At Simpkins & Co, we are members of APIL (Association of Personal Injury Lawyers), a not-for-profit organisation who have been fighting for the rights of injured people for over 25 years. They are dedicated to enhancing access to justice for victims of personal injury and their aim is for everyone in our society to understand the importance of a right to redress for suffering needless harm. They are determined to ensure that harmful and misguided perceptions about personal injury are turned around.
Their latest public information venture is published under ‘Compensation Explained’ and can be viewed fully at https://www.apil.org.uk/compensation.
It explains compensation for personal injuries, why it’s important that injured people are compensated and what it takes for them to receive compensation. In our caring society, we all need to appreciate the realities for injured people who have suffered through no fault of their own.
Some of the questions it addresses are: –
Why don’t injured people just get on with it?
The effect of an injury on an individual should never be underestimated.
Even minor injuries can greatly affect someone’s life. For example, a broken wrist might prevent someone from driving which will impact their work and social life and cause extra expenses. They may not be able to play sport or play with their children and basic tasks, such as taking a shower, can suddenly become much more difficult. Putting up with this, when someone else’s negligence has caused it, is not right. Also, it is not fair that the State should pay when people are out of work or need various treatments when the person who caused the injury has an insurance policy in place to cover the cost of personal injuries.
Think then of the impact of a catastrophic injury, such as losing a limb. As well as funding care, rehabilitation, and covering financial losses, an injured person would be compensated for the unquantifiable losses of pain and suffering. For some, their lives will never be the same again because of their injuries.
Why are injured people compensated with money?
Money in itself is not something which can replace adequately what has been lost in terms of the ability to do some of the things you could do before, but it does make some things easier, including access to rehabilitation and necessary treatments. Personal injury law exists to help put an injured person’s life back to where it was, or as close as possible before a needless injury happened.
What do I do if I’m injured and want to claim?
The most important thing is to make sure your lawyer is a specialist in personal injury claims. Lawyers can operate in all areas, but the job isn’t always distinctive like it is for doctors. You wouldn’t have a neurosurgeon repairing a broken leg. Any lawyer can take on a personal injury compensation claim, but only a specialist in that field will give you sophisticated legal advice.
Also, look out for the APIL quality mark logo. To be accredited, APIL members are rigorously vetted. They must satisfy specific and extensive criteria providing evidence of their competence and experience in handling personal injury claims.
At Simpkins & Co we have 25 years of experience in successfully handling all kinds of personal injury compensation claims. We also sit on the panel of the Law Society Personal Injury Lawyers. For your FREE initial, no-obligation consultation, call 01425 275555 or visit www.simpkinsand.co.uk.
