I was recently being treated in the back of an ambulance but the driver’s negligence resulted in my condition deteriorating — how can I make a compensation claim for ambulance accident?
You may be able to make a compensation claim for ambulance accident if the poor professional performance of an ambulance driver resulted in the deterioration of your injuries. You are owed a duty of care from an ambulance driver, and should the driver neglect to perform this duty and you sustain an injury in an ambulance accident, you may be entitled to seek compensation for your injuries. An accident in an ambulance may not always be straightforward and for this reason you are advised to first contact a solicitor, who can assess your claim. By doing so, you are strengthening the likelihood that you will receive the ambulance accident compensation to which you are entitled.
Before pursuing a compensation claim for ambulance accident, your immediate priority should be to seek medical attention for your injuries without delay. First, this prevents your injury in an ambulance accident from deteriorating into something far more serious, as regardless of the compensation you may be able to claim this will not be worth the impact of a long term and easily avoidable condition. Second, there is the fact that the amount of ambulance accident compensation you may be entitled to claim can be reduced if you neglected to seek immediate medical attention if it is considered that your negligence resulted in a deterioration in your injuries. While you may still be entitled to some compensation for your accident in an ambulance, this amount can be reduced to reflect your own negligence.
You can then continue with your compensation claim for ambulance accident by submitting an application for assessment to the Injuries Board. This is done by filling in Injuries Board Form A either through post or online, accompanied by Injuries Board Form B which includes your doctor’s analysis of your injury in an ambulance accident. Upon receiving the forms, the Injuries Board will then contact the negligent party as mentioned in the forms, seeking their consent to continue with an assessment of your accident in an ambulance, which will assign a financial value to your injury. If the negligent party provides their consent, an assessment for your ambulance accident compensation will be conducted and a financial value placed upon your injury. If accepted by both you and the negligent party, your claim can soon be settled — however if rejected or the negligent party does not provide consent, an authorisation will be provided to you by the Injuries Board to settle your claim in court, although an out-of-court settlement is still possible.
It should be noted that the likelihood that the negligent party wishes to appear in court is slim, as should they be found liable for your injury in an ambulance accident the costs of litigation could be enormous. An out-of-court settlement will be encouraged particularly if the value of your accident in an ambulance is disputed, as courts tend to frown upon such disagreements being settled through the legal system. As can be seen, the pursuit of ambulance accident compensation can be a complex process and due to this, you should seek the advice of a professional personal injury solicitor at the earliest opportunity. A solicitor will assess your claim and by offering you representation, you will maximise the likelihood of your compensation claim for ambulance accident being resolved to satisfaction.
