Completing the Personal Injury Claim Form

Posted by wallacegreen on December 12th, 2012

After going through the pain, financial setbacks and emotional turmoil, another battle begins - this time facing the litigation process. Filling in the personal injury claim form is essential in gathering pertinent information. It is important to complete the details of the form because if it is insufficient, it may cause a delay in processing the claim.

The personal injury claim form contains basic information about the claimant including the details of the accident.

Personal Information about the Claimant

-          Claimant should fill in the details which include the complete name, date of birth, contact number, address, email address, National Insurance Number, occupation, and name of employer. Under the occupation field, it is necessary for the claimant to provide the duties in relation to his position.

Details of the Accident

-          The details of accident should indicate the date it occurred, the approximate time, and schedule of off work. If possible, photographs of the accident location should be provided. In case, the date of the accident is not shown, the date and time should be indicated in the form.

Details of the Injury

-          The injured person should provide complete information about the illness or injury which includes the type of injury, the diagnosis, prognosis, extent of damage, and the medical report.

Notes on Medical Records Act 1988

Claimants should know his rights which are stipulated in the Medical Records Act 1988. It informs the injured person about his rights of access to his own medical records. It covers 3 options for the injured party.

The first option, gives consent in releasing the report without having the need to look at it. In case the injured person changes his mind, he can still revise it provided that the report is not yet released. The second option requires the approval of the claimant before releasing it. The medical practitioner will not release it unless the former approves it. It is important to remember that, if the claimant fails to communicate with the medical practitioner in 21 days, the latter will assume that the former approves the content of the report. The report can be amended by requesting the doctor in writing but the latter may not agree.  If it happens, he can withdraw his consent for the report, ask the doctor to attach his personal statement which shows his view on the incident or agree to release the report without any revisions. The third option, allows the claimant to withhold his consent in releasing the report.