Accident claims solicitors South Shields
By Olivia Fender. Last updated 13th September 2021. If you have been injured because of the negligent actions, or lack of action, of someone else, a personal injury claim may be brought against those responsible. Making an accident claim can be a complex process especially if proving liability isn’t a straightforward case and so having an accident claim solicitor to manage the claim can be essential.
Accident Claims UK has a panel of accident claim solicitors who can cover the South Shields area that can help you to successfully make your claim if you have been a victim of negligence. Call us on 0800 073 8801 to find out how we can help, or for now continue reading our guide.
Choose A Section
- What Is An Accident Claims Solicitor Covering South Shields?
- South Shields Road Accident And Traffic Accident Claims
- Work Accident Compensation Claims
- Work Injuries Reported In The Tyne & Wear Area
- Slip And Fall Compensation Claims
- Medical Negligence Solicitors Covering South Shields
- Criminal Injury Claims
- Public Injury Claims
- No Win No Fee Accident Claims Solicitors Covering South Shields
- Talk To An Accident Claim Solicitor
- Accident Claim FAQ’S
- Helpful Reading And Services
What Is An Accident Claims Solicitor Covering South Shields?
If you are in South Shields and have been injured by someone else due to an accident or illness caused by negligence, you may be eligible to make a claim for accident compensation. Accident Claims in South Shields may be made for a number of different types of accidents or incidents causing injuries such as a South Shields road accident, an accident in a supermarket, a workplace accident, or even a South Shields beach accident. Regardless of where the accident took place, if it was due to an error or negligence, an accident claim could be made.
When making a claim, in order to give yourself the best chance of not only having a successful claim but to also secure the maximum amount of compensation for your injury, it is advisable to have a personal injury solicitor.
A solicitor who deals with accident claims in South Shields will be able to establish whether or not you have a legitimate claim by first assessing the details surrounding your case, they will also be able to help gather the evidence required to prove the liability of the defendant including accessing evidence such as CCTV footage also by using the personal injury claims calculator, they may be able to estimate how much compensation you could possibly be awarded, although we must stress that any estimate is an educated guess and not definite.
For more information about using a personal injury lawyer, contact Accident Claims UK today.
South Shields Road Accident And Traffic Accident Claims
It doesn’t matter whether you are a driver, pedestrian, cyclist, passenger or motorcyclist, if you have been injured in a traffic accident in South Shields because of somebody else’s mistake, you may be entitled to make a personal injury claim. Compensation after a road traffic accident can be sought for an injury if the accident was caused by someone else, for example, if a car knocked down a pedestrian on a zebra crossing through careless driving, the driver would be to blame and the pedestrian would be able to claim against them for their injury.
Injuries due to road traffic accidents can vary from being minor injuries to serious life-changing injuries. Our panel of accident claims solicitors can help you to get the right amount of compensation according to the type and severity of your injury and any lasting effects it may have.
Work Accident Compensation Claims
Injuries at work are unfortunately a common occurrence with 581,000 workers sustaining non-fatal injuries being reported in 2018/2019 according to a Labour Force Survey, and 69,208 employees being reported to RIDDOR as sustaining injuries at work in the UK. An injury sustained at work is often a physical injury that is immediately recognised, but some injuries occur over a length of time or present as an illness that becomes apparent at a later date.
Employers in the UK are legally bound and have a duty of care to provide a safe working environment which requires a number of policies and procedures to be in place and adhered to. If your employer has failed in their duty of care to you as their employee, and you suffer an injury because of this, then you may be able to launch a personal injury claim against them. Some of the ways in which an employer provides a safe place of work are by:
- Relevant operational and safety training to both new and current employees.
- Safety clothing and protection equipment where necessary.
- Strict safety policies and procedures and ensure all staff are made aware.
- Risk assessments where necessary.
Many injuries in the workplace could be due to insufficient personal protective equipment and clothing which your employer should provide. If you have suffered a foot injury due to insufficient footwear at work, the following guide may be helpful.
If you have been injured at work in South Shields and would like some accident claims advice or would like to know more about work injury compensation benefits, then don’t hesitate to call Accident Claims UK to talk to a solicitor.
