Common Types of Personal Injury Claim – and When You Could Be Entitled to Compensation

An injury that wasn’t your fault – whether on the road, at work or in a public place – can have a significant impact on your life. From physical pain and emotional distress to time off work and financial pressure, the effects can escalate fast.

But if you’ve been injured in an accident that wasn’t your fault, you may be eligible for compensation via a personal injury claim. In this blog, we explore the UK’s most common types of personal injury claims along with the criteria for compensation. Let’s dive in.

What is a personal injury claim?

A personal injury claim is where you seek compensation if you’ve been injured due to another person, organisation or employer failing in their duty of care. This could include physical injuries, psychological harm or a combination of both.

The purpose of compensation is to recognise the impact the injury has had on your life, including your health, ability to work and day-to-day activities. It’s designed to help cover medical treatment, rehabilitation costs and lost earnings.

Common types of personal injury claims

Personal injury claims can arise in a huge variety of situations. However, most fall into a few key categories:

Road traffic accident claims

Road traffic accidents (RTAs) are one the most common causes of personal injury claims, and can include accidents involving drivers, passengers, pedestrians, cyclists or motorcyclists. According to recent Department for Transport statistics, over 128,000 people were injured in road traffic accidents in Great Britain in 2024, with nearly 30,000 suffering serious or fatal injuries.

You may be eligible to make a personal injury claim if you were injured in an accident caused by another road user’s negligence – speeding, careless driving or failing to follow traffic rules, for example. Even if you were a passenger in a vehicle, you may be entitled to compensation if the driver was at fault. Injuries from RTAs range from whiplash and fractures to serious, life-changing conditions.

Claims about accidents in the workplace

Employers have a legal duty to provide a safe working environment. If they fail to do so and you’re injured as a result, you may be able to bring a claim.

When we talk about workplace accidents, we’re typically referring to slips, trips and falls, as well injuries caused by faulty or unsafe equipment, exposure to hazardous substances and falls from height. Some are the result of sudden events, while others develop over time due to unsafe working conditions. In either case, you may have grounds for a personal injury claim.

Health and Safety Executive statistics indicate that 680,000 workers were injured at work during the year from 2024 to 2025, underlining how common workplace accidents remain. What’s more, 1.9 million suffered a work-related illness: stress, anxiety or depression, or a musculoskeletal condition.

Public liability claims

Of course, accidents don’t only happen at work or on the road. If you’re injured in a public place due to unsafe conditions, you may be able to make a public liability claim against the organisation responsible.

Examples of public liability claims range from slips or trips in shops, restaurants or supermarkets to injuries caused by poorly maintained pavements, accidents in public buildings and injuries caused by falling objects or unsafe structures.

These claims are based around the principle that occupiers of public spaces must take reasonable steps to keep visitors safe. The Compensation Recovery Unit (CRU) tracks public liability claims in the UK and shows 64,423 new registered cases in the year 2024-25. And while this figures has been steadily rising over recent years, numbers remain lower than pre-pandemic levels.

Serious and long-term personal injury claims

Not all injuries are straightforward. Some involve long-term physical conditions or psychological injuries, such as anxiety, depression or post-traumatic stress following an accident.

These types of claims tend to require detailed medical evidence and expert assessment to understand the full impact on your life. Compensation in these cases reflects not only the injury itself, but also the long-term consequences, including future care needs and loss of earnings.

When might you be entitled to personal injury compensation?

You may be eligible to make a personal injury claim if:

You were injured in an accident that wasn’t your fault
Another person, employer or organisation was responsible
The injury has affected your health, work or daily life
You required medical treatment or ongoing care

In most cases, personal injury claims must be started within three years of the accident or the date the injury was first discovered. However, there are circumstance-related exceptions, so it’s always worth seeking advice to find out if you might have a claim.

What can compensation cover?

Compensation is designed to reflect the full impact of your injury – from pain and suffering to loss of earnings, medical expenses, rehabilitation costs and ongoing care or support. Every case is different, and the amount awarded depends on the severity of the injury and the impact on your life.

How Harrington Sinclair can help with your personal injury claim

If you’ve been injured and are unsure whether you have a claim, getting clear advice early can make a real difference.

We understand that dealing with an injury can is often stressful, disruptive and uncertain. That’s why we aim to make the claims process clear and easy to navigate, providing straightforward guidance and keeping you informed throughout your claim.

From assessing your eligibility to gathering evidence and negotiating a settlement, we’re here to support you at every stage. And with no-win, no-fee funding – along with clear fees explained from the outset – there’s no upfront cost and nothing to pay if your claim isn’t successful.

Ultimately, we’re here to take care of the legal side of things, allowing you to focus on recovery.

Check if you have a claim