If you sustain injuries in a workplace accident that wasn’t your fault, you might be looking for a personal injury solicitor to help you make a compensation claim. If so, the question of ‘Should I use accident at work solicitors near me?’ may be something you’re asking yourself.
If you search for ‘work injury solicitors near me’ to find someone to help you, you may discover that many of the results are for law firms based elsewhere. But could a solicitor based elsewhere in the UK help you? Would there be any effect on your claim by opting for personal injury solicitors in London when you’re based in the North of England, for example? And if you chose to use a solicitor based elsewhere, could they still support you if your case went to court? In this guide, we aim to answer all these questions and more.
Accident at work solicitor
In the sections that follow, we answer common questions claimants might have if they’re wondering, ‘Do I need to use accident injury solicitors near me?’ We also cover some general information about finding the best accident at work claims company to help you make a claim.
Also, we discuss the best way to calculate compensation amounts for personal injury claims and how long you might have to make your claim. If you’d like free legal advice tailored to your specific situation, there’s no need to search online for ‘accident at work solicitors near me’. All you need to do is call the Advice.co.uk team, and our expert advisors will be glad to help you. The number to call is 0161 696 9685.
Select A Section
- A Guide To Claims With Accident At Work Solicitors Near Me
- Calculating Accident At Work Compensation Settlements
- Damages Accident At Work Solicitors Could Help You Claim
- What Is An Accident At Work Solicitor?
- Do I Need To Visit My Accident At Work Solicitor In Person?
- How Will I Stay In Contact With My Solicitor?
- Does My Solicitor’s Location Affect My Accident At Work Claim?
- Are There Time Limits To Claim With Accident At Work Solicitors Near Me?
- Frequently Asked Questions About Using Accident At Work Solicitors Near Me
- No Win No Fee Accident At Work Solicitors Near Me
- Contact Our Team
- More Information
A Guide To Claims With Accident At Work Solicitors Near Me
If you’re searching for ‘accident at work solicitors near me’, you may be doing so because you were injured during an accident at work that was not your fault. A simple web search for personal injury solicitors near me could bring up a long list of results. However, if you look carefully, you may find that not all these ‘injury claim solicitors near me’ are based locally, and some are, in fact, nationwide companies.
The question is: do you need to use local solicitors to make a claim, or could one of these law firms based elsewhere help you? And would a solicitor’s location have any impact on you making a claim? This guide aims to answer all of your questions about finding an accident at work solicitor and how to go about making a claim.
What’s Covered In This Guide?
Below, we offer not only some insight into why searching for ‘personal injury solicitors near me’ may mean you miss out on getting help from some of the top solicitors in the UK. We’ll explain why you don’t need to opt for a solicitor in your local area and how claims would work if you didn’t use one. We also look at answering some common questions about solicitors and claims, including:
- Do I get paid if I have an accident at work?
- Can I be disciplined for having an accident at work?
- What procedures must be followed if you have an accident at work?
- How long can you claim for an accident at work?
- If I don’t use injury lawyers near me, will they still help me at court?
- Would making a claim be more difficult if I don’t use a personal injury lawyer near me?
If you would like answers from our personal injury claims team, they are on-hand 24/7. Their advice is free and you’ll be under no obligation to proceed with our services.
Calculating Accident At Work Compensation Settlements
Before we explore why you need not use a solicitor local to you when searching for help with a personal injury claim, let us look at how compensation payouts could be calculated. When you make a claim for injuries you sustain in a workplace accident that was not your fault, you need to collect evidence to prove your claim.
Some of this evidence would include a medical report from an independent medical professional. You would have to attend an appointment with such a professional so that they could examine you and write a report, which could be used to evidence:
- That they were caused by the accident.
- The severity of your injuries.
- How they could affect you in the future.
Would An Injury At Work Claim Calculator Tell Me How Much I’d Get?
