Personal Injury FAQs
How can we help you?
Stay local
We strongly believe that clients get a better all round service if they use a local Solicitor whom they can meet and develop a relationship with. If you ring a claims management company, or go through your legal expenses insurer direct, you may find that the solicitor they appoint for you is at the other end of the country.
You do not have to go to a high profile firm, to get high quality advice! All our personal injury claims are dealt with by Suzie Fisher, so you can be sure of the personal attention your claim deserves. Many of the firms who deal with claims for claims management companies, or legal expenses insurers, use unqualified staff to deal with claims. That will not be your experience at Hayton Winkley.
We offer home and hospital visits if you are unable to visit our office.
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I have been involved in a road traffic accident which wasn’t my fault
Claims for compensation following road traffic accidents worth less than £10,000 are now dealt with under a new RTA Claims Process. We can guide you through this process to ensure that your claim is fully maximised. Higher value claims fall outside this process and our experience in dealing with such claim means that you will get the best possible service and outcome.
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My doctor thinks that my illness could have been caused by my job
Your employer has a wide number of duties it must comply with to ensure that you do not fall ill as a result of your job. There are a wide range of what are known as “industrial” illnesses and disease – including deafness, reactions to chemicals or asbestos, and problems caused by your workstation or working environment. Contact us for a free initial chat and we can consider the problem in more detail and advise whether you have grounds for making a claim.
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I’ve had an accident at work
Health and Safety at work is very important and there are a huge number of regulations in place to protect employees. In certain cases the employee will be held liable even if they have not been negligent. If you have had an accident at work, our working knowledge of these regulations can help to ensure that your case is put as strongly as possible to try and avoid lengthy arguments with your employer’s insurers.
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I’ve had a tripping/slipping accident – can I make a claim?
Whether you can make a claim will depend on the circumstances of the accident. The criteria are different for accidents which occur, for example, in shops to those which happen due to faulty pavements. Evidence of the defect is usually very important and circumstances can change. So, if you have tripped, for example, on a faulty paving stone we recommend that you take photographic evidence as soon as you possibly can.
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I am not happy about medical treatment I have received – what can I do?
Claims arising from negligent medical treatment are known as clinical negligence claims. They can be very complicated; just because something has gone wrong, it does not necessarily mean that the hospital or doctor was negligent. There can also be complicated issues concerning the outcome of the treatment and the problems it has caused you. These additional problems need to be isolated from the problems that you may have had in any event. For that reason, it is important to get specialist advice.
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I have been injured by a faulty product.
The Consumer Protection Act 1987 sets out the legal framework of responsibility for the manufactures and supplies of defective products. Wherever possible you should retain the product. Please contact us for an initial chat
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I’m not sure I can afford to make a claim – can I have a no-win, no-fee arrangement?
We are always happy to see new clients for a free initial consultation, or speak to you over the phone, to discuss whether you should make a claim and how it should be funded.
Conditional Fee Agreements (or “no-win, no-fee” agreements) are a common way of funding personal injury claims and we can deal with your claim on that basis if we feel that there is a reasonable chance of success.
Before we can enter into such an agreement with you, we must check whether you have any pre-existing insurance which will cover the costs of the claim. This may be attached to insurance you already have, and is commonly known as “Legal Expenses Insurance”. Most people are not aware that they have such cover as it could be a free add on to existing insurance. When you come into to see us, please bring:-
- Your motor insurance schedule and policy booklet (for a road traffic claim)
- Your house insurance schedule and policy booklet (for any other type of claim)
- Any free standing Legal Expenses Insurance that you may have
- Any union membership documentation, detailing benefits
- Any other membership or scheme documentation which may have such benefits.
We can then check the documents for you and will contact your insurance company direct.
If there is no appropriate Legal Expenses Insurance, then we will enter into a Conditional Fee Agreement with you. This will be backed by insurance provided by Accident Line to ensure that you receive the best possible protection against having to any pay costs. Don’t worry, you won’t be asked to pay the insurance premium, or enter into any kind of credit agreement. Further details will be given to you.
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I have had a letter from Solicitors saying that they are acting for me. I don’t know who they are!
These days there is huge business based on referral fees. Some solicitors pay referral fees for work from legal expenses insurance companies, or claims management companies. Hayton Winkley do not! The fact is that if you have received a letter like this, the chances are that the solicitors have bought your claim. Many legal expenses insurers insist that you use the solicitor on their panel to ensure that they continue to receive referral fees. You do not have to use these Solicitors! Please contact us for a free initial chat about the matter (even if these Solicitors are already acting for you), and we will see what we can do. We believe that it important that you stay local (link back to top)
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