Work Injuries Reported In The Tyne & Wear Area
As mentioned above, injuries that have occurred in the workplace are common and can be due to numerous reasons with varying degrees of severity. In the table below, we can show you the number of non-fatal and fatal injuries to workers per year in the Tyne & Wear (including South Shields) area. We also show the number of non-fatal injuries per 100,000 workers:
| LOCATION | TOTAL – NON-FATAL INJURIES | TOTAL – NON-FATAL INJURIES PER 100,000 WORKERS | TOTAL – FATAL INJURIES |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tyne and Wear | 1215 | 238 | -3 |
Slip And Fall Compensation Claims
Slip and fall compensation claims are among the most common types of personal injury claims we come across, with slip and fall accidents being the most common type of accident in the workplace. These accidents can literally happen just about anywhere, but also so many of these types of accidents could be prevented and avoided.
From slipping over a spillage in a restaurant to tripping over a loose paving slab on a public path, if you have been injured because of a slip or trip caused by negligence, you may be eligible to make a slip and fall compensation claim. Slip and fall claims may be brought against either an organisation such as the local council, a company or a private landowner depending on where the accident took place. Numerous injuries can result from a slip and fall such as broken or fractured bones, dislocations, sprains and strains, cuts and bruises and even concussion.
Talk to one of our accident claims solicitors covering South Shields and they will be able to help you determine whether you have a case and if so, help to start building you the case of a strong claim.
Medical Negligence Solicitors Covering South Shields
Medical negligence is a term used for when someone is medically treated with a low standard of care compared to the minimal expectations in the UK and they are injured as a result. Resulting injuries can be physical, psychological or both and vary in degree of severity. Some examples of medical negligence could include:
- Sustaining unnecessary scarring after surgery.
- Being misdiagnosed.
- Having a delay in a diagnosis – can be particularly negative in the diagnosis of cancer.
- Being prescribed the incorrect medication or treatment.
- Failure to detect an illness or injury.
Medical professionals have a duty of care to their patients to provide an acceptable standard of care and use their knowledge and expertise to help their patients with any health problems to the best of their ability. Failing to do this causing a patient harm would deem them as acting negligently in their profession. In order to have a valid claim for compensation, the patient must have suffered unnecessarily in order to be eligible.
Claims for medical negligence could be due to errors during surgery, please have a read of our following guide if you have suffered medical negligence during surgery.
If you or someone you love has been treated negligently by a medical professional, contact Accident Claims UK to speak to a medical negligence solicitor to see if you have a valid case.
Criminal Injury Claims
Criminal injuries could be the result of someone deliberately trying to harm you such as during an assault, or through a criminal activity where you happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Although generally most other personal injury claims’ results depend very much on proving the defendant’s liability, criminal injury claims work in a slightly different way as the assailant isn’t always known or hasn’t been caught.
The Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) is a government-funded organisation that supports victims of violent crime to successfully receive the compensation they deserve. Civil courts may also deal with criminal injury claims to secure compensation for assault victims and victims of criminal activity from the defendant personally.
If you are the victim of a violent crime, our accident claims solicitors can help you to file a claim for compensation. Call Accident Claims UK and we can put you in touch with an expert personal injury solicitor who specialises in criminal injury claims.
Public Injury Claims
Public injury claims are claims for injuries that have occurred in a public place. A public place is a term generally used for any area accessible by the public such as car parks, pavements, shopping centres and parks etc. If someone is injured in a public place in South Shields through no fault of their own, a claim may be brought against the landowner or occupier.
The local authority or council is responsible for many public areas such as streets, parks and car parks and so if you were injured by faulty play equipment in a park, for example, you would need to make your claim against the local authority rather than an individual person. Shopping centres, car parks and leisure centres may be owned by a company or private landlord if not the local authority.
If you have suffered an injury in a public space due to negligence, our panel of accident claims solicitors can help you to file your claim for compensation.
No Win No Fee Accident Claims Solicitors Covering South Shields
We have found that many people are put off from making a claim for the compensation they are entitled to because of the worry of being able to afford the legal fees of hiring a personal injury lawyer to conduct their claim.
However, by hiring a no win no fee solicitor, affordability isn’t usually a problem anymore. This is because there are no upfront costs to pay and your solicitor will only charge you for their legal fees if they are successful in securing you a compensation award. Their fee would then simply be paid as a slight percentage of the overall compensation award. If in the unlikely event that they do not succeed in securing compensation, they will not charge you for their legal fees.
