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Personal Injury Claims

“There’s no comparison here. Kingsley Napley is by far the best law firm I have ever got involved with.” A client

Case Studies

Andrea Wadden settles claim for a cyclist who was catastrophically injured in a road traffic accident

Fatal claim for the widow of a teacher who died in a road traffic accident. We secured a settlement of £650,000

Head injury caused by a workplace accident – settled for £360,000

Damages of £64,000 recovered for a left hip fracture of the femoral neck during a road traffic accident

Six figure settlement for the widow of a man in his 40s who died in a farming accident at work

Eurydice Cote successfully obtains damages in a civil claim for voyeurism at trial

Kirsty Allen settles brain injury claim for a seven figure sum

Andrea Wadden settles claim for a cyclist who was catastrophically injured in a road traffic accident

Fatal claim for the widow of a teacher who died in a road traffic accident. We secured a settlement of £650,000

Head injury caused by a workplace accident – settled for £360,000

Damages of £64,000 recovered for a left hip fracture of the femoral neck during a road traffic accident

Six figure settlement for the widow of a man in his 40s who died in a farming accident at work

Eurydice Cote successfully obtains damages in a civil claim for voyeurism at trial

We have expertise in all types of personal injury claims including road traffic accidents, school and workplace injuries, accidents abroad, and military claims.
 

An accident can have a devastating effect, not only on the injured person, but also on those close to them; sometimes changing lives forever.  We know how daunting it can be to suddenly have to deal with hospitals, the police, insurance companies, or the courts.  We can help you to manage this and support you through the process of bringing a claim to obtain much needed compensation.

Over the years we have acted for adults and children in personal injury cases involving many serious and complex injuries including:

  • Brain Injury;
  • Spinal Injury;
  • Orthopaedic Injuries – e.g. broken legs and arms;
  • Amputations;
  • Polytrauma/multiple injuries;
  • Scarring;
  • Blindness;
  • Psychiatric Injury including reactive depression and post-traumatic stress disorder
  • Trauma from sexual abuse

We frequently achieve multi-million pound settlements for catastrophically injured people. For further information about compensation we have secured for clients who have suffered personal injury, see personal injury cases we have acted in.

Military claims

We represent Armed Forces personnel in bringing personal injury and human rights claims against the Ministry of Defence (‘MoD’).

Often, military personnel are given the impression that they are not allowed to bring a claim against the MoD. This is not correct and claims can be brought in respect of injuries sustained during a training exercise and whilst on active duty. We act for Armed Forces personnel who have been unnecessarily exposed to dangerous / unsafe working practices and suffered injury as a result.  This has included toxic exposure during military service.   

We also have experience in bringing Human Rights Act 1998 claims against the MoD.  See our Human Rights page for more detail of Kingsley Napley’s experience in human rights law. 

 

Sexual abuse claims

Our experienced team frequently represents clients in claims related to sexual abuse. We are also able to assist with any related criminal proceedings, if that is an issue in your case.

For further information, see our Compensation for Sexual Abuse Claims page.

 

Secondary Victim Claims

A 2024 Supreme Court Judgment in Paul and another v Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust has to some extent clarified the law in relation to claims made by ‘secondary victims’ – those who are not directly involved in an incident (a ‘primary’ victim) but suffer injury by witnessing it.

For more information, please see our Secondary Victim Claims page.

 

Claiming Compensation for Personal Injury

If you or a member of your family has been injured as a result of negligence, funds can be claimed to put in place an individualised package of care and support.

We work with experienced experts in rehabilitation, care, specialist equipment, adapted accommodation and various therapies, to enable the compensation to meet your needs.

Clients with life changing injuries may never return to work. When bringing your claim, we will include your loss of earnings and lost pension contributions.

If you were self-employed before the accident, we are able to value and assess your commercial losses, and build those into the claim for compensation. 

Our aim is to provide you with financial security for the future.

We are committed to helping our clients access high quality rehabilitation at the earliest opportunity and are signatories to the Serious Injury Guide. The Guide applies to high value claims and encourages Defendants to agree to early access to rehabilitation (to maximise the chances of recovery), as well as encouraging early resolution of claims.  Many Insurers are also signatories to this Guide. 

 

PERSONAL INJURY FAQS

Are there time limits for bringing a personal injury claim?

There are strict time limits for bringing a personal injury claim in England and Wales. This is called the limitation period.

For adults, the usual rule is that a claim must be formally started at Court within three years of the date the accident or negligence occurred, or the date on which the injured person became aware that there might be grounds to bring a claim (if that date is later).

If a child is injured by negligence, they usually have until their 21st birthday to formally start their claim at Court.

Where the claim relates to someone’s death, the limitation period is three years from the date of death or from the ‘date of knowledge’ (if that is later).

There are circumstances in which the rules differ; for example, where the claim is for someone who does not have mental capacity to bring a legal claim.

The Courts also have the discretion to extend this time limit in certain circumstances.  For example, this might occur in sexual abuse cases where someone has taken a long time to bring a claim.

Other types of claims have different deadlines.  For example, claims under the Human Rights Act 1998 should usually be brought within one year of the date of breach of human right(s) or date of knowledge.

It takes time to investigate a claim, so you should contact our solicitors as soon as possible.

 

Can I bring a claim on behalf of a child or a family member who is not able to do it themselves?

