Claiming personal injury damages after an accident

You have been involved in an accident and have sustained injuries as a result. Naturally, you want to claim your personal injury damages from the person responsible for the accident. But when can you claim personal injury damages, and who is liable? What damages are compensated, and how is it that in the Netherlands you have the right to free legal assistance after an accident?

Free legal assistance from a personal injury lawyer

In most countries, a personal injury victim must pay for a lawyer themselves after an accident. In the Netherlands, this is different. Under the law, legal assistance is free of charge. This is stated in Article 6:96 paragraph 2 of the Dutch Civil Code. It states that the costs of a personal injury lawyer are part of the compensation. This is why we can assist you free of charge after an accident.

What does a personal injury lawyer do after an accident?

Claiming personal injury damages is not easy. Fortunately, you are not alone. Our law firm is happy to help you. Our staff also speak multiple languages, including English, Polish, Turkish, German, and Moroccan. So, you can often communicate with us in your own language or at least in English.

We will assist you throughout the entire personal injury process after an accident, from holding the other party liable to negotiating with the personal injury insurance company. This allows you to focus on what really matters: your recovery.

Regarding your recovery after an accident, we also have our own medical advisor. We are happy to involve them for you so that you receive the best treatment. The medical advisor also advises us on your injuries, such as how long the symptoms may last and whether future complaints and limitations can be expected.

After an accident, it is nice to have a point of contact within our firm. Therefore, you will always be assigned a dedicated personal injury lawyer. This is especially helpful if you have sustained injuries from an accident.

Your personal injury lawyer will assist you with everything after an accident, from claiming your personal injury damages to arranging the right care and support.

Types of accidents

You can sustain personal injury damages from various types of accidents. For each type of accident, claiming compensation requires a different approach. Additionally, different parties may be held liable depending on the accident. Therefore, we will discuss the following accidents:

• Traffic accident
• Work accident
• Dog bite

Of course, there are more accidents that can result in personal injury damages. In those cases, we are also happy to see if we can help you.

What to do after a traffic accident

A car accident, bicycle accident, or scooter accident. Many traffic accidents happen in the Netherlands. But who is at fault in a collision? This is stated in several legal provisions. The most important one is Article 5 of the Road Traffic Act. This article reads:

“It is prohibited for anyone to behave in such a way that danger is caused or may be caused on the road or that traffic on the road is hindered or may be hindered.”

Under this article, the person at fault in a collision is the one who fails to yield, rear-ends someone, or causes an accident by running a red light.

What happened to you?

Car accident or scooter accident

Have you been involved in a car accident, scooter accident, or collision between other motor vehicles? In that case, you can file your personal injury claim directly with the personal injury insurance of the other party. In the Netherlands, there is mandatory insurance, so the liability notice can be sent directly to the insurer.

Were you involved in an accident as a passenger and not as the driver? Then you are always entitled to compensation. Even if you were in the car of the driver who caused the accident. Your personal injury lawyer will be happy to tell you more about this.

Did you, as the driver of a motor vehicle, make a traffic mistake yourself? Even then, you are often entitled to compensation, namely under the passenger injury insurance.

All personal injury damages are compensated after a car accident or scooter accident, both material damages and pain and suffering.

Hit as a cyclist? Always entitled to compensation

The regulation for cyclists and pedestrians is special. In the Netherlands, you are always entitled to compensation if you are hit as a cyclist or pedestrian by a motor vehicle. Even if you made a traffic mistake yourself. In that case, at least 50% of your personal injury damages will be compensated by the other party’s insurer. If the other party is at fault, all damages will be compensated.

Personal injury damages from a work accident

Have you been involved in an accident at work? Then you are entitled to compensation in the following cases:

• Breach of the duty of care by the employer
• Injury due to a colleague’s mistake
• Traffic accident during work hours

In the Netherlands, employers have a strict duty of care. This duty of care means that the employer must do everything possible to prevent an accident. This includes:

• Providing sufficient safety instructions
• Ensuring that you can perform your work safely
• Supervising the work activities

As a victim of a work accident, you only need to prove that you had an accident during work. You can then hold the employer liable unless the employer proves that they cannot be blamed for the accident. Employers rarely succeed in this. Therefore, if you are a victim of a work accident, you are likely entitled to personal injury damages.

Personal injury damages due to a colleague’s mistake

Have you suffered personal injury damages due to a colleague’s mistake? In this case, it is not the colleague but, under the law, the employer of that colleague who is liable. This is a risk liability. In case of a colleague’s mistake, you are always entitled to compensation.

