What Are The Most Common Types of Personal Injury Cases?

There are many types of personal injury cases, and if you were injured in an accident because of someone else’s negligence, you are within your rights to bring a compensation claim. 

There are many ways that you can be injured, from being involved in a car crash, having an accident at work or having an accident in a public place. Injuries can cause pain and distress and lead to financial pressures if you are unable to work and aren’t paid whilst absent. If your accident was someone else’s fault, you might be able to claim compensation.

This guide will look at the most common types of personal injury claims. We start with road traffic accidents before moving on to public liability claims and then accidents at work. Then, we discuss how to fund an accident claim on a No Win No Fee Basis.

Finally, we then look at some more helpful resources relating to personal injury claims. If you would like to begin the claims process now, you can get in touch free of charge and with no obligation on the details below, or keep reading for more information.

A car has crashed into the back of another car.

Choose A Section 

  1. What Are The Most Common Types of Personal Injury Cases?
  2. Road Traffic Accidents
  3. Public Liability Accidents
  4. Workplace Accidents
  5. Make A Personal Injury Case On A No Win No Fee Basis
  6. Learn More About Personal Injury Claims

What Are The Most Common Types of Personal Injury Cases?

There are many legal duties that people need to uphold in their everyday lives. If you are on the road, then other drivers must take care to drive safely. Whilst you are at work, your employer has many responsibilities to try and keep you safe, and even when you are visiting public places the occupier of public spaces has a duty of care to keep you reasonably safe.

We will look in-depth at some of these duties in the coming sections, but a good summary is that if you have been injured in an accident that was not your fault, you may potentially have a strong personal injury claim.

This will depend heavily on lots of factors, but if you think you were injured because of someone else’s negligence, we would like to hear from you. Let’s now look in-depth at some of the most common types of personal injury cases.

Road Traffic Accidents

Road Traffic Accidents are very common, simply due to the sheer volume of cars on the road. According to government statistics, in 2023, there were 132,063 injuries of all severities on roads in Great Britain. Of this number, 1,645 people tragically lost their lives and 29,643 suffered serious injuries. While these figures appear high, they do represent a slight decline of 3% compared to 2022. 

All road users owe a duty of care to other road users, and they must follow the rules set out in the Road Traffic Act 1988 and also those in the Highway Code. Here are some examples of a breach of duty for a road traffic accident:

  • A car turns sharply without signalling and knocks a cyclist from a bicycle as they turn.
  • Someone fails to leave sufficient braking distance, and they crash into the back of a car at a set of traffic lights.
  • There is a drunk driver who swerves onto the wrong side of the road and into a head-on collision with an oncoming vehicle.
  • A person attempts to change lanes on the motorway when it is unsafe to do so, and they cause a significant accident.
  • A driver fails to stop at a zebra crossing and knocks over a small child, causing a significant head injury.

Whiplash Claims

Claims for injuries suffered on the roads that are less serious are dealt with under the Whiplash Reform Program. The duty of care is unaffected, but a large portion of road traffic accidents fall under these regulations. They apply if

  • You are 18 or over.
  • You were the driver or a passenger of a vehicle.
  • You suffered an injury to your neck, back or shoulders worth less than £5,000, e.g. a minor whiplash injury.

These cases are valued in line with the tariffs laid out in the Whiplash Injury Regulations 2021. It will, of course, be difficult for many people to know if they have an injury that is worth more than £5,000, and this is something we can help you with when you contact us to begin your claim.

A man holding his neck following a road traffic accident.

Public Liability Accidents

The organisation or individual that controls public spaces owes visitors a duty of care to keep them reasonably safe in the circumstances. This is set out in the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957. This applies to common areas for accidents, such as restaurants, bars, and supermarkets. It even applies to private premises. Some examples of a breach of duty that could lead to a successful public liability claim include:

  • A restaurant has a defective handrail on a set of stairs. They know the rail is defective but do not fix it, or put out any warning signs. This defect causes someone to slip and fall, breaking their ankle.
  • The waitress in a restaurant has been told to carry too many dishes, and they spill extremely hot soup on someone’s arm, causing significant burns.
  • Someone drops a yoghurt in a supermarket, a staff member sees this spillage but fails to clean it up or put out a warning sign, and someone slips over it, injuring their back.

