accidents

[paulz]

I managed to trip on a broken paving slab & broke my thumb as a result of the fall [plus a month off sick]. Is it worth going direct to the council for compensation or via one of these personal accident legal firms? Most people say you don't end up with much [from the latter] as the cases rarely end up in court and they take forever to settle, thoughts & views please

[TEAK36]

A month off sick for breaking your thumb.Outrageous.You should have watched where you were going.Im sorry,but it just infuriates me when I hear stories of people suing for accidents that were their own fault.Broken paving slabs have been around for ever,I have tripped over a few myself,but unfortunately we now live in a society where people first reaction is 'can I sue,and how much can I get'.

[equalsmc2]

I agree

[PaulB]

Oh but hang on! We don't know what paulz does for a living yet! What do you do paulz?

[paulz]

It's a physical job, involving quite a bit of driving, humping heavy crates, opening boxes etc Movement of thumb is still restricted quite a bit, am still having physio etc. Hope that helps

[PaulB]

Well that explains the month off that TEAK was asking about. It would have been a different story if you didn't have a physical job.
Anyway, I think you would be wasting your time going to the council. That injurylawyers4u with the annoying advert might be worth a try tho.
www.injurylawyers4u.co.uk

[Miss Zippy]

Don't go direct to the Council; they may be willing to negotiate with you but it is unlikely you would obtain as much as you may be entitled to. Most personal injury solicitors offer a free half hour consultation at the end of which they should be able to tell whether you have a claim and, in your case where the injury and its impact is relatively straightforward to assess (unlike, say, a head trauma injury), provide you with a ball park figure of compensation. There are two kinds of compensation - general damages and special damages. General damages compensate you for the injury itself i.e your broken thumb. Special damages and any other expenses and losses an injured person has suffered as a result of their injury, e.g. loss of past and future earnings and cost of medical care such as physio etc. If you have legal expenses cover with your household insurance, this may cover you for the costs of taking legal advice. How long a case takes to settle largely depends on how quickly the injured person recovers (or if it is an injury from which they will never fully recover, then the point at which the person's condition is 'stabilised' and the point at which its impact on the person's future can be assessed). Most personal injury cases do not end up in court; they should not have to unless there is a material dispute with regard to the facts of the case and quantum (i.e. the amount being claimed is in dispute).

[IggyB]

Sorry this isn't an answer, just an additional question actually. But how do you prove that you broke it in the manner you did? Would you not require some kind of proof, like a witness maybe?