Can I claim ankle injury compensation if I was hit by a car? I thought I escaped the accident unscathed, but a week later I went to the doctor who said I had torn a ligament in my ankle.
While you may be entitled to claim ankle injury compensation if an accident was caused by the negligence of another party, the fact that you waited a week before receiving medical attention may have an effect on the amount of compensation you can claim. First, it must be determined that your accident had occurred as a result of the negligence of another person. This will depend on whether their carelessness caused your accident and injury. This may happen if you were crossing the road at a designated area when your accident occurred, and the negligent driver did not take sufficient precautions in order to prevent an accident occurring. If it can be determined that you were injured as a result of their carelessness — and you were not to blame for the accident — you may be eligible to claim compensation.
However this ankle injury compensation may be affected by the fact that you neglected to visit a medical professional for a week. Receiving immediate medical attention should be the priority after an accident not only to have your injuries tended to, but also to ensure that your condition does not deteriorate further. For this reason, any claim that you make can be affected by a counter-argument that the bulk of your injuries were caused by your own negligence rather than that of the driver. Even if the driver accepts full responsibility for the accident, the compensation you may be able to claim can be decreased to reflect your own negligence — perhaps significantly so.
If you have any doubts regarding liability for your accident and injury, you are advised to consult a personal injury* solicitor at the earliest opportunity. This should be done in order to determine whether you can claim compensation for your injury, and the amount to which you may be entitled. Claiming compensation for an injury can still be possible if contributory negligence is a factor, and a solicitor can guide you through the process of doing so. It is important to note that as per the Statute of Limitations, a time limit of three years exists in order to make a claim. It is possible that a case involving contributory negligence will be more complex, because of which you are advised to consult a personal injury solicitor at the earliest opportunity if you wish to determine your eligibility to ankle injury compensation.