Do I Need to Claim With an Injury Lawyer Near Me?
By Danielle Fletcher. Last Updated 17th May 2023. Many people ask if they suffer an injury at work that wasn’t their fault, ‘does my lawyer have to be near me?’ You may be one of these people. If so, this guide aims to help you.
If you are owed compensation for an injury at work that wasn’t your fault, then it can be confusing to work out the steps to take. For example, you may be wondering whether it’s a requirement to approach a local solicitor or whether you can use the services of a legal professional further afield.
If you’ve suffered an injury at work, a solicitor may be able to help you regardless of their location. However, there could be exceptions to this.
Do I Need To Claim With An Injury At Work Lawyer Near Me?
This article aims to clear up any misunderstandings on this subject as well as provide you with information on the personal injury claims process. Read on for more information.
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Our advisors are ready and waiting to take your call. They’re available 24/7 so you can get in touch whenever it’s best for you. What’s more, you won’t be under any obligation to proceed with the services of our panel of solicitors. However, if you do have a favourable claim and would like to be connected with them, our advisors can help.
- You can call us on 020 3870 4868
- Chat to us live using the pop-up window in the bottom right
- Fill out our online claim form and we’ll get back to you whenever is best for you
Services And Information
- Do I Need To Work With Lawyers Near Me?
- Will I Need To Visit An Injury At Work Lawyer Near Me?
- How Can I Keep In Contact With An Injury At Work Lawyer Near Me?
- Does My Lawyer’s Location Affect My Claim?
- Injury At Work Compensation Calculator
- How Long Do I Have To Claim With An Injury At Work Lawyer Near Me?
- I Suffered An Injury At Work, What Should I Do?
- Do You Handle Injury At Work Claims On A No Win No Fee Basis?
- Other Information
- FAQs About Injury At Work Claims
Do I Need To Work With Lawyers Near Me?
If you have been injured in an accident at work, you may be eligible to make a personal injury claim. However, you will need to prove that your injury was caused by your employer breaching the duty of care they owed you.
Per the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, your employer owes you a duty of care. They must take reasonable steps to keep you safe while in the workplace and performing work-related duties. Failure to do so could result in you being injured in an accident at work, and you could make a personal injury claim.
If you are eligible to make a claim, you may be wondering, “Do I need to use lawyers near me?”. You don’t have to use a local lawyer when pursuing compensation. Lots of lawyers can now help you with your claim over the phone and via the Internet. It’s best to find a lawyer that has experience with your particular type of claim.
If you have been involved in a work accident, a lawyer from our panel could help support your claim. They could help you with gathering evidence, arranging a private medical assessment and guiding you through the process of claiming.
Contact our advisors today if you are still wondering, ‘Do I need to work with injury lawyers near me?” Additionally, they could provide you with free advice for your claim and connect you with a lawyer on our panel.
Will I Need To Visit An Injury At Work Lawyer Near Me?
Needing to physically visit a solicitor’s office is largely no longer necessary. Whilst it’s true that each case is different, it’s become increasingly rare for you to be required to meet a solicitor in person. Developments such as video calls and email have made it possible for you to work with a personal injury lawyer remotely.
Solicitors are able to arrange medical assessments that form a part of the claims process too. Though you’d need to meet an independent medical professional, such as a doctor, in person to have them assess your injuries, your solicitor could arrange for this to be done locally.
The location of the firm’s office shouldn’t disqualify you from their services. This can be the case for physical and mental injuries, as well as industrial disease.
How Can I Keep In Contact With An Injury At Work Lawyer Near Me?
Someone pursuing compensation may be concerned when trying to claim for an injury at work. ‘A lawyer near me will be easier to work with’ is a common point of view. In reality, all major processes can be dealt with online or over the phone securely.
You could work with a lawyer that’s not near you in the following ways:
- Video calls. Applications such as Skype and Zoom can be used to speak to and see a solicitor from anywhere in the country. Even if you need to go abroad during your case, international video calls are also possible.
