If the accident happened at work, it should be recorded in an accident book. If your workplace does not have an accident book, you should write out brief details of the accident and injuries, send them to your employer and keep a copy. Your contract may say that you have to report an injury at work to your employer. If you are self-employed, you have a legal responsibility to report some accidents resulting in injury to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) or to the local authority environmental health department. In England and Wales, there is more information about reporting accidents to the HSE on its website at www.hse.gov.uk.

If you have sustained a personal injury you may be able to claim two types of compensation, general damages and special damages.

General damages are paid as compensation for an injury, for example, a payment for pain and suffering or loss of future earnings. The court will decide on the amount to be paid.

Special damages are paid as compensation for actual financial loss caused by the accident up to the date of the hearing. These can include damage to clothing or other belongings, the costs of care, travel costs to hospital, medical expenses (including the cost of private treatment) and the cost of hiring and/or repairing a car if it has been damaged in the accident.

If you want to take legal action to claim compensation for a personal injury, you will need to get advice from a solicitor specialising in these types of cases. This must be done as soon as possible as there are strict time limits on taking legal action.

At Glen our personal injury solicitors will take up your case on the understanding that he or she will not be paid if the compensation claim is unsuccessful.

There are different time limits within which you must begin legal action in a personal injury claim. You should therefore get legal advice urgently if you wish to claim compensation.

The most common claim in a personal injury case is negligence and the time limit for this is three years. This means that court proceedings must be issued within three years of you first being aware that you have suffered an injury.

In some cases, a court may decide to extend a time limit, depending on the circumstances of the case.

If you have sustained an injury as a result of a traffic accident and you are a member of a motoring organisation, for example, the AA or RAC, you may be able to get specialist legal advice through that organisation.

There are a number of special compensation schemes for some injuries and losses. For example, people who have contracted HIV when receiving treatment for haemophilia can claim payments from the MacFarlane Trust and compensation from the Government.

People who have suffered damage as a result of vaccinations could make a claim to the Vaccine Damage Payment Unit. For more information, go to www.gov.uk.

There are special schemes for people suffering from an asbestos-related disease.

For example, if you were injured by working with asbestos, you may be able to claim Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit as well as being able to make a civil claim against your employers. You may have contracted an asbestos-related disease in another way – for example, by washing the clothes of a family member. In this case, you can make a claim for a special one-off payment from the Government. There are time limits to make these claims. For more information, go to www.gov.uk.

For more information about Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit, see Benefits for people who are sick or disabled.

A specialist Solicitor will advise you about whether there is a compensation scheme available for your injury and will advise you whether it’s best to apply for compensation under the scheme or whether it’s best to make a civil claim.