Personal injury claims are reliant on evidence as these documents can confirm the injuries, severity and extent of harm caused. Not just this, but documentation can be used to show how a third party acted negligently, demonstrating liability, and can be used to prove any associated financial losses caused by your accident. If you are wondering how to claim, you could be interested in learning what evidence is needed and how this can be obtained.
At Public Interest Lawyers, we are committed to placing clients at the heart of all that we do; with this in mind, we understand that starting a claim can feel daunting and overwhelming. This is why we are here to help explain the process when proving a claim. From helping with assessing the evidence needed for a personal injury claim to a solicitor from our panel gathering these vital documents, we are here through every step of the process to help create an evidence-based claim and advocate on your behalf so that you seek the compensation you deserve.
To learn more about what evidence is needed for a personal injury claim, please feel free to get in touch with our advisors today. With their friendly approach, you can ask any questions you might have about making a claim.
A List Of Evidence Needed For A Personal Injury Claim
- Evidence Taken At The Scene Of The Accident
- Official Reports Evidence
- Details Of Accident Witnesses
- Evidence Of Medical Records
- Financial Loss Evidence
- Other Key Evidence
- What Evidence Will Be Needed For A Road Traffic Accident Claim?
- What Will Evidence Need To Prove?
- Can A Solicitor Help Me To Obtain The Evidence?
- No Win No Fee Personal Injury Claims
- More Information
Evidence Taken At The Scene Of The Accident
Evidence needed for a personal injury claim will include documentary evidence of the accident scene. This evidence, taken at the scene, can be crucial when proving fault; it can help establish liability or prove the extent of injuries. Moreover, it provides a real-time record of the incident before any key details can be lost or altered and essentially provides the foundation of your body of evidence, which your solicitor can use when negotiating a settlement.
Evidence from the accident scene can generally include photos or videos of the scene, any hazards, and any visible injuries. For personal injury claims, photographs can help provide a chronological account of events whilst highlighting the extent of injuries and harm. Additionally, any CCTV or dashcam footage could provide an objective standpoint of what happened.
If you’d like to learn more about the importance of evidence taken at the scene of an accident, please get in touch with us today.
Official Reports Evidence
If you suffer a personal injury, official reports of your accident can be used as evidence to support your claim.
For example, if you experience an injury after an accident at work, your accident should have been recorded in the workplace accident book. This should provide details of the accident itself and how you were injured. Additionally, public places, including restaurants, gyms or supermarkets, will also have a public accident report book where they can document any injuries suffered by visitors of the premises.
If the police or emergency services were called to the scene, it is useful to obtain copies of any reports taken there. These official reports can again be used as evidence to show who was liable for your accident and subsequent injuries.
To learn more about the evidence needed for a personal injury claim, please get in touch with our advisory team today.
Details Of Accident Witnesses
Gathering contact details of anyone who might have witnessed the accident can be invaluable. This provides a first-hand account of the accident, which can support and verify your sequence of events. Not only this, but a witness account can offer details that you might have missed, helping to provide a clear picture for the courts.
It is important to note that you cannot gather any witness statements yourself; only a legal professional can do this. By working with us at Public Interest Lawyers, a solicitor from our panel can contact any witnesses you noted down to obtain a statement from them. By managing the process to ensure that the witness statement is legally compliant, accurate and sound for court proceedings.
Contact our advisors to learn more about how the solicitors on our panel could help you.
Evidence Of Medical Records
Your medical records are the backbone when proving personal injury. These records serve as crucial evidence to prove the full extent of your injuries, the severity and what treatments you have required in your recovery.
Not only this, but medical documents such as your GP record, correspondence such as hospital letters, and copies of test results can be used to establish a timeline of your recovery.
Here at Public Interest Lawyers, our panel of solicitors can help arrange an independent medical assessment with an expert. This can be used as evidence as it helps to provide an expert opinion on your injuries, with consideration given to the impact the injuries have had on your work, life and future.
A solicitor from our panel can then take these documents to help build a strong body of evidence. By showing the full extent of your physical and psychological injuries, a solicitor from our panel can fight tirelessly on your behalf to achieve a settlement that is reflective of all the harm caused.
Get in touch with us to learn more about what can act as evidence needed for a personal injury claim.
Financial Loss Evidence
If your accident has led to out-of-pocket expenses, financial loss evidence can be used to help you claim these back. Evidence that can be useful includes:
- Payslips, which can be used to demonstrate a loss in earnings, particularly if your injuries have left you unable to work
- Bank statements can be used to highlight any costs related to your injuries, such as prescription costs or home adaptations
- Receipts or invoices for medical expenses, including private treatments, ongoing prescription costs or specialist medical assistance such as physiotherapy
- Invoices for professional care costs
These documents can be used to help you seek compensation under special damages, which can oftentimes form a large portion of your compensation.