- Electronic signatures. Signing legal documents can now also be done remotely using a variety of techniques. You can also scan in a hand-signed document and submit it that way.
- Shared electronic documents. There’s software that allows people to collaboratively alter documents online to keep everyone involved up to date.
To find out more about how our panel of solicitors could help you with your claim (remotely or otherwise), get in touch with us today.
Does My Lawyer’s Location Affect My Claim?
A personal injury case can be derailed by a number of factors. However, the location of your legal representative shouldn’t be one of these issues. There’s not a requirement for you to hire a lawyer who’s local to you.
Some law firms will have more experience dealing with cases similar to yours. Because of this, it can sometimes even be beneficial to work with a lawyer further from your local area.
With all of the ways to work remotely nowadays, it’s often best to choose who is more likely to help you win your case. Working with a firm based solely on their proximity to you doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll have a greater chance of success.
So if you’re thinking that following an injury at work that wasn’t your fault, a lawyer near you will be the best choice, this is not necessarily the case.
Injury At Work Compensation Calculator
When claiming work injury compensation, you could be awarded general damages. Any physical or mental health injuries can be included under this head of claim. They are designed to compensate for the pain, suffering or loss of amenity caused by your injuries.
Although you might see tools like a personal injury compensation calculator, we would recommend using our table below instead. It features figures relating to general damages from the 16th edition of the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG).
However, only use the table as guidance only as the final personal injury settlement you could receive will also be inclusive of any special damages you claim for.
| Injury | Severity | Potential Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Hand Injuries | (a) Total or Effective Loss of Both Hands | £140,660 to £201,490 |
| Hand Injuries | (r) Loss of Thumb | £35,520 to £54,830 |
| Facial Disfigurement | (a) Very Severe Scarring | £29,780 to £97,330 |
| Facial Disfigurement | (c) Significant Scarring | £9,110 to £30,090
|
| Facial Disfigurement | (e) Trivial Scarring | £1,710 to £3,530 |
| Toe Injuries | (a) Amputation of All Toes | £36,520 to £56,080 |
| Toe Injuries | (e) Moderate Toe Injuries | Up to £9,600 |
| Injuries to the Elbow | (a) A Severely Disabling Injury | £39,170 to £54,830
|
| Achilles Tendon | (a) Most Serious | In the region of £38,430 |
| Skeletal Injuries | (b) Multiple Fractures of Facial Bones | £14,900 to £23,950 |
| Skeletal Injuries | (e) Fractures of Jaws (iii) | £6,460 to £8,730 |
| Other Arm Injuries | (d) Simple Fractures of the Forearm | £6,610 to £19,200 |
Special damages are awarded to compensate for any financial loss or out-of-pocket expenses you have incurred because of your injuries. For example, you might have to pay for specialist equipment, such as a wheelchair, to accommodate an injury such as a broken toe. Additionally, you may experience a loss of earnings after taking time off work to recover from your injuries.
An experienced personal injury lawyer from our panel could assess any general or special damages you might be awarded. Get in touch at any time for a free consultation.
How Long Do I Have To Claim With An Injury At Work Lawyer Near Me?
There is a time limit for personal injury claims, but this is not the choice of your solicitor. The Limitation Act 1980 states that you generally have 3 years from the date of the accident (or the date you gained knowledge that negligence at least contributed to your injuries) to make a claim.
General Accident Claims
The 3-year time limit from the date of your accident will generally apply to many cases. Although, there could be an alternative date. Your injuries may only be discovered or diagnosed as being caused by someone else’s negligence at a date following that of your accident.
If this is the case, then this is known as the date of knowledge. The date of knowledge could act as the first day of your 3-year limit. This is especially common in cases of industrial illness due to symptoms presenting themselves later.
Having medical evidence to prove the date of your diagnosis is very important in these scenarios.
Child Accident Claims
The 3-year time limit is suspended for claimants under 18 years old. It will only begin on their 18th birthday when they legally become an adult. Before then, they are not permitted to pursue their own claim. Someone can pursue the claim for them in the meantime. A parent, guardian, friend or legal representative can act as a litigation friend.
