Compensation claims in the UK - accidents at work, road accidents, damage

In England and Wales you can claim for a personal injury when someone else - an employer, a driver, a property owner, a contractor - failed in a duty of care and that failure caused your injury or loss. The accident alone is not enough: you must show who was responsible and that the injury came from that failure. Typical situations include warehouses and factories, building sites, hospitality and cleaning work, road traffic accidents and slips or trips in public places. Agency workers can face an extra question of whether the agency, the end user or both are responsible.

Generally you have three years from the accident, or from the date you knew the injury was linked to someone's negligence. For children the clock starts at 18. Criminal injury claims (CICA) have a shorter two-year limit. In practice evidence disappears sooner: CCTV is often deleted within weeks.

1. See a doctor or go to A&E and explain how the injury happened.
2. Report the accident at work and make sure it is entered in the accident book; after a road accident exchange details and do not admit fault.
3. Take photographs of the scene, vehicles and injuries.
4. Collect witness details and ask for CCTV or dashcam footage.
5. Keep payslips, sick notes, receipts and travel costs.
6. Do not sign a settlement or statement from an insurer without advice; the first offer is rarely the highest.

Compensation has parts: general damages for pain, suffering and loss of amenity, special damages for losses you can calculate (lost earnings, treatment, travel, care) and future losses. Certain benefits may be deducted, and compensation can be reduced if you were partly at fault. Minor whiplash-type road injuries follow a fixed tariff.

Many injury claims are run on a no win, no fee basis. If you win, a success fee is deducted from the damages and in injury cases it is capped by law (generally at 25% of certain damages). Ask for a written breakdown of all costs, including any insurance against the other side's costs, before signing.

Leaving the UK does not end a claim - the time limit keeps running, so keep your documents. We help you understand where you stand, assess the evidence and prepare the paperwork in Polish or English; if a UK-qualified lawyer is needed to run the claim, we tell you and help you choose one.