Accident & Injury
Wards Solicitors’ Accident and Injury team has a wealth of expertise and a reputation for excellence across the region.
Every lawyer in the team is a qualified Solicitor and a member of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers.
We provide expert, independent legal advice in plain English and put our clients at the centre of everything we do. We are ranked as a leading personal injury firm in the South West by the independent Legal 500 guide.
In most cases, we act on a ‘no win, no fee’ basis.
“The best accolade I can give is that Wards is they are the only legal firm from whom I will now accept personal injury work. I have a large clinical negligence practice which is my main area of work but I am loyal to Wards for PI instructions due to all round excellence and qualities I also aspire to – communication and personability; timeliness; client confidentiality; client approval; ability to collate and circulate relevant records; speed of settling accounts.
Most importantly, they go the extra mile to ensure their clients have the best possible outcomes in the shortest timescale.” Consultant surgeon, Somerset.
If you have a potential claim you would like to discuss, please contact us and we will arrange a free initial appointment at one of our 12 offices. We can also visit you at home or in hospital if you are unable to travel.
We specialise in all areas of personal injury law, including:
Road traffic accidents
Road traffic collisions can have a devastating impact on people’s lives and those of their families, particularly serious spinal or brain injuries and fatal accidents. Even less serious injuries can cause a huge amount of pain leading to time off work and difficulty doing day-to-day activities and hobbies. We act for Claimants and their families, including cyclists, pedestrians and horse-riders, to achieve the best outcomes possible.
Accidents at work
Breaches of health and safety at work rules can result in serious or even fatal injuries and illness, causing loss of earnings and uncertainty about the future. We are on your side to help you bring a successful claim. Where there is tension with your employer, we work with our Employment law team to help you maintain your relationship with your employer.
"Alison was very helpful, efficient and professional. The advice she gave was excellent and she didn't give up hope of a resolution. I would definitely recommend her."
"Helen understood my issue from the start. Her professionalism & understanding helped me through a very difficult time. I will recommend Wards going forward."
"Richard Green has been excellent. We were always kept in the picture and his professionalism shone through. Would always recommend Wards."
Public liability claims
Trips and falls when out-and-about are often caused by a failure to maintain, inspect, clean or repair an area and it is easy to underestimate how serious such injuries can be.
We will investigate your case thoroughly and, if your fall is caused by negligence or breach of duty, we will ensure that the party responsible is properly held to account.
Claims arising from faulty products
Every year, products are sold that are dangerous as a result of faulty manufacturing, design flaws or because of poor workmanship. From food poisoning to exploding batteries, to vehicles catching on fire, the injuries caused by faulty products can be very serious or even fatal. Our team can help.
Industrial diseases and asbestos-related illness
We understand illnesses caused by someone’s occupation can have a devastating impact upon individuals and their families, particularly if the sufferer has died. We work with medical and forensic experts to fully investigate your case. In fatal cases, we will support you and your family through the coroner’s inquest so you are not facing it alone.
Claims for sexual abuse and sexual assault
If you are a victim of sexual abuse or assault, we know that taking the first step of contacting a solicitor can be extremely difficult. We will deal with your case with sensitivity at all times. Our team of Solicitors will support you through the claims process and we will be on your side every step of the way.
Injuries caused by animals
Accidents caused by animals can be extremely serious, even fatal. We have a proven track record of successful acting for claimants who have suffered injuries caused by animals, ranging from severe scarring due to a dog attack to traumatic brain injury caused by a bolting horse.
Fatal and catastrophic injury claims
We understand the impact of the sudden loss of a loved one. Traumatic brain or spinal injuries mean that the day of the injury is the first day of a struggle that will last the rest of our client’s and their family’s lives. By building a team of appropriate experts, we will do everything possible to ensure security for your future and that you receive the right ongoing support.
Accident & Injury FAQs
Please contact us first. You can e-mail or telephone us. We can arrange a free initial consultation to discuss your accident and injury claim. We will arrange to see you at the office which is most convenient to you and will discuss how the claims process works.
We will discuss the various types of funding with you and, in particular, legal expenses insurance and/or “no win, no fee” agreements, which we can offer in most cases. Once you have decided to proceed we will then take over the conduct of the entire claim so that you do not have to worry about it.
We will contact the insurance company, obtain details of your injuries, obtain a medical report, compile a list of financial expenses and liaise with the insurers in order to obtain your compensation.
At Wards Solicitors, we offer a full range of funding arrangements for claims. The most popular is a “no win, no fee” agreement and we are able to offer these in appropriate cases. We will also arrange any insurance to cover the risk of you losing the case.
We will also discuss with you whether you have your own legal expenses insurance and we can act for you even if you have this.
Unfortunately, legal aid is no longer available for accident claims.
We try to pursue your claim as efficiently as possible in order to conclude a claim within a reasonable length of time. Normally, this would be 6 – 12 months although this depends on the defendant admitting liability and your own recovery. If you suffer a serious injury, which takes a while to resolve, then we may have to delay completion until the final medical position is known.
We will obtain a medical report to confirm the nature and extent of your injuries and this will be used to assist us in assessing your level of compensation. We will also refer to previous case law as there are no hard and fast guidelines as to what compensation you will receive for any particular type of injury.
We will take into account your personal circumstances as to how the injury has affected you in order to assess the level of compensation properly, for example, if you are a sports person or have a physical job, then an injury will affect you more than someone else and the compensation levels are likely to be higher.
If liability is admitted, we will always apply for an interim payment, to cover ongoing financial liabilities you have.
We are able to arrange home or hospital visits, as appropriate.
Not necessarily. Compensation can be disregarded (ie. it will not be taken into account as ‘income’ for the purposes of assessing means tested benefit entitlement) for up to a year after the first compensation payment and we can also set up a trust to hold the compensation payment over a longer term. Our trusts advisers can ensure that you will be able to access your compensation without it affecting means tested benefits. However it is essential to take advice about this early on so that the trust can be set up before the statutory (one year) disregard comes to an end.
If you have suffered injury as a result of poor medical treatment, whether in the NHS or privately, then you may be able to pursue a claim for compensation for medical negligence. However, medical negligence claims can be difficult to prove, so it is vital to seek expert legal advice at an early stage.
At Wards Solicitors we have specialist solicitors who can provide you with the advice you need and who can support you through the complex process of making a claim and help you recover the compensation you need to rebuild your life.