In this guide, we’ll explain the minor personal injury claims process. We’ll look at what kind of injuries you could claim for and the circumstances that could entitle you to claim.
Minor personal injury claims guide
You might sustain minor injuries as a result of a workplace accident, car accident, or an incident in a public place. We’ll examine the duty of care you’re owed in these situations and how it can be breached.
If you’d like more information after reading this guide, you could speak to us today. Our advisors can offer you free legal advice with no obligation now. To find out more, continue reading our article below, or contact us by:
- Calling us on 0800 408 7825
- Talking to us via live chat, which you can find at the bottom of your screen
- Contacting us directly through this website
Select A Section
- A Guide To Minor Personal Injury Claims
- What Is A Minor Personal Injury?
- Fast Track Claims And The Small Claims Process
- How Long Could It Take To Make A Claim?
- How To Prove A Minor Personal Injury Claim
- Minor Personal Injury Claims Calculator
- Start Your No Win No Fee Minor Personal Injury Claim
- Related Articles
A Guide To Minor Personal Injury Claims
In order to claim compensation for minor injuries, you need to show that the incident happened because of a breach of duty of care. There are a number of different scenarios in which you’re owed a duty of care:
- The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 lays out the duty of care owed to you by your employer.
- The Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957 underlines the duty of care that those in control of public spaces owe to those who use the space for the intended purpose.
- Finally, the Road Traffic Act 1988 and the Highway Code outline the duty of care of road users. All road users owe a duty of care to one another and should conduct themselves with the level of care and skill of the average road user.
It’s important to note that an injury alone will not entitle you to claim. You need to demonstrate that it happened as a result of a breach of duty of care. If the person who owed you a duty of care did all they could to stop an accident from happening but it did anyway, you may not be entitled to compensation.
If you’d like free legal advice about the minor injuries claims process better, speak to an advisor from our team today. You could be connected with a No Win No Fee solicitor from our panel.
What Is A Minor Personal Injury?
Minor injuries are those that are regarded as less severe. They usually won’t result in any long-term effects on your health and quality of life. Minor injuries can theoretically happen anywhere in the body.
Despite the fact that minor injuries will be unlikely to affect you in the long term, you could be entitled to claim for them anyway. You can do so as long as the injuries have impacted your quality of life.
As mentioned, minor personal injuries can happen in a variety of settings. Because of this, the ways in which you may suffer a minor personal injury claim can be different as well. These can include:
- Slip, trip, or fall accidents
- Manual handling errors
- In a car crash
- A falling object
If you believe you may be eligible for a minor personal injury claim or need more advice surrounding personal injury law, our advisors are on hand 24 hours a day to help. They can even connect you to a solicitor from our panel.
Fast Track Claims And The Small Claims Process
As part of the Whiplash Reform Programme, claims made by adult drivers and passengers that where injuries are worth less than £5,000 must now be submitted through an online claims portal. Whiplash has now also been greatly devalued in terms of compensation, meaning a whiplash claim will be worth less than it used to be.
Claims that are worth less than £25,000 but more than £10,000 (including special damages) will be put through something called the “fast track” process. This aims to reduce the time spent in court. Usually, these cases will only require a day in court. The fast track is appropriate for claims that seem relatively straightforward.
Important to note, however, is that many may never see a courtroom and are settled out of court. Your claim may not involve the stress and worry of a court case at all.
To find out more, why not speak to an advisor? Your claim may be worth more than you think, and even if you do need to claim through the portal, a solicitor from our panel could still represent you.
How Long Could It Take To Make A Claim?
It is impossible to define how long it could take you to make a minor personal injury claim. Many injuries will be different with their own details to consider. Compensation needs to be decided on a case-by-case basis. Because of this, there is no firm answer on how long a claim can take.
However, in a very general sense, uncomplicated claims where liability is admitted can be settled within a matter of months. Where liability is in dispute or your injuries are severe, the claims process could take much longer. This should not be taken as a firm guide, however. Your own case could be very different.
To get more information in relation to your own minor personal injury claim, speak to one of our advisors today. They can offer you more detailed advice relating to your specific circumstances.
