If you are unlucky enough to be injured in an accident then you obviously want to recover as quickly as possible. No-one wants to be incapacitated for any longer than is necessary. However, you may be concerned that if you make a full recovery, it will adversely affect any compensation claim you want to make.
If you are worried, you can of course seek advice from a personal injury solicitor. But we can give you some information that may help to put your mind at rest.
Why a full recovery is not a problem when making a compensation claim
In reality, having made a full recovery should not deter you from making a claim for compensation, as long as you do so within the claim limitation period, which is usually three years. This time period runs from either the date of the accident, or the date on which you were diagnosed, if a resulting illness was not immediately apparent.
There are some things that you need to remember if you are going to make a claim, relating to the evidence required by a solicitor to prove your claim. Your current state of health is not as important as having details and evidence of the health problems you suffered as a result of the accident, before your recovery. Examples of what you may need include:
- Full medical records, indicating your injuries and treatments.
- Any accident reports that were made when the accident originally happened.
- Any documentation to support the difficulties you have encountered as a result of the injuries, both physical and financial.
If you have documentation that provides a picture of your injuries, and the problems they have caused, then you do not need to still be injured in order for a solicitor to prove liability and acquire compensation.
Why being fully recovered can actually be a good thing
Far from being a detriment when applying for compensation, already being fully recovered when you apply can actually sometimes be an advantage. By the time you are fully recovered you are going to know the final details of considerations such as:
- Medical expenses.
- Expense of lost wages.
- Care expenses.
- Physical and emotional effects.
If you are still recovering when you make a compensation claim then some of the outcomes can be difficult to determine, so you can see how being fully recovered can be an advantage when making, and dealing with, a claim.
If you have suffered injuries as the result of an accident then you should not be put off applying, solely because you have already recovered. Often it’s the case that people don’t immediately think of applying for compensation, when they are still dealing with their injuries. The most important thing to remember is that you need to make the claim within the claim limitation period. You also need to ensure that you have as much supporting paperwork and evidence in place as possible.