Suffering a personal injury isn’t in anybody’s future plans. We can all speak from experience in saying that physical injuries and emotional distress come as an unwelcome surprise. If you have been injured (physically or mentally) and if you have considered whether you may have the right to claim personal injury compensation, there are some things that you should know in relation to your claim. First of all, if you initially did not want to pursue a claim because you were under the belief that you cannot afford to start proceedings, you should know that many personal injury law firms work on a no win no fee basis – this means that you may not face any upfront costs.
Next, we wish to dispel the common belief that beginning a claim for personal injury compensation will result in a court appearance. In the vast majority of cases, claims for personal injury compensation are settled out of court, meaning the other side accepts liability and pays cash compensation in an agreement to end the matter (where the guilty third-party knows they will lose, they are unlikely to progress the case to court – see personalinjury.com for more details). Let’s look at some other useful information regarding your personal injury claim.
Time limits
Depending where you are in the world, time limits will normally apply to beginning your claim. Typically, the time limit for beginning a claim is three years. This simply means that you have three years from the date of your injury to begin proceedings (the case does not have to be complete inside this time). Wondering about childhood injuries? You can still claim as an adult – you usually have three years from the date of knowledge (this is the date upon which you became aware that your injury was caused by circumstances beyond your control as a child – for example, asbestos inhalation).
Things don’t happen overnight
The movies make legal cases look like they start on a Monday with Keanu Reeves making an opening statement, followed by a bit of confusion over some pertinent facts on Tuesday, before everything is resolved and the good guys win and we all get to celebrate with mid-day sushi on Wednesday. There’s a reason movies are called ‘make-believe’. Depending on the type of case, and again depending where you are in the world (and taking into account how busy all lawyers and court rooms are), your case could take several months to complete. In some instances, evidence gathering and the overall formal process can even take more than a year.
The best thing to do if you are unsure is to speak to a lawyer. They are there to inform you. You don’t have to wonder about your rights in silence.
