most civil cases and the consequence of this was that legal aid was abolished 2000. Contrary to popular belief there has not been a compensation boom, in fact the number of claims has dropped since this time.
The term “No win no fee” is misleading and there is widespread misunderstanding of the term. It sounds like there will be no costs if the case is lost. This is not true. The looser pays the winners cost as well as any damages. But there is still a risk of having to pay the other sides cost if the case is lost, also medical reports etc are normally not covered by no win no fee agreements. This needs to be addressed further and made clear to people before they start proceedings. Too many companies are putting to much emphasis on getting cases to work on and selling their legal and insurance products. Conditional fee agreements are creating incentives for the legal profession for financial gain. Using the popular “no win no fee” to entice people is misleading and wrong. Many companies are only too quick to let their clients sign the “Conditional fee agreements” without the clients truly understanding all the risks and liabilities they may be exposing themselves too. A good solicitor will be able to tell you everything in plain and easy English and any contracts you sign should be written in good clear understandable English. A lot of the legal terms are like another language to most people so signing a contract which you don’t understand is total madness.
You can claim compensation for lots of different types of accidents; it could be work related, a road traffic accident or a slip in a super market or something more serious like medical negligence. Whatever type of accident, as long as you’re not responsible then you are entitled to compensation.
People that have suffered from injuries due to no fault of their own deserve compensation for their suffering and with UK law the liable party must compensate the injured person for their loss of suffering. The financial loss could be due to loss of earnings or due to damages to their car or any other personal item. In some extreme cases the loss of a job and whole way of life might be lost. Some people may have to adapt their homes to deal with the injury permanently. Also stress depression and anxiety are all illnesses that may not have occurred in the accident had never happened. This is why it is ethically right that people should have the opportunity to claim compensation for their injuries however mild or severe they maybe.
Sometimes good comes from someone’s misfortune. Sometimes it takes an accident for employers and the public to realize the dangers in the first place. It is a shame someone has to suffer, but on the whole a lot of people should benefit from this. We all have to take reasonable steps to prevent harm from arising whether we are employers or citizens
If you are the unfortunate one that had an accident and suffered as a result it is important for you to find a good personal injury solicitor. A well known company with experience that can offer you a free consultation is desirable. If the solicitor has never dealt with your type of accident or injury claim keep looking for one that has.
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Carolyn is the webmaster of Help With Your Claim offering Help with your Compensation Claims for personal injuries.
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Tags: 5 million, contrary to popular belief, misunderstanding, incomes, incompetence, insurance products, accidents, personal injury lawyer, pain and suffering, solicitor, liabilities, medical reports, legal aid, legal profession, accident victims, financial gain, conditional fee agreements