To make a successful personal injury claim, you will need to prove that a third party was at fault for your injuries because they failed to follow safety regulations (this is called ‘negligence’). The evidence needed for a personal injury claim should support your version of events to help ensure that you are adequately compensated. It may include footage of the accident, photographs of the scene, and a copy of your medical records. The quality of your evidence can affect your potential compensation figure, which is why you may wish to instruct an expert personal injury solicitor from our panel.
As you can claim compensation for any financial losses (covered under special damages) caused by your injuries, you will also need to provide evidence that proves the costs you incurred. These might include payslips (or tax returns if self-employed), invoices, and bank statements. An experienced personal injury solicitor will know just what financial records you’ll need to submit to help support your compensation claim.
Furthermore, when you initially contact a solicitor, you will need to provide them with a detailed description of the accident. This should include who you think is responsible, why, and the date the incident occurred. The date is very important because, in most cases, there are 3 years from the date of the accident to start claiming. Where possible, you should provide your solicitor with whatever supporting evidence you already have, including any documentation relating to the date, to ensure the personal injury claim time limit isn’t exceeded or about to run out.
Contact Us
To find out how our panel of solicitors can help you gather the evidence necessary to prove your personal injury claim, speak to one of our advisors. An advisor will also assess whether you have good grounds to begin proceedings, check you are within the time limit (or see if any exceptions apply), and estimate how much compensation you could be eligible for. To receive your free initial consultation today:
- Request a free callback by filling in our contact us form.
- Use our live chat
- Call 020 8050 4194
What Evidence Is Needed For A Personal Injury Claim?
- Evidence Needed To Prove Liability
- Medical Evidence To Prove Injuries
- Proving Resulting Financial Losses
- Personal Accounts To Prove Suffering
- Additional Evidence For Road Traffic Accidents
- How Our Panel Of Solicitors Can Help You Gather The Evidence
- More Information
Evidence Needed To Prove Liability
Firstly, you will need evidence to prove liability, such as photographs from the scene, official reports (e.g., the emergency services), and contact details from anyone who saw what happened. Below, we examine the different types of proof you could collect to establish liability. If you are having trouble gathering evidence or don’t know where to start, a solicitor from our panel can help you on a No Win No Fee basis.
Accident Scene Evidence
Various details can be documented at the accident scene or shortly after the incident. These can include:
- Video footage, such as from a dashcam, doorbell camera, or CCTV. Even mobile phone footage can be submitted to back up your version of events.
- Photographs can highlight your injuries, damage to personal property, and the immediate aftermath of the accident. Additionally, you can document faulty equipment, broken pavement, or any other cause of the accident.
Witness Contact Details
If anyone saw the accident, you can collect their phone number, email address, or other contact details. While you cannot take a formal witness statement yourself, a solicitor can obtain supportive testimony on your behalf if you instruct them to help with your claim. This can provide a clear narrative for your case by establishing what happened, who caused the accident, and how you were affected.
Official Reports
In some circumstances, there may be official reports of the accident. These can include the following:
- If the emergency services attended the scene. For example, some road traffic accidents need to be reported to the police.
- Certain workplace incidents and injuries must be reported to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) under The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (RIDDOR). The HSE monitor workplace health and safety in Great Britain.
- There may be other incidents, such as those that occur in a public place, that need to be reported to other bodies, such as a local council.
If an official body attended the scene or investigated the incident, you can request a copy of the report. One of the solicitors on our panel could do this on your behalf, or advise whether a report would have been made following your accident. Official reports can be very helpful evidence.
To further discuss what evidence is needed for a personal injury claim, get in touch with one of our advisors now.
Medical Evidence To Prove Injuries
As the crux of a personal injury claim, you will need medical evidence that proves you suffered an injury (or multiple injuries) in the accident. This proof mainly centres on medical records, but other documentation can support a claim for compensation.
Medical Records
You can request a copy of your medical records from your GP to submit with your personal injury claim. These will contain details of the injury you suffered, what treatment you were given, and the resulting prognosis. These records can provide early insight into whether you require rehabilitation during the claims process.
Reports From Independent Medical Experts
A detailed report from an independent medical expert can help ensure that your injuries are appropriately valued. Additionally, it may contain information about the injury or your prognosis that isn’t included in your medical records. Both sides can request one, but a list of suitable candidates must be shared with the other party before an expert is instructed. If you work with one of the solicitors on our panel, they can ensure that you see an independent medical expert at a suitable time and location. They will then use this medical report and any other expert opinions to help calculate your compensation and negotiate a settlement with the other side.
Evidence Of Injuries
You can take photographs of any visible injuries or submit video footage showing how they impact your life. For example, if you suffer a bad sprain or a broken ankle, you can film how the injury affects mobility or causes instability. Photos of bruising and scars can also support your personal injury claim.
An advisor can discuss the evidence needed for a personal injury claim and advise you on what you already have and what else you can collect.
Proving Resulting Financial Losses
If you would like to recover any expenses related to your injuries, you will need evidence that proves your financial losses. The costs you can be reimbursed for vary, as does the documentation you may need to prove them.
Payslips And Bank Statements
If you have required time off work, a personal injury claim can reimburse you for your lost wages. As part of this, you can be compensated for in-work benefits, pension contributions, and holiday pay. However, you will need copies of your payslips to help your solicitor work out a figure and prove this lost income.
You can submit bank statements to further support your lost income claim, especially if you take in any money through self-employment (even if this is not your main source of earnings). These bank statements can also prove your expenses, including any additional costs related to your injury. If your only source of income is through self-employment, you may need tax returns or other records to ensure that you can claim for your lost earnings.
