During the past decade, personal injury claims have become increasingly common. If you turn on your television during the daytime you can guarantee that you will see adverts by accident claim management companies encouraging you to get in touch with them in order to make a personal injury claim and, if you are successful, to claim compensation as a result. There are many reasons for this, and it is not simply a case of more personal injuries occurring. Instead, the public now have a greater awareness of the issue, thanks to the consistent coverage it is given in various areas of the media.

But of what interest is this to somebody who has not suffered personal injury? Well, the answer is again one of awareness of the issue. For example, someone who suffers personal injury and has an idea as to what constitutes a valid claim will be quicker to act on it, which would cause much less fuss, disturbance and distress than someone who suffers personal injury but is unaware that they are eligible for compensation.

There are many ways in which someone can suffer personal injury. It could be the result of a road traffic incident, accident at work or in a public place, or other accidental injury. Furthermore, if you have suffered personal injury, you may be eligible for compensation. Even if you are not sure whether or not you have a valid claim, the best law firms will offer all initial consultations free of charge and without obligation. Most law firms also provide a No Win No Fee service if they feel your case has a realistic chance of success and that you always keep 100% of the compensation. This will help clarify the options available and can put your mind at ease.

There are simple ways in which you yourself can be aware of in the event that you are unfortunate enough to suffer a personal injury. In a road accident, for example, the extent of your injury would not necessarily be a deciding factor. Whether it is a relatively minor injury such as bruising though to whiplash or a more serious injury, one of the most important elements in regards to a claim is that you deem the accident to be someone else's fault.

This is, indeed, an important element in all aspects of claims that you may need to be aware of. If you have an accident at work, then work accident compensation is recoverable provided it can be proved that someone is at fault – be it your employer, a fellow employee or another organisation or contractor working at your place at work. This question of responsibility is also relevant to claims regarding accidents in a public area. Anyone who is responsible for running, managing or maintaining a public area such as a shop, sports facility, office, public building, playground, park, pavement or road has a legal obligation to make that place safe from accident and injury.

Similarly, there is question of responsibility when it comes to making a claim concerning industrial disease for example. If you were to get an industrial disease that is directly attributable to your conditions of employment then you may want to get advice on making a claim. Industrial diseases range from asbestos related diseases to vibration white finger and mining related illnesses.

One of the other most common reasons for a claim can involve slipping, tripping or falling through negligence on the part of someone else. Slips and trips are often trivialised but a high proportion of them result in serious injury such as broken bones. Claims can come about for a variety of reasons and the main ones you need to be aware of include: tripping on a defective pavement, slipping on a wet floor in a shop, school, hospital or other public place, driving or riding over a pothole, becoming injured in a playground or sports facility, and slipping on fuel in a garage forecourt.

Above all, the lesson to be learnt when it comes to personal injury is that it pays to be aware of the law.