Claiming For Those With A Diminished Mental Capacity
If the claimant doesn’t have the mental capacity to pursue a claim on their own behalf, a litigation friend can step in. Before their mental capacity returns, the 3-year time limit is suspended. However, if their mental capacity does return, the claimant would have 3 years from the date of recovery to claim.
I Suffered An Injury At Work, What Should I Do?
If you’ve suffered an injury at work that wasn’t your fault, there are a few steps you could take to stand the best chance of being awarded the compensation you deserve. Here are some of the main ones:
- Seek medical attention. It’s important that you receive the appropriate treatment. Not only can this help limit the overall severity of your injury, but your medical records can be used as evidence during the claims process.
- Gather relevant evidence. Photographs of injuries and the hazard that caused them, CCTV footage and contact details from witnesses for statements could all be of great assistance further down the line.
- Seek legal advice. Our advisors will be able to find out more from you regarding your claim. They give free legal advice. What’s more, if you have grounds for a solid claim, they could connect you with our panel of solicitors who can work remotely.
Do You Handle Injury At Work Claims On A No Win No Fee Basis?
Working with a lawyer on a No Win No Fee basis means that you won’t be responsible for paying your lawyer’s fees if your case is unsuccessful. If you’re worried about accumulating high legal costs, making a No Win No Fee agreement could be a much less stressful method.
If your claim is successful, your lawyer is paid via a small, legally capped percentage of your settlement payout. You’ll know the percentage in the agreement and it would only be taken once the compensation comes through.
Once our advisors have reviewed your information, they will determine if you have a valid and solid claim. If you do, they could connect you with our panel of lawyers. Our panel offers their services on a No Win No Fee basis.
Get in touch with us today if this is something you feel would aid your claim. You can also get in touch to discuss why you might not need to use the services of an injury at work lawyer near you.
- You can call us on 020 3870 4868
- Chat to us live using the pop-up window in the bottom right
- Use our online form to request a callback whenever it’s best for you
Other Information
We’ve included some additional information for you to take a look at.
Statistics regarding health and safety in the workplace.
Signs you may have broken a bone, from the NHS.
Your legal right to request CCTV footage of yourself.
Our below guides could help you understand more about personal injury claims.
More from us about making a claim on behalf of someone else.
Your time limits when claiming for industrial hearing loss.
Whether you can claim against an employer while still working for them.
FAQs About Injury At Work Claims
In this section of our guide, we answer frequently asked questions relating to personal injury claims.
How bad do my injuries need to be to claim compensation?
There’s no real benchmark for how bad your injuries need to be. Everybody deals with being injured differently. Even minor injuries may be eligible for compensation. However, solicitors may not take on cases where the injury has a low value or the claim is unlikely to succeed.
The more severe your workplace injuries, the more you stand to be potentially awarded. If you get in touch with our advisors, we will be able to let you know whether you could be eligible to claim compensation.
What evidence do I need to support my claim?
There’s a variety of evidence that you can obtain to help support your claim. For example, you should take photographs of what caused your injury. This could be an unsafe work environment or even damaged or faulty equipment.
If anybody saw your accident, you could also ask them for their contact details for a witness statement. The accident should also be logged in the accident book which may be present at your place of work.
Medical records could also help you prove the extent of your injury. This could help you prove that the injury occurred how you say that it did.
Can I be fired for making a claim?
If you have been injured at work, it could be due to your employer breaching their duty of care. Should you wish to file a claim while still working for them, they cannot legally fire you for this. If they do, you could also file a claim for unfair dismissal.
How could a solicitor help me?
A solicitor’s job is to help you successfully navigate the terrain of the legal process. In personal injury cases, their goal is to get you as much compensation as they think you may deserve for your injury.
By working with a solicitor, they should be able to clarify anything that confuses you during the process. They can also negotiate with the other side for you and represent you in court in the unlikely event that the claim makes it to court.
Thanks for reading our guide answering the question, ‘Do I need an injury at work lawyer near me?’
Writer IB
Checked by HT
