When talking about accident injury cases in the U.K., there is some basic terminology that is important to know. A claimant is the person who is making the accident claim. They are the one who is asking for accident compensation.

The defendant is the person or firm that the plaintiff is accusing of injuring them, whether accidentally or not. The claim form is the form that you need to fill out with the courts in order to start the request for compensatory damages in an injury claim. The court will then issue a notice to the defendant, called service.

At that point, the parties may begin communicating in an effort to settle the case. If a settlement is not reached, then the court will hear both sides of the case and determine the severity of the accidents injury. Once injury claims are decided, the person claiming the award may need to file enforcement proceedings. This is necessary when the person who injured them, the defendant, is not making the payments that the court determined.

Injuries claims can be a daunting process to begin for both the claimer and the person being claimed against. Beginning legal action is not a decision that one normally enters into lightly. However, medical bills still have to be paid even for accidental injuries, and often when one person injures another, they are not willing to admit fault. So you can start your legal action by going to the county court if you are asking for less than £15,000, or in the High Court if you are requesting larger amount. Increasingly, you may be able to file your form online instead of making a trip to the court. Realise that accident claims may be transferred to another court no matter where you file initially, depending on circumstances such as the complexity of the case or whether or not solicitors have been retained.

In general, personal injury cases that are allocated to the small claims track of court are more likely to be argued by the plaintiff himself instead of a solicitor. This is because most people who are arguing for a smaller amount of money are not necessarily willing to pay for the services of a solicitor. However, they can still get assistance and advice from their local Citizens Advice Bureau, legal advising agencies that are located throughout the United Kingdom. These agencies will not provide representation in the form of a solicitor, however.

People whose cases are more complex or for higher amounts of money and are sent to a higher court would normally be advised to secure the services of a solicitor. Simply because the more complex the case, the more difficult it may be to prove that the other person's actions were either intended to injure or failed to prevent the injury of the other person. Plus, laws change all the time and so having a solicitor who is familiar with the legal system in Great Britain will help to make sure that you are requesting all of the compensation that you are eligible to receive.