How We Value Your Claim

If you have suffered an injury as a result of another person’s negligence, then you are entitled to make a claim for compensation.  You are therefore known as the “claimant” and you can deal with your claim yourself.  However, if the injured party is under the age of 18, or deemed to be unable to deal with their own legal affairs, the court will appoint what is known as a “litigation friend” who can deal with the claim on that person’s behalf.  It is often best if the litigation friend is a family member, guardian, or close friend.

Compensation

If you have suffered a personal injury, you can claim two types of compensation, these are known as general damages and special damages.

General Damages

General damages are designed to compensate you for the pain, suffering, and loss of amenity suffered by you as a result of your accident.  Often the amount of general damages will depend upon the severity of your injuries and the extent of your symptoms or disability.

Special Damages

Special damages are the other losses that you incur as a result of being injured.  You can claim for any past or future expenses, but in most circumstances you will be required to produce evidence of the expenses.  The most common types of special damages include loss of earnings, any medical or rehabilitation treatment, care and assistance, travel expenditure, vehicle repairs, hire costs, and damage to personal property.

You should always try to keep a record of your expenses, and wherever possible, obtain receipts or invoices.  If at any stage you believe you may need to incur any future expenses, please do speak with us to discuss this.  In relation to any claim for loss of earnings, we will normally request that you provide us with your employer’s details in order that we may request the necessary information from them.