Suffering a serious personal injury can have a huge impact on your life and your family. It may leave you unable to work and dealing with a lot of pain and suffering. If you have been injured through no fault of your own, it is understandable if you want answers and financial compensation from those responsible for your injuries.
If your injuries were caused by someone else’s negligence, or deliberate action, you may be entitled to compensation. The thought of pursuing a personal injury claim at this time might feel daunting, but with the right legal support the process can be kept straightforward, with our expert personal injury legal team doing all the hard work for you.
Our expertise with personal injury claims
At Novum Law, we offer dedicated, sensitive, and professional legal support to help you through this difficult time. Our specialist serious injury solicitors will provide clear, honest advice on whether your claim is worth pursuing, the amount of compensation likely to be available and the process involved. You can then make an informed decision about moving forward.
There is a wide range of serious injuries that can happen. Our expert team can help you make a compensation claim for accidents and injuries including:
- Spinal injuries– If you have suffered a spinal cord injury, you may need extra care and support, rehabilitation, physiotherapy, specialist equipment, and adaptations made to your home and car.
- Brain and head injuries– Severe brain and head injuries can happen for many reasons, including road traffic accidents, accidents at work, sports accidents, and criminal assaults. This can lead to you needing round-the-clock care and support.
- Road traffic accidents– Every year in the UK, tens of thousands of people are killed or seriously injured in road traffic accidents. Typical road accident claims our experts can help with include brain and head injuries, spinal injuries, bone fractures, nerve injuries, chronic pain, and fatal injuries.
- Motorcycle accidents– Motorcycle accidents often involve severe, life-changing injuries, or fatalities. We specialise in serious motorbike crashes involving brain and head injuries, spinal injuries, amputation and loss of limbs, bone fractures and fatal injuries.
- Cycling accident claims– We can help with serious cycling accidents involving brain and head injuries, spinal injuries, amputation and loss of limbs, broken bones and fractures and fatal injuries.
- Work accident claims – Your employer has a legal duty to make sure you are safe at work. If you have been injured in a work accident, we will ensure you get the maximum compensation you deserve.
- Medical negligence– Our team is expert in dealing with claims against the NHS and private medical providers. We can help with claims involving misdiagnosis, delayed diagnosis and delayed treatment, surgical negligence, anaesthetic mistakes and much more.
Our personal injury solicitors are experts in all types of serious injury claims against individuals, businesses, and organisations. Other serious injury claims we can help with include:
How personal injury compensation can help
Many people worry that making a personal injury claim means they will need to go to court, but our team is highly skilled in negotiating maximum settlements for serious personal injury claims. With our expertise on your side, it is highly unlikely that you will need to attend a court hearing.
We understand that it can be difficult to talk about your injuries and how it has affected your life. We are here to support you as well as advise you.
We offer No Win No Fee, which means you can make a serious injury compensation claim with no financial risk or hidden costs.
Successful personal injury claims tend to include compensation for:
- Loss of income
- Future loss of earnings and pension
- Private medical treatment
- Specialist rehabilitation and therapy – such as physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy
- Care and support
Personal injury damages can also assist with other costs you may be facing, such as:
- Paying for travel to hospital appointments for check-ups and treatment
- Adaptations to your home or car
- Buying specialist equipment or mobility devices
Your serious personal injury compensation can also cover the non-financial impact of your injuries, such as pain and suffering and the impact on your daily life (sometimes called ‘loss of amenity’).
How making a personal injury claim works
Book a free initial consultation with our expert personal injury solicitors
If you would like to make a serious injury claim, get in touch with our specialist personal injury solicitors for a FREE initial consultation.
Our expert personal injury lawyers will ask you about how your accident happened, talk through all the details with you and will work out if you’ll be able to make a successful serious injury claim.
We have regional offices in Bristol, Cardiff, the Isle of Wight, Plymouth, Salisbury, Southampton and Swindon, offering a personal and professional service to clients throughout England and Wales.
To book a free, no-obligation chat with us, call 0800 884 0777, email info@novumlaw.com or complete our online enquiry form.
No Win No Fee serious injury compensation claims
We offer No Win No Fee funding, which means there is no financial risk to you or any hidden, unexpected costs. In the highly unlikely event that your personal injury claim is unsuccessful, you will not have to pay a penny. Find out more information about No Win No Fee.
Investigating your personal injury claim
Our serious personal injury lawyers will investigate your claim thoroughly. We will gather the evidence needed and work with leading independent medical experts and barristers to build a strong case.
In most cases, you only have a period of 3 years from the date of your accident in which to claim serious injury compensation. In certain cases, this time limit can be shorter, or sometimes longer.
Timing is critical in personal injury claims. If you or a family member has been injured due to someone else’s negligence or deliberate action, it is important to contact a serious injury law firm as soon as possible.
Working out how much personal injury compensation you are owed
The value of your claim can vary significantly depending on the individual circumstances of your injury. Many factors will be taken into consideration by your serious injury team, such as the severity of your injury or illness, the impact on your day-to-day life and your specific needs.
There are 2 parts to a compensation claim:
- General Damages – These compensate you for your injury or illness, your pain and suffering and how your lifestyle has been affected.
- Special Damages – Compensation for any ‘out of pocket’ expenses and loss of earnings you’ve incurred. This includes any possible future losses and your future care needs, such as medical treatments, rehabilitation, and house adaptations.
Find out more about how we calculate compensation.
Time limits for personal injury claims
You must make a personal injury claim within 3 years of the date of your injury, and in some cases, you will need to make it even sooner.
It’s vital you get in touch with us as soon as possible so that we have enough time to fully investigate your serious injury case.
