You could be entitled to claim compensation for an accident with police if you have been the victim of somebody else’s negligence. If you have sustained an injury after a police accident, you may find it difficult to adjust to life in recovery or you may experience hardship paying medical bills or supporting yourself and your family. In this scenario, a police accident claim can be initiated in order to assist you in restoring a sense of order to your life following an accident.
While this article seeks to inform you on the procedures associated with making a claim for accident with police, please note that this should not be used as a substitute for seeking professional legal advice. The unique circumstances of your police accident injury can determine whether you are entitled to claim compensation, or whether it is worth pursuing. This is best discussed in detail with a personal injury solicitor, who should be consulted at the earliest opportunity to assess your claim for police accident compensation.
Liability for a Police Accident Injury
Before you seek compensation for an accident with police, it will be necessary to determine liability for your accident and injury. To claim for accident with police, it must be proven that a party who owed you a duty of care – in this situation, the police – had been negligent in their duty and this resulted in your accident and injury. This could be the situation if you had been fully compliant with the rules of the road but the carelessness of the police resulted in you sustaining an injury after a police accident.
However other parties could have been responsible for your police accident injury if – for example – your accident occurred as a result of the poor condition of the roads, meaning the local council or private landowner may be liable for your condition. It may also be the situation in which you – as a result of your own negligence – are at least partially liable for your own accident or injury, which could complicate a police accident claim. Establishing liability for an accident can be difficult, and for this reason the assistance of a personal injury solicitor should always be sought when assigning liability for police accident compensation.
Initiating a Claim for Police Accident Compensation
When seeking compensation for an accident with police, you can make an application to the Injuries Board to assess your claim. You will be required to fill in Form A either via post or online (except on behalf of a child, in which case it must be done via post), as well as Form B which should include your doctor’s assessment of your police accident injury. The Injuries Board, upon receiving your application, will seek the consent of the alleged negligent party to assess your claim for accident with police.
If consent is provided, an investigation will continue and once a figure of police accident compensation has been reached, it will be brought to the attention of both parties involved who can accept or reject it. If consent is not provided by the party which is being held negligent – or if the figure which is given by the Injuries Board is rejected – authorisation is provided by the Injuries Board to resolve your police accident claim through the court system. However this is not inevitable and an agreement of compensation for your injury after a police accident may still be reached out of court.
Evidence to Support a Claim for Accident with Police
The success of your claim for compensation for an accident with police can depend upon whether you can gather strong evidence to support your claim. This can begin immediately after the accident by gathering photographic evidence of the scene of the accident with a camera phone which can greatly assist your police accident claim. However it should be noted that if you sustained an injury after a police accident your immediate priority should be to receive immediate medical attention, and gathering evidence should only take place if you are not at risk of further injury.
Evidence to support your police accident compensation can be obtained with the assistance of a personal injury solicitor if required. This evidence can include CCTV footage of your police accident injury occurring, eyewitness accounts and your medical records. However it is also possible that you are unable to gather evidence in support of your claim for accident with police if the severity of your injuries prevents you from doing so, in which case your solicitor, a family member or friend can gather evidence on your behalf.
How Contributory Negligence Can Affect a Police Accident Claim
If you are considered to be partially liable for your accident or injury, your compensation for an accident with police may be reduced to reflect your own negligence. For instance, this may be the situation if the negligence of the police caused the accident, but you contributed to the severity of your police accident injury because you were travelling too fast. It may also be the situation that you neglected to seek immediate medical attention for your injuries, in which case your claim for accident with police could be affected if your injuries deteriorated as a result.
Being partially liable for your police accident claim will not necessarily disqualify you from claiming compensation – however the amount of compensation you can claim may be reduced to reflect your own negligence. For instance, if you are determined to be 25% liable for your own injuries, you may only be entitled to 75% of the police accident compensation you would otherwise have been entitled to claim. If contributory negligence was a factor in your injury after a police accident this can be more complex than those which do not, and should always be pursued with the assistance of a personal injury solicitor.
Injury after a Police Accident: Conclusion
Suffering a police accident injury can be a distressing scenario – even without pursuing compensation. However police accident compensation may be required to ensure that you have enough monetary support to sustain your livelihood. The amount of compensation you may be entitled to claim can depend on the evidence which has been gathered and the strength of your police accident claim.
For this reason, a personal injury solicitor should be consulted at the earliest opportunity following your injury after a police accident. Your solicitor can construct the strongest claim possible to ensure that you receive a fair amount of compensation and as they will handle your claim for accident with police, this will ensure that you can focus on recovering from your injuries. Bearing in mind that making a claim can be a time consuming procedure, you are advised to consult a personal injury solicitor at the earliest opportunity to claim compensation for an accident with police.