If you are looking for an online accident at work claim calculator to tell you exactly how much your claim would be worth, you may be disappointed to learn that it is unlikely a personal injury claims calculator would be able to do this.
Solicitors assess every claim on its own merits, which requires a detailed and thorough assessment of all the evidence, facts, and circumstances surrounding the case and the incident in question. We recognise that this might be frustrating, especially if you are looking for some idea of how much your claim could be worth before taking it forward.
The Judicial College Guidelines
To give you some idea of compensation guideline payout amounts, we have created this table. These figures are based on recommended awards from the Judicial College Guidelines. Lawyers could use this publication to hone in on a value for a specific claim. If the table below doesn’t include your injury, we could provide more information about your injury’s guideline payout bracket over the phone. So give our expert team a call today!
Place of injury Severity Guideline Compensation Bracket
Back Minor Up to £11,730
Neck Minor Up to £7,410
Shoulder Moderate £7,410 - £11,980
Leg Moderate £26,050 - £36,790
Back Moderate £11,730 - £26,050
Pelvis/Hips Moderate £11,820 - £36,770
Neck Moderate £7,410 - £36,120
Back Severe £36,390 - £151,070
Shoulder Severe £18,020 - £45,070
Arm Severe £90,250 - £122,860
Pelvis/Hips Severe £36,770 - £122,860
Leg Severe £36,790 - £127,530
Neck Severe £42,680 - £139,210
Damages Accident At Work Solicitors Could Help You Claim
The two heads of compensation (also known as damages) that solicitors could help you claim as part of your compensation include the below:
General Damages
General damages relate to the non-pecuniary damage you suffer because of your accident and injury. What this means is that there is no definitive ‘price tag’ for the harm you suffer, whether it’s physically or mentally. Lawyers would assess the evidence of your injuries and how they affect you, and this could influence your payout. The table above shows examples of general damages payout brackets.
Special Damages
Special damages relate to the financial (pecuniary) cost of your accident and injuries. They could include:
Loss Of Income
Some claimants have a common question: ‘Do I get paid if I’m injured at work?’ How much your employer pays you while you are off sick depends on your employment status and contract. If you lose out on income because of your injury, you could include loss of income within your claim. This includes any overtime or bonus opportunities you may miss out on.
Care Costs
While you recover from a workplace injury, you could need help washing, dressing or feeding yourself if your injuries are severe. You could include the costs for such care within a personal injury claim. This includes both professional care and gracious care (care from friends and family).
Medical Expenses
Some people have to pay for medical expenses such as prescription fees, private counselling or private physiotherapy sessions to help them recover from illness or injury. You could include such costs within your claim.
Travel Expenses
If you pay to travel to see your lawyer or get to medical appointments, you could include such costs within your claim. If your injuries leave you unable to drive meaning you must use public transport instead, this too could be covered.
Evidence Of Special Damages
You must keep any evidence of the costs you incur. If you keep documents such as bank statements, payslips, receipts and bills in a safe place, you could be sure that you were claiming for everything you were eligible to claim for.
What Is An Accident At Work Solicitor?
If you’re searching for ‘accident at work solicitors near me’, you’re likely to have sustained an injury in a workplace accident that wasn’t your fault. An accident solicitor is a legal professional who could help you claim compensation for your injuries. They could build a case on your behalf and take on the work of proving your claim and fighting for compensation.
How Could An Accident At Work Solicitor Help Me?
Your employer has a duty of care towards you regarding your safety and health at work. Their responsibilities as to you are enshrined into law, which is outlined in the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. Within the Act, they are duty-bound to:
- Ensure that systems of work and your place of work do not cause harm to health (as much as is reasonably practicable).
- Provide training where appropriate, so you could perform your work safely.
- Provide personal protective equipment, train you how to use it properly and ensure it is adequate for use (if PPE is appropriate to reduce the risks to health).
If your employer breaches their duty of care towards you, and you sustain an injury at work as a result, you could be eligible to claim compensation. An accident at work solicitor could help you. Still, you don’t necessarily have to search for ‘accident at work solicitors near me’ to obtain professional legal assistance, as we explain in the later sections of this guide.