If a claim relates to injuries suffered by a child or an adult who does not have ‘mental capacity’; a family member (or other trusted person) can act as a ‘Litigation Friend’ and bring the claim on their behalf.

If you are unsure about whether you can bring a claim on someone else’s behalf, we will be able to advise you.

 

What is the process for bringing a claim?

We start by obtaining evidence such as collision reports, CCTV, risk assessments, material prepared by the police or CPS, witness statements and expert evidence. This is used to prove that the accident was caused by negligence.  If the cause of the accident is not clear, we may instruct an accident reconstruction expert to analyse the evidence and visit the accident scene or workplace.

We also calculate the amount of compensation that can be claimed.  We often instruct experienced experts (for example in rehabilitative care) to maximise your level of compensation. We then try to reach a financial settlement with the Defendant (the individual or organisation legally responsible for your injury) or their insurer. 

In some cases settlement is agreed at an early stage.  In other circumstances, it may be necessary to begin Court proceedings.

For further information on this process, read our Guide to Making a Claim.

 

Will my case be decided by the Court?

Probably not.  The vast majority of personal injury claims are not decided by the Court.

Successful claims are usually resolved by settlement either before or during formal Court proceedings. 

Occasionally, the Court will decide a case, if it cannot be resolved any other way.

 

How is the amount of compensation decided?

Compensation should be tailored to meet the needs of the injured person.

The first step is to consider how the injury has affected your life and whether that will change in the future.   We then calculate the amount of funds required to meet your additional needs and compensate you.  Depending upon the circumstances, this may include funds for:

  • Private care
  • Private therapies and medical treatment
  • Prosthetics
  • Specialist equipment and vehicles
  • Adapted accommodation
  • Support with education or work (if that is possible for you)
  • Compensation for loss of earnings and pension
  • Compensation for losses in self-employment

We regularly use leading experts and barristers to assist in identifying all aspects of an injured person’s needs.

 

I am struggling with the effects of my injury.  Will it take a long time before my case is concluded?

Personal injury claims typically involve detailed investigation and expert evidence.  They often take several years to resolve.  

Our approach is to seek an admission of liability (i.e. confirmation that negligence occurred and caused injury) as early as possible in the process.

When liability is established, the Defendant usually has to make payment of part of the compensation immediately.  This allows the injured person’s needs to begin to be met while the work to quantify the full amount of compensation continues.

 

Do you offer 'no win, no fee' agreements?

Conditional Fee Agreements (known as ‘no win, no fee’ agreements) are the most common way that the medical negligence and personal injury claims we undertake are funded. This gives clients the reassurance that they will not (in almost all cases) have to pay any legal costs in the event that they are not successful with a claim. We will explain all possible funding options with prospective clients.

 

 

Other organisations and resources that may help

 

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Personal Injury Claims Insights

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Blogs

Requesting Medical Records after a death

Is making a medical negligence claim likely to affect my ongoing NHS treatment?

Failure to pay out medical damages

Proposed changes to the Highway Code: will they improve safety for cyclists and other vulnerable road users?

Lady Brownlie successful in the Court of Appeal

Living with a Spinal Injury

Supporting disabled parents

Jurisdictional Gateways in Personal Injury claims

Personal Injury and Medical Negligence Limitation Period

The Moral Obligation to Learn from Mistakes

Sexual Abuse Compensation: Civil Claims for Criminal Allegations

Settlement of Medical Negligence Claims

Mediation is a win for all in clinical negligence

Medical Negligence & Personal Injury quarterly newsletter - 1st quarter 2018

Will Oxfam and other charities face legal claims for sexual abuse?

FAQs: Compensation for victims of crime

Medical Negligence & Personal Injury quarterly newsletter - 4th quarter 2017

A short guide to the accommodation conundrum

Going the Distance with the Spinal Injuries Association

Coping with brain injury: The impact of acquired brain injury on families and caregivers

Central Cord Syndrome

Types of Spinal Cord Injuries

Spinal Cord Injury After Car Accident

The importance of a roof over your head (is it time to revisit Roberts v Johnstone?)

Sport- Safety or Success?

Mayor’s move to improve cycling safety

The ‘Weekend Effect’ – How to avoid dying in hospital

Clinical Negligence - fix the costs and you load the die

Another death because of systemic failings in hospitals

NHS & the Berwick Review: Shaping the Duty of Candour

Pilot of fixed costs scheme for clinical negligence claims

Criticisms of the Court of Protection – are they justified?

Major changes both to NHS services and funding of clinical negligence claims - a coincidence of timing?

Is Jeremy Hunt serious about tackling the “culture of complacency” and “postcode lottery”?

The NHS and nursing - the constant revolution

Telehealth medicine: The future or another technological disaster waiting to happen?

Rogue Doctors: fixing the problem

The welcome news about supplementary legal aid scheme being abandoned

Clinical Negligence claims: The argument for being able to instruct your own expert

Doctor complaints hit record levels – men vs. women?

Clinical negligence: a culture of litigation?

Client anonymity in clinical negligence claims – the dilemma of litigating

Disability products - time for change?

Medical Negligence – on the increase?

Too much, too little, too late: the hazards of prescription errors

Does having a disability make it more difficult to have a relationship?

Discharging patients inappropriately

Patient care: Diabetes Healthcare in ‘Crisis’

Patient care: NHS care of the elderly - dignity or institutional ageism?

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