Compensation Claims Made Simple by Nowinnofee.co.uk

Feb. 10, 2010 - PRLog -- Claiming compensation can be a complex and daunting process with many people becoming so overwhelmed with the bureaucracy that they give up on the claim entirely. With this in mind, Nowinnofee.co.uk, the UK’s first independent resource website for people looking to pursue compensation claims, has launched it’s Guide to Making a Claim to educate the public on their right to reimbursement and help the process to run more smoothly.

Am I Eligible?
The first step is to find out whether you are eligible to claim. There is often a lot of grey area – particularly surrounding accident or injury claims – so the best course of action is to present your case to a claims handler and let them determine whether there are grounds to proceed. If no actions have been taken to ensure your personal safety, whether at work or in a public place, a claim should always be accepted no matter how minor your injury. And remember, the term “injury compensation claim” is not only applicable to physical injuries, bullying in the workplace is legally classed as psychological injury and victims should always be entitled to submit claims.

Know the Process
When making a claim it’s important to get to grips with how the process works to help understand any decisions that are made and avoid some of the frustrations that often accompany a compensation claim. If all goes to plan, the procedure is in fact, relatively straightforward. If it is concluded that there is eligibility to make a claim, your solicitor will send the defendant a letter stating your intent and, if liability is accepted, will negotiate on your behalf and your compensation amount will be agreed. If the defendant disputes your claim, then it will then go to court for a decision to be made.

How Much Can I Claim?
How much you can claim depends mainly on the individual circumstances involved meaning there is no definitive answer as to the amount you are likely to receive for certain types of injury, particularly as factors such as loss of earnings and emotional stress are more difficult to assess. However, national guidelines do exist advising how much can be typically awarded for certain injuries – for example up to £7000 for a fractured shoulder, £1000 - £4500 for mild whiplash and up to £98,000 for a severe back injury. Your claims solicitor will be able to give you an accurate guide based on your personal circumstances.

Be Prepared
Your claim will be processed far more quickly if you can provide as much supporting evidence as possible when you initiate the claim. Keep a note of the time, date, location and weather conditions when the accident or injury occurred and take photos of the scene. Make detailed notes of who caused the accident including their name, address, telephone number, sex, age etc and try to take contact details of any witnesses. If applicable, get the other parties’ insurance details and if the police or another emergency service have attended get the details of the officer in charge. Always seek medical attention from your local A&E department or GP and keep any paperwork of attendance or ask for a doctors note explaining why you have been treated.