How to make a personal injury claim in the UK

Being injured in an accident that wasn't your fault is stressful, and the legal process can feel opaque. It needn't be. A personal injury claim follows a well-trodden path, and once you understand the stages — and your rights at each one — the decisions become much clearer. This hub walks through the whole journey from accident to settlement and links to our detailed guides on every step, so you can go as deep as you need.

Throughout, remember one principle: this site is information, not legal advice. We are an independent educational resource, not a law firm. The most important action you can take is to speak to a regulated solicitor about your own circumstances, and we explain below how to find one for free.

The claim journey at a glance

Most personal injury claims move through the same seven stages. The first three are largely down to you; from there, a solicitor does the heavy lifting.

1. Get medical attention. Your health comes first, and a contemporaneous medical record is also the backbone of any claim.
2. Preserve the evidence. Photos, witness details, an accident-book entry or a police reference — captured early — can decide a case.
3. Check the time limit. The clock is usually three years; missing it almost always ends a claim.
4. Choose and instruct a solicitor. An SRA-regulated personal injury specialist assesses your case, normally free of charge.
5. Agree how you'll pay. Most claims run on a no-win-no-fee (Conditional Fee) agreement with After-the-Event insurance.
6. Build and value the claim. Your solicitor obtains a medical report, gathers proof of your losses and notifies the defendant.
7. Negotiate or, rarely, go to court. The vast majority of claims settle by agreement; only a small minority reach a hearing.

Step 1–2: Treatment and evidence

See a GP, hospital or — for minor injuries — a pharmacist, even if you feel you can "walk it off". The medical note creates an independent record linking the injury to the accident, and that link is exactly what an insurer will later test. If symptoms appear days later (common with whiplash and soft-tissue injuries), get them recorded too.

At the same time, capture anything that might be lost: photographs of the hazard and your injuries, the names and contact details of witnesses, the registration of any vehicle, and a report in the accident book at work or to the shop, council or police as appropriate. Our guides on what to do after an accident and gathering evidence for a claim set out exactly what to collect and how to keep it.

Step 3: Check the time limit

The Limitation Act 1980 (and equivalent rules in Scotland and Northern Ireland) gives most injured adults three years from the date of the accident — or from the "date of knowledge" that an injury was caused by negligence — to issue court proceedings. There are important exceptions: for children the three years runs from their eighteenth birthday, and there is no fixed limit for people who lack the mental capacity to manage a claim. Criminal-injury (CICA) claims have a much shorter two-year window.

Because evidence fades and witnesses move on, leaving it late rarely helps. Our time-limits guide explains the exceptions in detail.

Step 4: Choosing a solicitor

You are free to choose any solicitor; you are not obliged to use one suggested by an insurer or a claims-management company. Look for a firm regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) with genuine personal-injury experience — ideally a member of a recognised accreditation scheme such as the Law Society's Personal Injury panel. You can verify any firm or individual for free on the SRA register and find accredited specialists through the Law Society's Find a Solicitor service. Our guide on choosing a solicitor lists the questions to ask before you sign.

Step 5: How you'll pay

Most claims run on a Conditional Fee Agreement — popularly "no win, no fee". You pay nothing up front and nothing if the claim fails, provided you keep to the agreement and After-the-Event (ATE) insurance is in place to cover the other side's costs. If you win, a success fee (capped at 25% of certain damages in most injury claims) and any insurance premium are deducted from your compensation. Some people instead have legal-expenses cover bundled with home or motor insurance, which is worth checking. Our no-win-no-fee guide breaks down the costs in plain English.

Step 6: Building and valuing the claim

Your solicitor obtains an independent medical report, gathers proof of your financial losses (payslips, receipts, care records) and sends a formal letter of claim to the person at fault or their insurer. Compensation has two parts: general damages for the injury itself — pain, suffering and loss of amenity, guided by the Judicial College Guidelines — and special damages reimbursing your actual and future financial losses, which are often the larger element. Our compensation guide explains how a claim is valued and what it can cover.

Step 7: Settlement (and the rare court case)

The great majority of personal injury claims settle by negotiation, without anyone setting foot in a courtroom. Where liability or value is genuinely disputed, court proceedings may be issued — but even then most cases settle before a final hearing. Lower-value road-traffic claims often run through the government's Official Injury Claim portal. Whatever the route, your solicitor advises whether an offer is fair before you accept.

Where to go next

Use the guides below to dig into any stage, or jump straight to the claim type or area that matches your situation:

• The full claim process, step by step
• How long you have to claim
• Building strong evidence
• Choosing and checking a solicitor
• No win, no fee, explained
• How compensation is valued
• All claim types by accident or injury
• Claiming in your nation or city

Frequently asked questions