Many people don’t realise that they are entitled to claim for more than just an injury following an accident that wasn’t their fault.
Pain & Suffering
The most common and widely known part of a claim is the compensation for the pain and suffering caused by the injuries. We call these general damages. The monetary figure attributed to this compensation is usually determined by the amount of time it will take the injury to heal. We calculate this by sending clients to get a medical examination and by referring to the Guidelines for the Assessment of General Damages in Personal Injury Cases in Northern Ireland, the book more commonly known as “The Green Book”. You can read that here.
Loss of Earnings
There are many other things that you can potentially claim for and these are called special damages. Compensation for loss of earnings is a common variety of special damages. The amount awarded to you is the financial sum that you would have earned at work had injuries not prevented you in doing so. Although the process changes slightly, both employed and self-employed people can claim for loss of earnings. In some cases where the injury has long term consequences, you can even be awarded with future loss of earnings too.
Property Damage
In lots of instances when injury is sustained there is also accompanying property damage. This is especially the case when the injury was a result of a car accident. However, perhaps a mobile phone, clothing or a pair of glasses was damaged. Personal property can also be claimed for as a special damage.
Medical Care and Treatment
To ensure the best possible treatment you’re entitled to private care that is paid for as an addition to compensation. Examples of this type of healthcare include physiotherapy, cosmetic surgery and dental work. If you need medical equipment such as a walking aid or wheelchair it’s also covered. In the cases of more serious injuries, the unfortunate injured party might need a carer or even improvements made to their home to make it more accessible.
Anything that’s left you out of pocket
Compensation is supposed to put victims back into the same position they were in prior to the accident. That’s why this list could go on for hundreds of pages. There are countless miscellaneous things that could be claimed for depending on the unique accident the person claiming was involved in. As a rule of thumb, if something has left you out of pocket, there is an argument for claiming whatever the amount back. Some common examples include the cost of taxis to and from work, an insurance excess and the cost of vehicle hire and recovery.
We pride ourselves in the ability to determine additional things that can be included in our client’s compensation following our investigations. This is why we have a reputation for getting the maximum amount of compensation possible.
If you suffered an injury that wasn’t your fault, learn more about our services or contact us for a free, no obligation discussion on how we can help you.