What Types Of Accident Could A Solicitor Help Me Claim For?
To claim compensation for a workplace injury, you would need to prove that:
- Your employer breached their duty of care towards you.
- You have sustained an injury (or suffered an illness) because they breached their duty towards you.
If you could prove the above, some examples of accidents and illnesses at work you could claim for could include:
- Workplace slips, trips and falls
- Musculoskeletal disorders caused by your work
- Being struck by a moving object
- Injuries you sustain due to unsafe machinery
- Assaults at work
- Work-related stress, depression or anxiety
- Manual handling injuries
If you believe you could have a claim, why not call our team for free legal advice? We could put you in touch with a lawyer who could assist with your claim.
Do I Need To Visit My Accident At Work Solicitor In Person?
You may be surprised to learn that you do not necessarily have to meet your solicitor in person. This is another reason why searching for ‘accident at work solicitors near me’ might not be useful. You could have your pick of any solicitor in the UK, and if you don’t want to meet them face-to-face during your claim, you would not usually have to.
However, if you would like to meet your solicitor, they could arrange to come and see you, even if you are in a hospital or at home far from where they are based. You could travel to visit them in addition to this, and you could claim compensation for the transport costs for your meeting as special damages.
Our panel of personal injury lawyers covers the country, so if you’re interested in pursuing a claim or would like further information as to how we could help, give our team a call today.
How Will I Stay In Contact With My Solicitor?
There are so many ways in which lawyers and clients can stay in contact. With technological advances in communication, your lawyer could stay in contact with you by:
- Telephone calls
- Video calls
- Zoom, Skype, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams meetings
- E-mails
- Letters
- File sharing software or services
If you prefer a specific form of communication, you should not be afraid to ask your solicitor to communicate with you in the way you prefer. Your solicitor should accommodate you wherever possible.
Does My Solicitor’s Location Affect My Accident At Work Claim?
As we mention in the sections above, while some people assume searching for ‘accident at work solicitors near me’ would be the best idea, they could be missing out on other, high-quality lawyers based elsewhere in the country. Your lawyer’s location should not affect your claim, your compensation payout, or the ease of the claims process in general.
While you might assume you would have to meet with your lawyer in person, you may never need to. Whether you use ‘injury law firms near me’ or not, some claims can proceed without client and lawyer meeting face-to-face. And, if you did prefer to visit your lawyer in person, you could still do so.
Are There Time Limits To Claim With Accident At Work Solicitors Near Me?
If you’ve had an accident at work, how long you have to claim would depend on whether you are aware that you have sustained injuries right away or not. Some work-related injuries and illnesses may not cause symptoms right away.
The personal injury claims time limit is usually 3 years from the date of a workplace accident. However, in some cases, the three year limitation period might begin on the date they obtained knowledge that negligence at least contributed to the injury or illness. There are also exceptions to the time limit that could apply to your claim, particularly if you lack the mental capacity to claim.
If you’re unsure whether you have time to claim, our advisors could offer free legal advice over the phone to clarify your position.
Frequently Asked Questions About Using Accident At Work Solicitors Near Me
Could My Solicitor Visit Me?
If you opt for a solicitor based elsewhere in the country, they could still visit you. You could also visit their offices if you wish. You could include travel costs for trips to see your lawyer within your claim as special damages.
Will I Need A Medical Check-Up And Can This Happen In My Area?
Even if you chose a solicitor based at the other end of the country, rather than opting to search for a ‘personal injury lawyer near me’, you could still attend a medical appointment locally. There are lots of independent medical experts spread across the country. The location of your solicitor would not affect where you must go for a medical appointment.
How Common Are Workplace Accidents?
According to the Health and Safety Executive, 111 workers were killed because of work injuries in 2019/20. 693,000 workers suffered a non-fatal injury at work in the same period. The most common types of accident causes were same level trips, falls and slips, handling, carrying or lifting incidents, and strikes by moving objects.
