If you have an injury at work and are unable to complete your job, you may be quite rightly concerned about how you are going to earn a living. While it is true that your employer will offer the statutory sick pay for 28 weeks, this does fall short of many people's wages and you may not be able to make ends meet. This can make it seem particularly unfair if the accident was not your fault.

You may be having to pay for a number of new things due to your injury. You may not be able to drive and have to take taxis to hospital appointments or you may need to have an alternative therapy such as acupuncture to help in your healing. These things can be covered by a compensation claim.

A work injury lawyer will be able to work out how much compensation you should be claiming based on a number of factors. There are four main types of damages which you can claim for. You may not be able to claim for all of these however.

Special Damages

Lost income: This can be claimed as a net amount after tax and national insurance has been removed. The amount claimed will be the amount you usually earn less the sick pay which you are receiving. This is designed to put you in the same position you were in prior to the accident.

Travel expenses: You can claim a mileage rate for the cost of getting taxis to and from hospital and GP visits. Keep receipts for this.

Medical expenses: If you need to attend a private hospital you can claim this. You can also claim for any extra care you may need, even from family members and friends.

Loss of holiday: If you cannot attend your holiday which was booked prior to the accident, you can get this money back. You can even claim if you went on holiday but couldn't enjoy it.

General Damages

This is the set amount which the government says you are entitled to depending on the type of injuries sustained. This will include payment for pain and suffering, compensation for future losses and even for stress. This is usually a fixed amount.

Interest

You can claim interest on the amount received from the time the claim went to court until you receive it.

Legal Costs

Many lawyers will accept compensation cases on a no win no fee basis. This means that the losing side pays any legal costs incurred.