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Our specialist personal injury lawyers are here to make things easier for you and your family. Every year we help thousands of people claim for personal injury, and over the past two years we’ve helped our clients recover more than £1.5 billion in compensation.
Compensation is only part of the story though, and our solicitors could also help you access the rehabilitation, medical care and support you need to make the best recovery possible.
What Is A Personal Injury Claim?
“Personal injury” is the legal term for an injury or illness that has been caused (or made worse) by someone else’s negligence. If you’ve suffered in these circ*mstances you may be able to make a personal injury claim to recover compensation from those responsible.
How Long Do You Have To Make A Claim?
You normally have three years to start your personal injury claim.
This time limit is usually from the date of your accident. However, in some cases it can be from the date you became aware your injury was due to negligence (in the case of a workplace illness for instance).
There are exceptions to the three year rule – and sometimes the time limit is shorter. If you think you might have a claim, it’s important to contact usas soon as possible.
What Types Of Personal Injury Can You Claim For?
Some of the common types of personal injury we help people claim for include:
- Medical negligence(including misdiagnosis, surgery, and GP negligence)
- Serious injury(including traumatic brain and spinal injuries)
- Road traffic accidents(including pedestrian, cyclist and passenger accidents)
- Accidents or illness abroad(including holiday accidents and food poisoning)
- Accidents at work(including back, head and manual handling injuries)
- Industrial diseases(including hearing loss and respiratory problems)
- Asbestos related diseases(including mesothelioma)
- Accidents in public places(including claims against the council and slips, trips and falls)
- Accidents or illness in Scotland(including road accidents, serious injuries and industrial diseases)
No Win No Fee Claims
Most of the claims we handle are on a no win no fee basis, which means:
- You won’t have to pay a penny out of your own pocket
- There is no financial risk to you if your claim is unsuccessful*
Find out more about how no win no fee claims work.
How Much Personal Injury Compensation Could You Receive?
The consequences of the same injury or illness will vary between individuals. So the amount of compensation you could receive will be personal to you.
Our personal injury solicitors are experienced in accurately valuing claims based on your particular circ*mstances, to ensure you get the compensation you deserve.
Why Choose Us?
We are one of the leading firms of personal injury solicitors in the UK. Every year we successfully make thousands of claims on behalf of our clients. Over the past two years we have recovered more than £1.5 billion in compensation.
We have a nationwide network of offices – meaning that we’re never too far away. In many circ*mstances we can travel to you.
Our lawyers are friendly and will keep you updated using plain English. They are backed by our Support and Rehabilitation Coordinators, who can help you access the care and support services you need to make the best recovery possible.
Contact Us
For a free consultation about your case, call us free on 0800 056 4110 orcontact us online and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.
No Win No Fee*
Help with rehabilitation
Thousands of successful claims each year
Advice in plain English
Call us for a free initial consultation
0800 056 4110
Or we can call you back at a time of your choice
Phone lines are open 24/7, 365 days a year
Tracey Storey Partner Meet the team
Personal Injury Claims - More Information
The compensation means that I can have the care that I really need rather than what’s provided as a bare minimum."
Rosie, client
The Road To Recovery
Jacqueline ‘Jaxx’ Cave was left with a shattered skull after being hit by a bus outside her office in Croydon. Initially doctors said it was unlikely that Jaxx would survive after her accident, or have very little quality of life if she did. However, surpassing expectation, Jaxx learnt to walk, talk and feed herself again with the help of our support and rehabilitation coordinators.
Our personal injury solicitors helped Jaxx make a compensation claim so she could access the ongoing care and rehabilitation she’ll need for the rest of her life. As Jaxx will never be able to work again because of her injuries, her settlement will cover her lost earnings and will also allow her to live as independently as possible.
“My rehabilitation team have helped me feel that I can contribute to society and that I can perhaps now help others who find themselves on the same long road to recovery.”
”I might have always survived, but they have helped me to thrive and for that I truly cannot thank them enough.” - Jaxx, client
Read More Client Stories
Who Can Make A Personal Injury Claim?
If you’ve suffered an injury because of an accident that was someone else’s fault, you could be entitled to make a personal injury claim. Our personal injury solicitors are aware that you could be making a claim for a number of reasons including to access compensation and to make sure that the person or organisation responsible for your injuries is held to account.