If you are eligible for interim payments, your payslips, tax returns, and bank statements could strengthen your application. Interim payments are advances on your compensation intended to cover urgent costs before a claim is settled, such as mortgage payments or rent.
Receipts And Invoices
You may be able to use receipts and invoices to claim for expenses related to hiring help, such as a cleaner, or making purchases to cope with your injuries. The costs will vary from person to person, depending on their needs and the nature of the injury, but may include:
- Domestic help, such as a cleaner.
- Childcare.
- Assistance with cooking or meal delivery services.
- Mobility aids, such as wheelchair rental, crutches, walking sticks, or even a stairlift.
- Home adaptations, both outside and inside the house. These can include installing ramps, railings, and wet rooms.
- Vehicle adaptations. For example, adapting a car so that a wheelchair can be easily moved in and out.
- Specialist scar creams or oils to reduce their appearance.
In all cases, you will need either receipts or invoices. This might include invoices from childminders or cleaners, or receipts for items you purchased.
Damaged Belongings
Your personal belongings may have been damaged in the accident. If you can prove the cost of repairing or replacing them, you can recover the out-of-pocket expense. For instance, if you were hit by a car while riding your bike, you might have needed to repair any damage. If you keep the invoice, you can claim for the cost of these repairs and the replacement of a helmet damaged in the accident.
Proving these costs is an essential part of the evidence needed for a personal injury claim. Thankfully, you don’t have to gather proof on your own. Our advisors are here to help you explore what costs are recoverable in your individual circumstances and can explain how a solicitor from our panel may provide you with expert support.
Personal Accounts To Prove Suffering
Personal accounts can be used to prove loss of amenity, which refers to how the injury affected your enjoyment of life. They are particularly useful if your injury is one that affected your emotional health or you are claiming for damage to your mental health in addition to physical injuries.
Personal Diary Logging Progress
This can help document the repercussions on your daily life. Your diary can cover various details, such as pain levels between medication doses, the impact of missing a work promotion due to recovery time, or being unable to play football. You may also want to take note of whether you have been able to leave your home. If so, you can detail how the activities you do outside, such as grocery shopping, now take longer because of your injury.
Proof Of Personal Correspondence
You may have access to different forms of personal correspondence, from medical appointment letters to text messages cancelling or postponing activities you booked prior to the accident. Additionally, you may have had to cancel a holiday or other important event. Any proof of these can help support your claim. One of the personal injury solicitors from our panel can help you collect any documents you need to claim for these losses.
If you have not yet begun logging your progress, speak to an advisor today for guidance on how to get started. Additionally, they can discuss what information you could detail in your writing.
Additional Evidence For Road Traffic Accidents
If you’ve been involved in a road traffic accident, you will need to collect other pieces of documentation. Under road safety laws, if you are involved in a collision that causes damage or injury, you must:
- Stop.
- Exchange names, addresses, and the vehicle’s registration number with the other driver, and also give these details to anyone with reasonable grounds for needing them (such as the police).
- Produce your insurance certificate and obtain the other driver’s insurance details.
If any of these details aren’t exchanged at the scene, they must be reported to the police within 24 hours.
Generally, road traffic accident claims are settled by insurance companies. However, there may be cases of uninsured drivers or hit-and-run incidents. In these cases, the Motor Insurers’ Bureau (MIB) can award compensation in a successful claim. You can get assistance navigating the MIB claims process if you decide to pursue compensation with a solicitor from our panel.
For more information about the additional evidence needed for road traffic accident claims, please get in touch with our advisory team today.
How Our Panel Of Solicitors Can Help You Gather The Evidence
A solicitor from our panel can help you gather the evidence needed for a personal injury claim by locating and securing documentary proof, assessing the available information, and assembling it into a cohesive narrative to support your case. This isn’t the only way they can help with your claim. Some of the many services our panel offers clients include:
- Expert guidance and support from start to finish.
- Ensuring that proceedings are issued within the limitation period.
- Arranging an independent medical assessment to make sure your damages are accurately valued.
- Helping you to connect with any recovery specialists you may not be able to access otherwise.
- Applying to the court for any interim payments you might need to help ensure that your immediate expenses are met.
These services and more are offered under a type of No Win No Fee arrangement called a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA). This contract offers terms that many claimants find very beneficial, as it provides access to expert legal representation without paying upfront or ongoing solicitor service fees. You also won’t be asked to pay this fee if your claim is not successful.
Should your claim have a favourable outcome, then your solicitor will take a percentage of your compensation as their success fee. The law limits this percentage, and your solicitor will discuss it with you before you sign the CFA.
Contact No Win No Fee Lawyers Direct
To discuss what evidence is needed for a personal injury claim and how a solicitor from our panel can help you gather this, speak to one of our advisors now. They’re available around the clock to answer your enquiries. To get in touch:
- Fill out our contact us form to request a free callback.
- Use our live chat
- Call 020 8050 4194
More Information
For more information, please read these other guides:
- Guidance on claiming for serious, life-changing injuries.
- Learn how to make a fatal accident claim.
- Find out how much compensation your accident at work claim could be worth.
These external resources might also be useful:
- An overview of Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) from the government.
- NHS advise on first aid.
- Highway Code rules and regulations on road breakdowns and incidents.
Speak to an advisor now to find out more about how a solicitor from our panel can help you gather the evidence needed for a personal injury claim.