If you have any questions about time limits, you can call us on Freephone 0800 884 0777 or email info@novumlaw.com.
Settling a serious injury claim out of court
Most personal injury claims we handle are settled without going to court. This is achieved through negotiation between our personal injury lawyers and the defendant’s legal team.
Settling a personal injury case out of court is usually much faster than court proceedings, and generally less stressful to deal with, while still ensuring you can get the maximum compensation that you are entitled to.
Even where it becomes necessary to issue court proceedings as part of the claims process, you will not necessarily end up having to attend a court hearing. Most claims that reach this stage can still be resolved with a settlement before your hearing date arrives.
Taking your serious injury claim to court
If we do have to issue court proceedings (for example, because no settlement agreement is reached informally), we will guide you through the process and ensure you understand what is happening each step of the way.
Frequently Asked Questions about serious injury claims
How do No Win No Fee serious injury claims work?
There are no upfront or hidden costs when you make a compensation claim with Novum Law. We fund all of our serious injury cases using Conditional Fee Agreements (CFAs), which you may have heard referred to as ‘No Win No Fee’.
This means you do not have to worry about legal costs as we progress your claim and there is no financial risk to you. In the unlikely event your claim is unsuccessful, you will have nothing to pay.
Before we take on your claim, we will explain how No Win No Fee works, including how our fees will be calculated in the event of a successful claim, as well as the need for After the Event Insurance to cover any potential third-party costs.
Find out more about No Win No Fee.
How long does it take to get serious personal injury compensation?
There is no set answer to this as it depends on the individual circumstances. However, your claim is usually resolved faster if a voluntary settlement can be agreed with the defendant. It may take longer if a court hearing is required.
Am I owed compensation following an accident or an injury?
To be entitled to compensation for an accident or injury, it must be shown that your injuries were caused either by someone else’s negligence (for example, your employer failing to provide a safe working environment) or deliberate action (for example, if you were assaulted).
We will need to provide strong supporting evidence to give your claim the best chance of success. Using our many years of experience, our serious injury solicitors know what is needed for a successful claim. This allows us to ensure the right evidence is collected and that it is presented effectively in support of your claim.
How long do you have to claim personal injury compensation?
The standard time limit is 3 years from the date of the injury or the date you realised you’d suffered an injury and someone else was to blame. However, there are some exceptions where you could have longer to claim under certain circumstances.
If you are claiming on behalf of a child, you have until they turn 18 to bring a claim. When the child turns 18, they can bring their own claim where appropriate, up until their 21st birthday.
If you need to claim on behalf of someone who doesn’t have the mental capacity to make legal decisions (due to a serious brain injury or learning difficulties, for example) then there is no time limit to claim.
Different time limits may also apply for some injuries sustained abroad.
Where a loved one has died due to serious injuries, you typically have 3 years from their date of death to claim on behalf of their estate and/or dependants.
Time can be a critical factor in claiming compensation for personal injury, so it’s important to get in touch with our specialist personal injury solicitors as soon as possible for expert advice.
How much compensation can I get for an accident?
This will depend on the severity of the injuries you have suffered and the impact on your life.
Personal injury compensation claims can cover financial costs such as medical treatment, rehabilitation, care and support, as well as adaptations to the home and loss of earnings and pension. It can also cover the non-financial impact of injuries (such as pain and suffering or loss of amenity).
Calculating the exact value of the damages available for a serious injury can be complicated. We will always give a realistic indication of the likely compensation available at the outset so you can have an idea of what may be achievable.
How do I start a serious injury claim?
We aim to keep the whole process as straightforward as possible for you. Following an initial phone consultation, one of our specialist serious injury solicitors will arrange a meeting either by video, phone or email to discuss the details of your personal injury compensation claim.
This is your opportunity to tell us how your injuries occurred and the impact on your day-to-day life. Our lawyer will then guide you through the claims process, explain No Win No Fee funding and talk you through any relevant paperwork that needs to be completed.
From that point on, your solicitor will pursue your claim on your behalf and keep you regularly updated as your claim progresses.
Is compensation available for a family member who died in an accident?
If a loved one has died due to serious injuries caused by someone else, you may be able to claim compensation on behalf of their estate or dependants. Where this is an option, you will typically have 3 years from the date of death to make a claim.
Compensation available for a fatal accident may potentially cover:
- Funeral expenses
- The loss of the deceased’s income
- Loss of services provided by the deceased (for example, personal care support)
- Normal household costs
- Medical costs
- Childcare costs
- Counselling
Find out more about fatal injury claims.
I’m not happy with my current personal injury law firm. Can you take over from my current solicitor?
We are often contacted by clients who have been pursuing a personal injury claim with another firm. They may feel things are not progressing fast enough or that their solicitors have agreed a personal injury settlement that is lower than it should be.
In these cases, our personal injury solicitors are happy to provide an independent second opinion. If we think your case has been mishandled, we will be happy to take over and do everything we can to get you the result you deserve.
In previous cases where we have taken over personal injury claims from other firms, our team has been able to get a significantly higher settlement and/or secure compensation faster.
Do you have a question we have not answered?
If you have a question about making a serious injury claim that is not listed above, please visit our FAQs page. Alternatively, please get in touch, and we will be happy to answer your query.
Please book your free initial consultation with our serious injury solicitors
If you or a loved one has a serious injury claim, our expert solicitors in Bristol, Cardiff, the Isle of Wight, Plymouth, Salisbury, Southampton and Swindon are here to help.
To start the process of making your compensation claim, contact us on Freephone 0800 884 0777 or online for a free, no-obligation chat.