How To Prove A Minor Personal Injury Claim
Evidence is essential in any claim, and this includes a minor personal injury claim. Here are a few steps you may wish to take in regards to collecting evidence to support your claim.
After you sustain any kind of injury, seeking medical attention should always be the first thing you do. Not only is this key for your own health, but it is also good for your claim to seek a doctor as soon as possible, as it acts as evidence.
Next, consider speaking to a qualified solicitor. You do not have to do this in relation to your claim — you can start a claim by yourself. However, claiming may be easier with the assistance of a professional.
You should also gather evidence to support your claim. This can include CCTV or dashcam footage, contact details for eyewitnesses, or photographs of the circumstances that caused the accident.
If you want to find out more about making a minor personal injury claim, or about how our advisors can help you, get in touch with them today.
Minor Personal Injury Claims Calculator
Compensation can be made up of two heads of claim. General damages refer to compensation for physical, emotional, or mental injury. The second head of claim is called special damages
General damages are valued with the help of the Judicial College Guidelines. These are guideline compensation brackets based on previous settlements.
As part of your claim, you’ll be invited to a medical assessment. Here, an independent expert will assess your injuries and confirm that they’re consistent with your accident. The report from this assessment will be used to value your claim.
Below, we’ve included a table based on figures from the Judicial College Guidelines. Please be aware that these are not guaranteed amounts.
| Injury | Nature of incident | Possible compensation |
|---|---|---|
| Minor Head Injury | If any brain damage occurs, it will be minor. | £2,070 to £11,980 |
| Minor Neck Injuries (i) | Recovery takes place between 12 to 24 months. | £4,080 - £7,410 |
| Minor Shoulder Injuries (i) | Can involve soft tissue injury with a considerable degree of pain. However, full recovery is highly likely in 24 months. If not a full recovery, it will almost be complete. | £4,080 - £7,410 |
| Moderate or Minor Elbow Injury | Simple fractures or tennis elbow injuries would fall into this category. | Up to £11,820 |
| Modest Ankle Injuries | Usually refers to minor sprains or fractures as well as injuries to ligaments. | Up to £12,900 |
| Minor injuries (a) | Where a complete recovery has been made within a week | A few hundred pounds to £650 |
| Minor injuries (b) | Where a complete recovery has been made within 28 days | £650 to £1,290 |
| Minor injuries (c) | Where a complete recovery has been made within three months | £1,290 to £2,300 |
Special damages relate to financial losses incurred as a result of your accident. You can claim for home adaptations necessitated by your injury. You could also claim back lost wages for the time you’ve taken off work or the cost of medical treatment.
To get an accurate figure of what you could receive for your minor personal injury claim, speak to one of our advisors. They could connect you with a No Win No Fee solicitor from our panel who can represent you on a No Win No Fee basis.
Start Your No Win No Fee Minor Personal Injury Claim
If you would like to start a claim for a minor personal injury but are nervous about legal fees, No Win No Fee could be right for you. If a solicitor represents you, they can do so under a No Win No Fee agreement. This means that you will not pay your solicitor’s fees upfront, during the claim, or in the event of an unsuccessful claim.
If you do win, however, you will only pay a small percentage of your compensation. This will be set out before the claim begins so there won’t be any upfront costs.
If you think a No Win No Fee agreement might be right for you, why not get in touch with our advisors? Our advisors are available 24/7 and are ready to offer you no-obligation legal advice for free. They could also connect you with one of the solicitors from our panel with experience in minor personal injury claims.
To find out more, you can:
- Call us on 0800 408 7825
- Talk to us via live chat, which you can find at the bottom of your screen
- Contacting us directly through this website
Related Articles
Hip injury claims guide
Claiming for a fall at work
Bicycle crash claims
A resource explaining how to request CCTV footage of you that could be used as evidence in your claim
Information on whether you’re eligible for Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) in the event you are unable to work
NHS guidance on how 111 could advise you where to seek attention for your injuries.
Thank you for reading this article on minor personal injury claims.
Article by EC
Publisher ET