Given how many spaces are covered under public liability, it’s one of the most common types of personal injury cases that we help with. While there are no definitive figures for the number of public liability claims made each year, we can gain an insight by looking at data published by the Compensation Recovery Unit (CRU).

This government body logs compensation claims so that it can recover any social security benefits. In 2023/24, a total of 58,933 public liability claims were lodged, which is a marked increase on the year before when 53,403 claims were submitted. Of all claim types logged by CRU, public liability is the highest by far.

There are many ways you can be injured in a public place, and if you think that this was someone else’s fault, please get in touch.

Workplace Accidents

Workplace accidents are one of the most common types of personal injury cases. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE), a government body, is responsible for logging the number of injuries at work suffered each year. 

In 2022/23, they found that approximately 561,000 had suffered an injury at work. 60,645 of these incidents were serious enough to be reported under RIDDOR. 138 people sadly lost their lives. 

Your employer has various duties to keep you reasonably safe at work, and they come from Acts of Parliament such as the Health and Safety At Work etc. Act 1974 (HAWASA), The Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992 and  The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998. There are several more that might apply to you whilst you are working. They cover things such as performing adequate risk assessments, providing you with proper training and keeping the workplace generally safe.

Some examples of a breach of legal duty in an accident at work could include:

  • An employer fails to give an employee safety goggles, and whilst cutting metal, a fragment goes into their eye, causing them to lose sight in that eye.
  • Whilst someone is working at height on scaffolding, it collapses due to a defective bolt. An employee falls, suffering serious injuries.
  • A faulty machine that management failed to fix despite being made aware of the fault causes an employee to suffer a deep laceration and scarring.
  • An employee is not trained on how to use a forklift truck properly, and they run over a colleague, causing a foot injury. 

Given the wide scope of employment rules that your employer needs to follow, if you have been injured at work, it is a sensible step to seek advice to see if you can make a personal injury claim. Our team is waiting to take your call.

A man has injured his head at work.

Make A Personal Injury Case On A No Win No Fee Basis

There are many advantages to using a No Win No Fee Solicitor to help with various types of personal injury cases. These include

  • Being able to advise you about your chances of winning
  • Collecting vital evidence to help you prove your claim
  • Following all legal rules, such as Pre-Action Protocols and court rules or deadlines
  • Completing your case in a timely manner
  • Obtaining all of the compensation you are entitled to

If your case is strong, we can put you in touch with one of our panel solicitors. They have years of dedicated personal injury experience and may offer you a Conditional Fee Agreement, a type of No Win No Fee agreement. This carries with it several benefits:

  • Not paying for any upfront legal fees
  • Ongoing legal fees do not need to be paid
  • Nothing to pay if your case does not win

If successful, there will be a ‘success fee’ due to your solicitor. This is deducted from your damages and is on a percentage basis. It has a legally imposed maximum, which means that you keep the bulk of your compensation.

Most personal injury cases need to be started within 3 years of the date of the accident, although there are exceptions. We recommend starting the process sooner rather than later and our team of advisors can take your call 24 hours a day. There is no obligation to proceed. Simply get in touch with us:

A solicitor who is capable of dealing with all types of personal injury cases.

Learn More About Personal Injury Claims

Here are some more resources about personal injury claims that you may find useful:

What is the average payout for injury at work?

What level of personal injury damages could be awarded to someone who suffers a brain injury?

More details about how to claim after an accident in a restaurant 

Consider this guide from the NHS about what to do if someone needs first aid.

When are you entitled to claim Statutory Sick Pay (SSP)?

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) keep detailed statistics about injuries suffered at work. 

Thank you for reading our blog on the most common types of personal injury cases.