Talk To An Accident Claim Solicitor
Our team of legal experts can help you with your enquiry and also put you in touch with a personal injury solicitor that covers the South Shields area should you wish us to manage your claim on your behalf. We will initially offer you a free consultancy session to determine the facts of your case and once all is established, if we feel you have a valid claim, we can set to work on it straight away.
Accident Claim FAQ’S
Below we have answered some of the common questions we are asked by claimants wishing to make a personal injury claim:
Why Claim With An Accident Solicitor?
Using an accident claim solicitor could make making a claim a lot simpler and stress-free and could possibly increase the likelihood of having a successful outcome. An experienced accident claim solicitor knows and understands what is required to successfully win compensation for their client.
Accident Claims UK has solicitors with up to 30 years of experience and has a fantastic record of great customer service and successful outcomes. We are available 24/7 and offer a no win no fee policy. If you want to make a claim for compensation with peace of mind that your claim is in good hands, call Accident Claims UK today on 0800 073 8801.
What does a No Win No Fee agreement entail?
If you choose to work with a solicitor that offers to work on a No Win No Fee basis, there are many benefits to this type of agreement. Firstly, as part of a No Win No Fee agreement, there are no fees to pay upfront or during the course of your claim. This way, you don’t have to worry about the financial standing you have before hiring a No Win No Fee solicitor as you won’t have to pay out of pocket to cover their costs. In addition, any fees they do charge will be deducted from your payout once your claim is won. This success fee is also legally capped to a maximum of 25% of your payout. If your claim fails, no fees will be charged to cover your solicitor’s services.
Can I make a personal injury claim after 3 years?
If you weren’t already aware, there is a time limit within which you can make personal injury claims. For most claims, this time limit is up to 3 years after the date that you sustained your injuries. However, if you’re wondering whether you can make a personal injury claim after this 3-year limitation period had ended, this question can only be answered on a case-by-case basis.
In some extenuating circumstances, exceptions can be made to the typical 3-year time limit. An example of this is in regards to claimants under 18. As you aren’t legally able to make a claim until you’re 18, the time limit would come into effect on your 18th birthday. Similarly, if you find yourself in a situation where you only just realised that your injuries were the result of third-party negligence, but the 3-year time limit has already expired, you could still be able to claim. Please get in touch today to learn more about your rights via a free consultation.
Why Does A Solicitor Not Need To Be Locally Based?
Thanks to the many methods of communication nowadays, having face to face meetings with your personal injury lawyer may not always be necessary. A personal injury claim can just as successfully be made using email, post and telephone calls. This is great actually as it allows you to have a greater choice of solicitor and therefore you can choose and work with a solicitor anywhere within the country that is best suited to you and your claim rather than settling for a solicitor just because they are based nearby.
What Are Medical Assessments And Do I Need One?
A medical assessment is basically just an assessment carried out by a medical professional to determine the type of injury you have, its severity, treatment required and if there could be any long-lasting effects. Having a medical report of your injury is essential if you wish to make a claim for compensation as it not only stands as evidence of the injury but will also act as an aid in determining the compensation award you deserve.
Where Will This Assessment Take Place?
We work with a panel of medical experts in the South Shields region that can offer you a medical assessment, these include:
- Gerald Sweeney, North East Clinic, 52 Heaton Road, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, Tyne and Wear, NE6 1SE
Helpful Reading And Services
Here are some additional resources that you can use to further your understanding on this topic. In addition, we’ve provided some relevant links to out alternative personal injury claims guides:
Slips, Trips and Falls Claims Guide
Our guide on slip, trip or fall at work accident claims.
Guide to Proving Injury in a Car Accident
A guide about how important it is to prove an injury to be able to claim for a car accident.
Information can be found here on how to report a crime in South Shields.
South Shields County Court and Family Court
Contact details for South Shields court can be found here.
Northumbria Police website giving information on reporting an incident in an emergency or non-emergency situation.
This guide on the Health & Safety Executive website gives information for reporting accidents, incidents and diseases.
Thank you for reading our guide on how our panel of accident claims solicitors South Shields could help you today.
Article by KH
Edited by PM.