If you have any questions about evidence that can prove these financial losses or how to gather the necessary documentation, please contact our advisors today.
Other Key Evidence
In addition to the other types of evidence we have explored, it can also be helpful to keep a personal diary of your symptoms, as they can provide a detailed, personal narrative of your injuries and the impact they continue to have.
Personal logs can be used to substantiate your claim and help professionals value your general damages for pain and suffering. Additionally, if you have any correspondence with other relevant parties, such as your employer or a business owner (if your accident occurred in public), make sure to keep these documents, which can serve as evidence.
For more information on other key evidence needed for a personal injury claim, you can get in touch with our advisory team today.
What Evidence Will Be Needed For A Road Traffic Accident Claim?
For a road traffic accident claim, you will need details of the parties involved in the accident, including their name, contact details, registration number and insurance details. Other evidence required can include:
- Dashcam footage
- A copy of the police reference number or emergency services report, if they were called to the scene
- Photographs of the accident scene, with any hazards, visible injuries or damage to vehicles
If you’d like to learn more about the evidence needed in a road traffic accident claim, please get in touch with our advisors today.
What Will Evidence Need To Prove?
In a personal injury claim, four main elements must be proven with evidence. Essentially, evidence must be able to prove:
- That you were owed a duty of care, which is a legal obligation owed to you by a third party, to ensure your reasonable safety in a particular place.
- The party owing you this obligation breached it through negligent actions or inactions.
- Their breach of duty was a direct cause of your accident and subsequent injuries.
- Your injuries and accident led to quantifiable, actual damages such as financial losses, physical and psychological injuries.
If these four elements are satisfied, you will be eligible to bring a personal injury claim with us at Public Interest Lawyers. Get in contact with us today to learn more about how documentation can be used to prove the above elements.
Can A Solicitor Help Me To Obtain The Evidence?
Yes, a solicitor can help you obtain the evidence needed for a personal injury claim. They can offer expert guidance when gathering, preserving and building a strong body of evidence.
A solicitor from our panel could advise you on what documents are most useful in your claim, whilst requesting access to medical documentation and handling any communication on your behalf.
Here at Public Interest Lawyers, our panel ensures that no potential source of evidence is overlooked; this means you can rest assured that any important information will be examined with the purpose of building an evidence-based claim on your behalf. Whilst a solicitor from our panel could help you gather and compile evidence, they could also help with:
- Arranging independent medical assessments
- Working closely with you to develop a personalised recovery plan to prioritise your health
- Putting you in touch with rehabilitation specialists
- Ensuring your claim is started within the personal injury limitation period
- Listening to any concerns you might have about bringing a claim
- Fighting on your behalf for a settlement that accurately reflects your physical, psychological and financial losses
Contact our advisors to learn more about how a personal injury solicitor from our panel could help you with gathering evidence and claiming compensation.
No Win No Fee Personal Injury Claims
Our panel of personal injury solicitors here at Public Interest Lawyers also work on a No Win No Fee basis. No Win No Fee refers to the cost of hiring legal representation for your claim. Our panel specifically work under the terms of a Conditional Fee Agreement.
This means that as a claimant, you’d have no solicitors’ service fees for one of the solicitors on our panel to begin work on your case. In addition to no upfront costs, you’d have no ongoing payments in solicitors’ service fees for them to continue the progression of your claim, and most vitally, you’d have nothing to pay for your solicitor’s services if your claim were to be unsuccessful for whatever reason.
On the other hand, if your claim was successful, then a success fee would be taken out of your compensation. This deduction is a legally capped percentage to ensure that you receive the majority of your compensation.
Contact Public Interest Lawyers
Contact our advisors today here at Public Interest Lawyers to see whether you may have an eligible claim and to learn more about how a solicitor from our panel could help you with gathering evidence to support your case.
- Call us on 0800 408 7825
- Contact us online
- Speak to an advisor using our live chat
More Information
Why not read our other guides about:
- What are the most common accidents at work?
- Making a leg injury compensation claim
- Our list of compensation payouts in the UK
Helpful External Resources
- Advice on claiming Statutory Sick Pay from Gov.UK
- Information about when to report road collisions and incidents via the Police
- Managing sick leave and a return to work from the Health and Safety Executive
Thank you for reading our guide discussing the evidence needed for a personal injury claim.