Road accidents cause untold damage to individuals and families, with nearly 30,000 people killed or seriously injured on roads every year in the UK.

Injured in a road accident?

Tom Ranson, a personal injury specialist at local solicitors Ashton KCJ, answers some topical questions.

What entitles me to make a personal injury claim?

To make a claim you need to have suffered injuries or losses as a result of an accident that was not totally your fault. Where an accident is partly your fault it may still be possible to recover some compensation. The overriding principle of any injury claim is to put the injured party back as closely as possible to the position they were in before their accident occurred.

The negative media coverage about a ‘compensation culture’ stems from a minority of people trying to make claims to put themselves in a better position than they were before the incident occurred, and in some cases, pursuing fraudulent claims.

At Ashton KCJ we pride ourselves on maintaining excellent standards, not only in relation to our client care but also with regards to our responsibilities within the claim process.

In most cases, injury claims do what they are designed to do – compensate genuine injury victims for lost income when they cannot work, for out of pocket expenses such as clothes that were damaged in the accident, the cost of treatment, care and compensation for pain and suffering.

What should I do if I have been involved in a road accident?

If you have been involved in a road accident and you are the injured party, it is important to discuss your options with a solicitor as early as possible. Even if you are offered a settlement figure by an insurer which may seem tempting at the time, it is important not to settle your claim before you have had the chance to speak to a solicitor and seek independent advice.

At Ashton KCJ the initial appointment is always free and without obligation – it is better to be safe than sorry.

Whatever the nature of your injury, we will work with you to obtain the appropriate level of care, treatment and compensation. We recognise that injuries can have a catastrophic effect on the lives of the victims and those around them and as injury specialists, our aim is to give the appropriate level of support and advice to enable you to move on with your life.

• For individual advice, contact Tom Ranson on 01473 261378 or tom.ranson@ashtonkcj.co.uk. www.ashtonkcj.co.uk