When you make a claim for a personal injury, you want to give yourself every chance of a successful outcome; especially when you’re making a claim to an insurance company. Whether you’re claiming worker’s compensation for an injury at work, you’ve been injured in a car accident, sustained an injury in the local supermarket, or even medical negligence, here’s a list of some things to keep in mind regarding your claim.
1. See Your GP Regularly
If you’re injured, not only will you need to see a doctor anyway, but your doctor can also accurately assess your injuries and rehab and pass on this information to the insurance company. This helps speed up your claim as well as letting the insurance company know the injuries are real and not being fabricated.
You’d be surprised just how many times people do actually falsify injuries just to get an insurance payout, so insurance companies are always wary of this.
Your doctor can also write you a doctor’s certificate to have some time off work while you recover from your injuries.
2. Hire the Services of a Personal Injury Lawyer
Not just any lawyer, but one who specialises in personal injury and compensation claims.
If you don’t know one off-hand in your location, the internet is your best friend in this instance. Let’s say you live in Canberra and you’ve suffered an accident and you’re injured. Do a search for something like accident claim lawyers and see what comes up.
Once you’ve made a shortlist, go through each one and see which one has the most experience to help your particular circumstances.
Just like the internet is your best friend when locating a suitable law firm, your lawyer will also prove to be your best friend and confidante when it comes to successfully claiming for personal injury and being sufficiently compensated.
Likely you’ll know very little about the procedure, but a specialist lawyer will know exactly what to do to both speed up the claim’s process and ensure a successful outcome.
3. When Can You Claim Public Liability for Injury?
The answer to this really depends on how the injury occurred and what the circumstances were surrounding the unfortunate event.
If you’re walking around a shopping center and slip on a wet floor that didn’t have a warning sign posted, then you’re well within your rights to make a claim if you are injured as a result of that fall.
On the other hand, if you’re walking around that same shopping center on a dry, flat floor and you trip over because the heel on your shoe broke, then that’s hardly the fault of the shopping center management or owners.
Some people will still attempt to make a claim for damages even if the incident was their own fault, hence another reason why insurance companies are wary
In order to make a successful claim for public liability, you’ll need to be able to prove that the duty of care was lacking in the location where the incident occurred.
4. How Long Does It Take To Be Compensated?
There is no definitive answer or set a timeline when it comes to this question. It can depend on a lot of things. In some instances, such as a car accident, there may be an ongoing investigation by the authorities that need to be concluded first before any official claims for damages can be made.
Whatever situation you find yourself in, hiring a qualified and experienced lawyer will almost always help expedite the process so you can get the claim settled and move on with your life.
5. Keep a Record of Income Loss
Regardless of whether you work for an employer or are self-employed if you can’t work due to your injuries, then you’ll want to keep a record of how much time and money you have lost due to those injuries.
This will go a long way towards helping your claim for compensation and getting a fair and reasonable payout.
Keep in mind what’s involved in the process and do anything you can to help speed up your claim.