You are able to make a claim on behalf of someone else, including:
- On behalf of a child who was involved in an accident before their 18th birthday
- For someone who doesn’t have the mental capacity to handle their own case
- On behalf of a loved one who has unfortunately passed away
If you’ve lost your loved one in an accident or due to illness where someone else was to blame, we could help you with:
- Getting compensation for your loved one’s pain and suffering, to account for financial losses caused by the death and to cover funeral expenses
- Representing you at inquest
- Dependency claims – helping you access inheritance that wasn’t left in your loved one’s Will
- Understanding what happened to your loved one
Our lawyers could also help you access a statutory bereavement award, a flat rate of £15,120 which is provided when a wrongful death has occurred. This is available if you’re the spouse, civil partner or parent (if under 18) of the person who died.
To find out more about making a personal injury claim, contact us free on 0800 056 4110.
How Long Do I Have To Make A Claim?
You normally have to make a personal injury claim within three years of the date of accident or the date of diagnosis for your illness, so you should contact us as soon as possible. By getting in touch with us earlier, it can help with the preparation of your claim as there are often fewer problems finding witnesses whose statements we need to support your case.
There are some exceptions to the three year time limit, including:
- Claims on behalf of children – these can be made at any point before their 18th birthday. When the child reaches 18, they can make their own claim at any stage up until they turn 21.
- Criminal injury claims – if you’ve been hurt in a violent crime, your case will be handled by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) who set a time limit of two years to make a claim after an incident.
- Mental capacity – there are no time limits to make a claim on behalf of someone who doesn’t have the ability to handle their own case.
- Fatal claims – to make a claim on behalf of your loved one, you’ll have three years from the date they died to make a claim. If a post-mortem found that the death was caused by an accident or illness, you have three years from the date you were informed.
- Accidents on board ships – after an accident on a cruise liner or ferry, you’ll usually have two years to make a claim from the date when you left the ship. The same time limit applies on board cargo ships but will count from the date of your injury.
- International flights – if you had an accident after you went through passport control, you’re technically classed as being on board an international flight. After an accident on an international flight, you’ll have two years to make a claim from your arrival at your final destination.
- Domestic flights – claims have to be made within two years of the time when you landed.
- Accidents/illnesses abroad – different time limits apply overseas depending on the country’s laws. We suggest you contact us as soon as possible to find out more.
If you would like to make a personal injury claim, we urge you to contact us as soon as possible so you do not exceed the time limit applied in your case. The courts do have the option to allow a case to progress after the stipulated time limit but these occurrences don’t very happen very often. Call us today on 0800 056 4110 for a free initial consultation to discuss your situation.
Can You Help Me Access Rehabilitation And Medical Care?
By making a personal injury claim with us, our lawyers will work hard to ensure that you get compensation which allows you to access the rehabilitation and support you need. Specialist medical care can be invaluable, helping you make the best recovery possible from your injuries.
Because of our years of experience in handling personal injury claims, we’ve seen how rehabilitation can make a huge difference to your recovery and long term well-being. If you need rehabilitation, our solicitors will work with our in-house support and rehabilitation coordinators, support groups and care providers to set up a plan for your care in the future.
We’ll always take the time to understand your needs and what you’d like to get out of your rehabilitation programme. If you already have rehabilitation treatment on the NHS, we can work alongside them and help you access any other support that you may need.
We’ve helped thousands of people access life-changing rehabilitation and support and our commitment has been awarded by Rehabilitation First, who have presented us with the Claimant Solicitor of the Year prize for our work seven times.
Find out more about rehabilitation and support.
Read More FAQs
Serious Injury Claims – We’re here to help if you’ve suffered a head, spinal cord or other serious injury in an accident.
Road Traffic Accidents - If you were involved in an accident on the road, as a driver, passenger, pedestrian or cyclist, you could claim compensation.
Long-term Disability Benefits - Information about the benefits you could claim for long-term disability.
Personal Injury Claims Guide - Answers to some frequently asked questions relating to personal injury claims.
All Scottish cases will be handled by the Scottish law firm with which we are associated, Irwin Mitchell Scotland LLP. The law relating to funding is different in Scotland and you will receive separate advice about what that means as well as a separate funding agreement.
*To make a No Win No Fee claim, you need to enter into an agreement that's linked to a suitable insurance policy. We'll explain this in more detail before we start your claim.
Founded in Sheffield in 1912, Irwin Mitchell has always been a bit different. Our advisers really get to know the people and business that we help.
It's what we call 'expert hand, human touch'.
We have offices around the UK so wherever you are, our experts can help.
Contact Us
Give us a ring to speak to a member of our team in the strictest confidence. Or you can fill out our contact form and we'll ring you back.
0800 056 4110
Our phone lines are open 24/7, 365 days a year
