Medical Accidents

If you have suffered an injury in a road traffic accident or an accident at work during the last three years, then you may be able to make a claim for compensation for your injuries and any other losses you may have incurred. A specialist solicitor will be able to give you proper advice on the best way to make a claim. You may also be able to claim for financial loss, such as wages, medical expenses, travel costs and prescriptions.

There are a number of options available to pay for your costs, you may have legal insurance or if you belong to a trade union, they may be able to help. Alternatively many solicitors offer ‘conditional fee arrangement’ or ‘no win no fee’ agreement. This means that they will take up your claim with no up front costs.

Medical Accidents

For most people, receiving medical treatment from the NHS or other healthcare provider is a positive experience. For an unfortunate few this is not the case and the effects of a medical accident can be catastrophic. In these cases, the patient may need extensive further medical treatment or care, sometimes for the rest of his / her life.

Related Accreditations: Action Against Medical Accidents, Clinical Negligence

NHS Complaints

If treatment does go wrong every NHS related organisation has a complaints procedure. To find out more about it, ask a member of staff, look on the hospital or trust’s website or contact the complaints department. Making a complaint can feel rather daunting but here is help available through the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) and / or the Independent Complaints Advocacy Service.

Making a Claim

If you wish to look into your medical accident further then you could seek the advice of a specialist solicitor with expertise in the field of medical / clinical negligence. A solicitor who has the relevant expertise will often be on a specialist panel of medical / clinical negligence solicitors and therefore will be able to offer specialist legal advice.

Funding a case

People can worry enormously about legal costs. Some specialist solicitors may be able to apply for Public Funding (legal aid) to cover your costs. If you are not eligible for legal aid, the solicitor will help you consider other funding options such as legal expenses insurance, trade union assistance or a No Win No Fee Agreement. Medical accidents are usually very complex and so your lawyer’s determination to succeed and refusal to shy away from difficult aspects of both the medicine and the law are very important.

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