If you have had an accident and it was someone else's fault, you may be able to claim compensation. If the accident was more than 3 years ago, you may be too late, but we are happy to talk to you about whether you could make a claim, so please contact us for an informal chat.

Alternatively, complete and submit our short Accident/Injury Assessment Form and one of our specialists will contact you within one working day. We will discuss your accident and help you decide whether or not to proceed with a claim.

Our specialist solicitors provide a specialist, local and personal service, which we believe is safer than that of the claims companies (see ‘Why use a solicitor not a claims company?’ below).

Contact us
It is better to act sooner rather than later and you should not be put off for financial reasons. You should recover most of your legal costs if you win and there are several ways to fund a claim.

Bristol City centre and Staple Hill: Alison Underhill or Helen Gough on 0117 943 4800
Bradley Stoke and Yate: Larry Rawlinson on 01454 316789
Weston-super-Mare, Worle, Portishead and Nailsea: Janet Hendey on 01275 858 515

Types of accident
Have you been involved in one of the following?

Road traffic accidents: you may be able to claim for a road traffic injury, whether you were a driver, pedestrian or passenger. You can also claim for motorcycle and bicycle accidents.

Accidents at work: these may arise from operating machinery, on construction sites, lifting, repetitive activities or slipping. Damages for occupational diseases such as asthma, dermatitis and hearing problems can also be claimed for.

Tripping or slipping: it is usually the local council's responsibility to maintain pavements and highways safely. Claims may also be made against shops for such accidents.

Faulty products: you can claim for injuries as a result of a faulty or badly designed product. For example, toys, ladders, cars or drugs causing unexpected side-effects.

Medical claims: people may have had an operation which went wrong or suffer because of a procedure carried out years ago.

Criminal injuries: you can claim for injuries as a result of an assault or other violent crime.

Why use a solicitor not a claims company?
You should be wary when contacting personal injury claims companies. Five major companies have gone bust in the past 2 years, leaving thousands of claimants without help. Claims companies are not regulated and often the junior personnel they employ to keep costs down are not qualified or experienced enough to advise on the complex legal issues surrounding a claim.

This may mean you will not receive all the compensation you are entitled to. They are also not qualified to take your case to Court if that becomes necessary. Their charges usually come out of your compensation and typically, they will deduct about 33% of your money.

In contrast, Wards have been handling around 300 road traffic, workplace and serious injury claims each year and have been doing this work since the 1960s.

We have a team of dedicated lawyers who handle nothing but personal injury and accident claims and all of them are members of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers and they are also members of The Law Society's approved Personal Injury Panel, one of only a limited number of law firms to have such approval. This is a mark of specialism and an indicator of a quality service.

How to make a claim
We will conduct the whole case for you. We will:

Funding your claim
If your claim is successful and you recover over £1,000 in compensation (which most cases do), then you are entitled to claim your legal costs from the person or organisation who is at fault.

We will not advise you to proceed with a claim unless we believe it will be successful. The vast majority of claims that are pursued recover compensation and legal costs. If your claim was unsuccessful, you would have to pay both your legal costs and those of the other side. This risk can be reduced, however, by funding your claim in one of the following ways:

How you can help us
While you recover from your injuries you should:

Your questions answered

When can I claim compensation? You can claim compensation when it can be established that someone else is to blame for your accident. Most claims must be brought within 3 years of the accident.

How long will my claim take? Claims typically take 9-12 months (but can take up to 2 years), depending on factors such as whether fault for the accident is admitted or Court proceedings need to be issued.

How much compensation will I get? Compensation depends on the extent of your injuries, which a medical report will help to assess. You can also claim for your financial loss arising from an accident. The longer your injury affects you and your ability to work, the higher the compensation.

If I am unable to work, how can I pay the bills? If your employer stops paying you, then you should apply for state benefits. If the injury prevents you from working, you may also be able to claim loss of earnings. If there is no dispute about blame and there is likely to be any delay, it is usually possible to obtain an advance payment of compensation before the final amount is agreed. This is known as an interim payment.

Can you visit me at home or in hospital? Yes, we can do this if needed.

What about cases involving a child, infirm or mentally disabled person? We will need to liaise with a parent or full-time carer.

Contact us
Bristol City centre and Staple Hill: Alison Underhill or Helen Gough on 0117 943 4800
Bradley Stoke and Yate: Larry Rawlinson on 01454 316789
Weston-super-Mare, Worle, Portishead and Nailsea: Janet Hendey on 01275 858 515