What evidence will I need to make a personal injury claim?

Medical documentation is one of the most important forms of evidence. This is usually based on medical records from your GP or hospital, which detail your diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis.

Your solicitor will also obtain a medical report from an independent medical specialist in the field relevant to your injuries. This will assess the harm you suffered, consider whether it is linked to the defendant’s negligence and outline its long-term impact on your health and life.

Visual evidence of injuries can be highly persuasive. You should take photographs of visible injuries such as cuts, burns or swelling, immediately after the accident and during recovery. It can also help to photograph any surgical wounds, stitches, or medical aids, such as braces.

Videos can further support your compensation claim by showing any limitations caused by the injury, such as reduced mobility or difficulty performing everyday tasks.

A personal injury diary can help demonstrate the ongoing impact of your injuries. This should include notes about your pain and suffering, emotional distress and the impact on your work, hobbies and relationships.

Accident reports, such as police reports for road traffic accidents and official reports for workplace accidents, will also document the harm you sustained. Creating an official record as soon as possible after the incident helps confirm when and how the injury occurred.

Witnesses can provide independent, first-hand accounts of how an accident occurred. They can corroborate your version of the events and confirm that a hazard was present, warning signs were missing, or the defendant acted carelessly or failed to follow safety procedures.

These include documents such as police reports, accident book entries, and maintenance logs. They can help prove that an accident occurred, that the defendant was aware of the risk and that they failed to take reasonable steps to prevent harm.

Photographs and videos provide objective visual proof of the accident scene and any hazards contributing to it, such as potholes or wet floors. They can help establish liability and make it more difficult for the defendant to deny that the dangerous condition existed.

Such footage can provide clear evidence of how an accident occurred, offering a factual account of events. These can also depict unsafe behaviour from the defendant, such as failing to yield the right of way or aggressive driving.

Sometimes, expert testimony may be used to clarify complex issues and establish whether the defendant’s actions fell below the required standard of care. This may include testimony from specialists such as medical experts, accident reconstruction experts or safety experts.

If you were unable to work during recovery or your earning capacity was affected, you may be able to claim compensation for loss of earnings. The evidence you need includes copies of your payslips, your contract of employment, tax returns or bank statements.

You can recover the cost of all treatment related to your injury, including prescriptions, medical aids, surgery and rehabilitation. Your solicitor will include these costs in your personal injury claim based on evidence such as medical bills, receipts and invoices.

If personal items were damaged during the accident, you can claim the costs needed to repair or replace them. The evidence required to include these losses as part of your claim includes photos of the damaged items, quotes for repairs and replacement receipts.

If you needed help with daily tasks following your accident or long-term care because of a disability, you can also claim these costs, even if provided by loved ones. Supporting evidence includes medical assessments, caring diaries, invoices and expert reports.

You can also include the cost of reasonable travel expenses in your claim, such as transport to and from medical appointments or treatment sessions. These are based on evidence like bus tickets, fuel receipts, credit card statements and appointment letters to confirm attendance.

If you lost a loved one because of a fatal accident, you could claim funeral expenses and loss of financial dependency. Your claim should be supported by proof of your relationship with the deceased and by financial documents such as receipts, invoices, and bank statements.