How Do I Report An Accident At Work?
You should report an accident in the workplace to the person in charge of health and safety. They should record your accident in the workplace accident book if there is one. If you do not have an accident book, you should report the incident in writing to your employer.
It would be wise to keep a copy of your report. Your employer has a legal responsibility to report certain injuries under RIDDOR. You can find out which injuries they should report on the HSE website.
No Win No Fee Accident At Work Solicitors Near Me
As we mentioned, you don’t have to search for solicitors local to you to find one take your case. And you need not pay a solicitor upfront fees to start a claim, either.
No Win No Fee claims allow you to begin a claim without paying any fees to your solicitor until your claim ends. And you would only pay your solicitor if they achieve a compensation payout for you.
How Do No Win No Fee Claims Proceed?
If you have financial concerns at the time of your injury, the last thing you’d want is to add to them by taking on a potentially expensive solicitor. With this in mind, you may want to use the services of a No Win No Fee personal injury lawyer. The benefits of going down this route include the following:
- Your personal injury lawyer sends you a No Win No Fee Agreement, which they ask you to sign and return to them. Within the document are details of the success fee you’d pay in the event of a successful claim. This fee is legally capped. It is a minor percentage of your total payout.
- You sign and return the agreement to your lawyer. They start work on your claim and negotiate compensation for you.
- When your compensation payout comes through, your solicitor deducts the success fee. The rest of the payout is for your benefit.
- In cases where your solicitor fails to secure a payout for you, you don’t pay the success fee. You would not be asked to cover your solicitor’s costs either.
If you’re interested in reading more about claiming for an accident at work under No Win No Fee terms, our guide could be useful. Alternatively, we could offer you further information over the phone. We could also put you in touch with a No Win No Fee personal injury lawyer from our panel.
Contact Our Team
Now we’ve answered common questions about using ‘accident at work solicitors near me’, you might want to call us for free legal advice to see whether you could claim. Or you might be ready to claim and would like our advisors to put you in touch with a lawyer that could help you. We’d be glad to help you. All you need to do is:
- Call the Advice.co.uk team on 0161 696 9685
- Complete our contact form
- Use Live Chat Messenger
More Information
In this final section we have linked you to various pieces of information we believe you may find useful when considering making a personal injury claim.
The Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992 – Find out more about your employer’s legal responsibility when it comes to providing you with PPE.
Do I Get Paid If I’m Injured At Work? – Why not read this guide to see if you are eligible for injury payments from work.
Reporting A Workplace Accident – You can find out how to report a workplace accident here.
Below, you can find links to lots more guides on accidents at work:
- Accidents at work FAQ
- How to make an accident at work claim
- Agency worker accident claims
- How to make a claim if injured as a temporary worker
- I hurt myself at work, can I make a claim?
- Can you sue your employer for an accident while still employed?
- How to prove an injury at work
- Will claiming against my employer create problems?
- Advice on claims if injured working for cash
- Employers’ responsibilities after an accident at work
- What happens if an employee does not report an accident or injury at work?
- How long after an accident at work do you have to claim?
- Do I need a lawyer if I get an injury at work?
- New employee had an accident at work – can they claim?
- I had an accident at work, what are my employers’ responsibilities?
- I didn’t take time off work after an accident, can I still claim?
- Who pays my work injury medical expenses?
- How to claim for a work accident
- What to do if I injured myself at work?
- Workplace accident claim time limits
- Accidents caused by tiredness and fatigue
- Can you be fired for a work-related accident?
- Foot injuries caused by a lack of safety books
- Could I make a workplace injury claim if I’m not an employee?
- Tendon injury at work claims
- Can you claim for an accident at work if you suffered no injury?
- How to claim for an injury at work when self-employed
- Can I claim if assaulted at work?
- Can I be sacked for having an accident at work?
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