Last updated on September 3rd, 2015 at 03:00 pm
The research took the form of two surveys, one of 500 adults who had suffered personal injury whilst employed (PI survey), and a second of 1000 UK adults (UK adults survey).
The research shows that 62% of the British public think that compensation is deserved after a no fault accident. The top three regions in the UK affected are Northern Ireland, Wales and the north east, but, interestingly, and despite claims that Britain has a ‘compensation culture’, 56% of injured victims have never made a claim. The report also shows the significant impact that personal injury has on businesses.
The report shows that 63% of the personal injury respondents suffered road traffic accidents (a 51% increase from 2005 – 2012), 25% slips, trips and falls and 25% work related accidents (note that some respondents had more than one accident).
The research also looks at the ‘no-win, no-fee’ debate and the changes that the introduction of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act (LASPO) has had on the personal injury landscape, including the banning of referral fees and the recovery of success fees, which puts significant pressure on the legal profession serving accident compensation claimants. 37% of the PI survey said they were worried about legal fees.
The emotional, as well as financial, impact on personal injury victims and their families and colleagues is considered in the report, with testimonials from people who give accounts of the injuries they suffered, how they were dealt with and the impact the injury had on their lives. 67% of the UK adult survey, and 60% of the PI survey said that their partner was/would be affected when/if they had an accident. 59% of personal injury victims said their injury had affected work colleagues and 35% said it had affected clients and customers.
The lifestyle changes that people have to make following an injury is highlighted in the report, with 57% of personal injury victims saying that they had to make sacrifices or lifestyle changes. This links closely to the financial impact that a personal injury has on a victim – the heaviest impact being on the younger generation. 57% of personal injury victims suffered some loss of earnings, whilst 88% of victims aged 18-24 lost earnings. 20% of victims had to take at least a month off work and 8% had to take more than 3 months off.
NAH’s managing director, Russell Atkinson, says ‘There have been significant changes to the legal landscape in the last year. In some circumstances this has resulted in the limiting of access to justice for those who need it…… It’s more critical now than ever to use our knowledge of personal injury claims to support genuine injury victims and give a voice to those struggling to secure the justice they deserve.”
This summary gives a flavour of the report that NAH has released. The full report shows the huge impact that personal injury has on victims and those around them and makes very interesting reading. You can read it by clicking here:
www.national-accident-helpline.co.uk/real-cost-of-injury
Graysons WE has a team of specialist lawyers with many years’ experience of helping victims of personal injury to get the best possible solution and compensation.
You can also follow NAH on Twitter @natacchelpline.
