A personal injury claim is a claim for compensation against the person, business or organisation whose failure caused you an injury, whether on the road, at work, in a public place or at school; it must normally start within three years, it is usually run by a solicitor on a no win no fee basis, and National Accident Support Line assesses whether you have a claim, refers it to the right specialist solicitor, and, where a vehicle was involved and the accident wasn't your fault, arranges your replacement vehicle and repair through the same call.

The claim is not against a person's pocket. Every UK employer must hold employers' liability insurance, every driver must hold motor insurance, and councils, shops, schools and landlords carry public liability cover. A personal injury claim is a claim on that insurance, and it exists so that someone hurt by another's failure is put back, as far as money can do it, to where they were before.

We'll call you back within 2 minutes with a straight answer on where you stand.

Who can make a personal injury claim

Anyone injured in the last three years because someone else was at least partly at fault. That includes a driver, passenger, motorcyclist, cyclist or pedestrian hurt on the road; an employee, agency worker or contractor hurt at work; a member of the public hurt in a shop, on a pavement, in a park or in any place someone else controls; a child hurt at school, with a parent claiming on their behalf; and the family of someone who died as a result of an accident. Being partly at fault reduces a claim rather than ending it.

Which page to read for your accident

What happened	Start here
Car or van accident that wasn't your fault, with or without injury	Non-fault car accident claims
Knocked off a motorbike	Motorbike accident claims
Serious injury in a road accident	Road traffic accident claims
Injured at work, any workplace	Accident at work claims
Injured in a factory	Factory accident claims
Injured on a farm	Farm accident claims
Fall, trip or injury in a shop, on a pavement, in a park	Accident in a public place claims
Slip, trip or fall anywhere	Slip, trip and fall claims
Child injured at school or on a trip	School accident claims
Taxi or PCO driver in a non-fault accident	PCO and taxi claims

What a personal injury claim covers

Two parts. General damages are for the injury itself: the pain, the recovery period, and the effect on your daily life and work. Special damages are the money the accident has cost you and will cost you: lost earnings, treatment and rehabilitation, travel to appointments, care given by family, damaged property, and future losses where the injury is lasting. What a claim is worth depends on the injury, the recovery and the evidence, and nobody can tell you the figure before a medical report exists.

The time limits

Three years from the date of the accident in England and Wales, or from the date you first knew an injury or illness was caused by it. For a child, three years from their 18th birthday. For someone without mental capacity, the clock does not run. For a fatal accident, three years from the death. Claims against the Motor Insurers' Bureau for uninsured or untraced drivers and claims to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority have their own rules, some shorter.

We'll call you back within 2 minutes with a straight answer on where you stand.

How a personal injury claim works

You tell us what happened. We ask the questions that decide whether there is a claim: what caused it, who was responsible, what evidence exists, when it happened. If there is a claim, we refer it to a specialist solicitor for that kind of injury, who takes it on under a no win no fee agreement. The solicitor puts the claim to the responsible party's insurer, obtains a medical report, and negotiates. Most claims settle without a court hearing; a claim is issued at court only when the insurer will not accept responsibility or will not settle fairly. Where a vehicle was involved and the accident wasn't your fault, National Accident Support Line handles the vehicle side itself: a like-for-like replacement, the repair or write-off value, and the recovery of those costs from the at-fault insurer.

What no win no fee means

You pay nothing upfront. If the claim fails you pay nothing. If it succeeds, the solicitor's success fee, capped by law at 25% of the compensation for the injury and past losses and agreed in writing before the claim starts, comes out of the award. The no win no fee page explains the agreement in full.

The situations people describe to us

"I was told I don't have a claim because I signed a disclaimer"

A disclaimer cannot remove a business's liability for personal injury caused by its negligence. The Unfair Contract Terms Act says so directly. Signing one does not end a claim.

"It was partly my fault"

Then the claim is reduced by your share, not refused. A driver found 25% at fault receives 75% of the assessed amount. It is decided on evidence.

"The accident was ages ago"

If it was within three years, a claim is still possible. Evidence is harder to gather but GP records, messages and witnesses usually survive.

"I don't want to go to court"

Most people never do. The great majority of injury claims settle by negotiation. A hearing happens only where the insurer will not settle, and the solicitor prepares you for it if it does.

About National Accident Support Line

National Accident Support Line is an FCA-regulated claims management company, registration number 829991, helping people across England, Scotland and Wales since 2015. We are not a law firm and we do not run injury claims ourselves; we assess whether you have one, refer it to a specialist solicitor from whom we are paid a recommendation fee, and handle the vehicle side of non-fault accidents directly. If you don't have a claim, we will tell you that straight rather than take a case we can't help with.

Frequently asked questions

What counts as a personal injury?

A physical injury, an illness caused by someone else's failure, or a psychological injury such as PTSD, caused by an accident that was someone else's fault in whole or in part.

How long do I have to make a personal injury claim in the UK?

Three years from the accident or from the date you knew the injury was linked to it. For children, three years from their 18th birthday.

Do I need a solicitor?

Injury claims are run by solicitors under no win no fee agreements. A specialist for your kind of injury will usually recover more than someone negotiating alone.

Will I have to pay anything if the claim fails?

No. Under a no win no fee agreement you pay nothing if the claim does not succeed.

Can I claim if the other party is uninsured or drove off?

Yes. Road accident claims involving uninsured or untraced drivers go through the Motor Insurers' Bureau.

Can I claim on behalf of someone who died?

Yes. Dependants and the estate can claim for the loss of financial support and for the death itself, within three years of the death.

How long does a personal injury claim take?

Simple claims with admitted liability can settle in months. Serious injuries and disputed claims take longer, often more than a year, because the medical picture has to settle before the claim can be valued.

Is National Accident Support Line a law firm?

No. We are a claims management company regulated by the FCA. We assess your claim and refer it to a specialist solicitor, and we arrange replacement vehicles and repairs after non-fault accidents.

We'll call you back within 2 minutes with a straight answer on where you stand.

National Accident Support Line Ltd is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority in respect of regulated claims management activities, registration number 829991.