Avoiding Common Accidents

If you have suffered a personal injury and wish to make a personal injury claim, there are certain actions that should be taken as soon as possible after the accident has occurred.

First and foremost of these is to inform the police immediately of the circumstance by which the injury came about. Naturally, this is of paramount importance if the injury was as the result of a car accident and you wish to seek whiplash compensation or redress for other personal injuries that you received as the result of the other driver’s negligence. Your insurance company must also be informed as quickly as possible.

If the injury is sustained in the workplace, you must ensure that your employer is notified and the details of the injury are written in the ‘Accident Book’. The employer is then legally bound to report it, along with the full details of the accident, to the Health and Safety Executive. Failure to do so may well result in prosecution.

Inform your doctor of your injury, even if it appears innocuous. If you decide to claim for compensation, for example if you have sustained loss of earnings as a result of the injury, the doctor will be asked to supply a medical report to the court.

Collect as much evidence as possible regarding the circumstances of how the injury was incurred. Photographs of how and where it was sustained are particularly useful. Also, ask any witnesses who may have seen the accident to write an account and be sure to record their names and addresses.