Meet Amanda
Amanda Evans is our personal injury claims expert
Very helpful, polite, kept me updated throughout my case and took very good care of me.
Personal injury claims
Winston Solicitors offer legal advice for personal injury claims following road traffic accidents, accidents at work and trips or slips in a public place.
Wherever you are in England or Wales, our experienced and expert team of personal injury specialists can assist you with your case. We offer:
- ‘No win, no fee’.
- Specialist expertise.
- Support from our full legal team.
- A first class, personal service by the same file handler throughout.
How are personal injury claims valued?
UK personal injury claims are valued in two parts: general damages and special damages.
General damages
This aspect of your claim is the compensation you receive for the personal injury itself. Every claim is different and each case will be judged on its own merits. These factors include:
- The type of injury and how serious it is.
- Your age, occupation and how the injury has impacted your ability to do that job.
- Your leisure activities.
- Your domestic responsibilities.
It may be that you can still work, but the injury has impacted your job security. Compensation awards of this kind are known as 'handicap on the open labour market'.
In order to succeed with this type of claim you will need to show that if you lose your job then you will have more difficulty getting another as a result of your injury.
Talk to our personal injury claims team by calling 0113 320 5000
Special damages
This is compensation for the financial impact of the injury. This includes:
- Actual loss of earnings. This is calculated by the average of your wages over the 13 weeks prior to your accident.
- Future loss of earnings. If you need to leave your job, you can claim for the money you would have earned had the accident not occurred.
- Compensation for costs for care and domestic services. If you now need to ask friends or family to do domestic tasks for you such as decorating, gardening or maintenance, you can claim for the time they incur.
- Other financial losses. These might include travel costs to see your GP or trips to the hospital, or even replacing clothing damaged in the accident.
Making CRU repayments
If the state has already supported you financially as a result of your inability to work, you will need to pay some of this back once your personal injury claim is settled.
This is repaid to the Compensation Recovery Unit, part of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). This is to ensure that you are not receiving more money than you would normally earn by receiving compensation.
Call our experienced personal injury team here in Leeds on 0113 320 5000 for an informal discussion of your case or email @email
You do not have to make a claim directly to the responsible party. We will take instructions from you as to the circumstances of the accident and the extent of your injuries. We will then submit your claim to the insurers on your behalf setting out your claim.
You generally have three years from the date of the accident to start a claim. However, exceptions can apply, so contact us for tailored advice.
The length of time varies depending on the complexity of the case. Simple cases can be resolved within 6-12 months, while more serious claims may take longer.
The value of your claim will be based on the medical evidence. No claim is settled without your specific authority to do so. This ensures that you keep absolute control of your claim. Compensation is generally divided into two parts:
General Damages
These are damages for pain and suffering including the loss of the ability to do certain tasks, hobbies etc. This award compensates you for the suffering you have encountered usually in its physical form e.g. whiplash, broken leg, strained muscles etc. However, it is also possible to be compensated for psychological distress and conditions such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Special Damages
You will also receive compensation for specific quantifiable losses attributable to the accident. These include loss of earnings, car hire expenses, care and services, extra expenses (e.g. travel costs incurred going to doctors, hospitals, etc,) damaged clothing, and prescription charges. All we ask is that you keep a note of any expenses, and preferably receipts so that when we eventually calculate your claim for special damages, we will be able to include all relevant items.
If the injuries were the result of a criminal attack then you might be able to claim from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA). We have devised a CICA calculator to give victims an idea as to how much compensation they could be entitled to.
If we do not win your case then we do not have any right to recover our fees from you. If we do win your case the insurers pay a fixed contribution towards the legal costs. You will also make a payment to us out of your compensation.