What can I claim?
Compensation for your injuries is made up of the following main components:-
General damages
Broadly speaking, this is compensation for the pain, suffering and loss of amenity resulting from your injury.
Were your case to go to Court, the trial judge would consider previous cases involving similar injuries to see how much compensation the English Courts have awarded in the past.
The amount of general damages depends on the particular circumstances of the case and the effects of the injuries on the injured person.
A court would usually consider the medical diagnosis and prognosis as a starting point.
No two injuries are identical and you should be cautious of other web sites which give figures for particular types of injury. Why not call us for free specialist advice? You should also bear in mind that this is only part of the compensation and items of special damages such as loss of earnings can add very significant amounts.
Special damages
These are out of pocket expenses incurred as a result of the accident.
Special damages include such items as loss of earnings, medication costs, travel expenses, damaged clothing, and the cost of any care you have received as a result of your injuries (whether or not you paid for such care).
This list is not exhaustive and there are many other losses / expenses which you may be able to claim.
Where possible, a claim for Special Damages should be supported by some form of documentation such as receipts, letters, wage slips and invoices.
You should therefore ensure that you obtain and keep any documents which support the losses and expenses you incur.
