Avoiding Common Accidents

Although it is of obvious importance to begin a personal injury claim as soon as possible after the event of your accident, this is not always possible.

Perhaps the injury has been unwittingly caused by a close friend or relation, or that the full extent of the injury has not manifested itself until after a certain time has elapsed.

While your ‘no win, no fee’ solicitor would undoubtedly prefer initiating proceedings immediately after the injury occurred, if you allowed a period of time to elapse there should not be any reason why you delay further in seeking no win, no fee compensation.

The solicitor is eager to begin work on your case for a number of reasons. First is the matter of witnesses involved in the accident. It is preferable to record eyewitness depositions as soon after the accident as possible as the memory of witnesses is notoriously unreliable. Remember, even the slightest detail may be pertinent to your no win no fee claim.

If medical records and statements need to be used to process the claim, these will need to done systematically. Doctors and hospitals are usually very busy. Appointments need to be made and interviews conducted. All of this takes time.

Last, the courts are frequently booked for months in advance. Preparations need to be made to ensure you get the court time you need.

However, in accordance with the Statute of Limitations, a three-year period after the cause of accident is now regarded as the benchmark whereby ‘no win, no fee’ claims are judged to be acceptable.

This may of course vary. Injuries caused by exposure to certain industrial chemicals often take a while to manifest. However, a good rule of thumb is to notify the personal injury solicitor immediately.