This is how we help you step by step

Are you curious about how we guide you after an accident? In this short video we explain what you can expect from us, from the first intake to the final compensation.

Read the experiences of our satisfied clients

Before you start working with a personal injury lawyer, you naturally want to know how others experience our legal assistance. You can read independent opinions about our personal injury lawyers below.

Letselschade advocaat - Brugman Letselschade Advocaten

4.6

Jacob 075

16:05 15 Jan 24

Echt een top bureau! Ik ben Zeer tevreden met mevrouw Hajar el Haddad. Ze is altijd erg betrokken geweest en gaat door tot de beste resultaat wordt behaald! Ook op momenten dat ik niet wist welke kant ik op moest, is mevrouw El Haddad er altijd voor mij geweest. 1 ding is zeker. Met mevrouw Haddad als advocaat sta je er nooit alleen voor en hoef je niet om te kijken. In letsel zaken is het naar mijn mening vooral belangrijk dat er iemand aan je zij staat die vecht tot het einde. Iemand die zich niet klein laat maken, en dapper strijd net of het haar/zijn eigen zaak is. Dit is bij mevrouw El Haddad zeker het geval. Ik wens niemand een ongeluk toe, maar als het je overkomt is mevrouw el Haddad de advocaat die je nodig hebt. Dat garandeer ik je!

Willem Nouris

09:03 11 Dec 23

Mijn vakantie naar Spanje nam een plotse wending toen ik een auto-ongeval meemaakte. Ik heb mijn vakantie moeten staken en ben helaas terug naar huis moeten gaan.Jurist MooyMan&Partners in arm genomen maar naar enige tijd kwamen ze er achter dat de zaak te groot voor hun was. Toen zoeken naar letselschade juristen en bij de heer Blanken terecht gekomen.Ik ben erg blij en opgelucht dat de heer Blanken mijn zaak wilde aannemen.De communicatie verliep vlot en hij hield mij goed op de hoogte van het verloop van de zaak. Met een mooi resultaat aan het einde.

T.H.O

08:36 24 May 23

In één woord ''GEWELDIG''!!!Ik word sinds kort bijgestaan door W.Blanken (Willem Blanken Law) en wat een verademing!Letterlijk mijn redder in Nood!Na 3 jaar lang getouwtrek en niet begrepen, niet gehoord, niet gesteund en niet (echt) geholpen te worden door diverse ''lestelschadespecialisten'' de overstap gemaakt naar ''Brugman Letselschade Advocaten''.Tot de dag van vandaag ben ik hen (als zelfstandig ondernemer) eeuwig dankbaar dat ze mij hebben gekoppeld aan Dhr. W.Blanken en zijn zeer bekwame team van ( o.a. medisch en financieel) experts!!!Niet alleen heb ik nu rust, duidelijkheid, steun, (echte) hulp en perspectief in de gehele situatie, maar het aller belangrijkste is dat ik nu exact krijg waar ik recht op heb en Dhr. Blanken (in tegenstelling van de div. letselschadespecialisten) puur en alleen voor mijn belangen vecht en strijdt!Ik kan het iedereen aanraden die op zoek is naar (echte) hulp, duidelijkheid, rust en perspectief omtrent het (juridische en financiële) gedeelte van zijn of haar letselschadezaak!Je word (echt) gehoord, (echt) geholpen en (echt) begrepen!!

silvana ijsendijk

17:27 18 Apr 23

Zeer positieve ervaring met dit advocatenkantoor. Heel fijn contact over en weer. Medewerkers heel kundig en professioneel.

Björn Lanser

19:10 23 Feb 23

Gewoon top!

jakub jaszczuk

17:49 04 Jan 23

Zeer betrouwbaar, professioneel en nauwkeurig. Veel dank aan het hele team.

elly uitslager

09:58 22 Oct 22

Top advocaten,hele goede contacten over en weer, Charlotte dankjewel voor alles je bent een topper en Friso dankjewel dat je mij attent maakte op de mogelijkheden.

Vikaash “vgee” Mohan

12:20 09 Aug 22

Goede ervaring, professioneel en duidelijk.De medewerkers zijn vriendelijk en regelen snel waar je recht op hebt! Kortom, positieve ervaring. Voornamelijk mevrouw El Haddad heeft mijn dossier behandeld! Ze geven jou zaak de aandacht die het verdiend. Mvg V

C Ö

21:29 28 Apr 22

Ik heb een positieve ervaring met dit advocaten kantoor.Mevrouw El Haddad heeft mij geholpen bij mijn letselschadezaak na een auto ongeluk. Ze is erg deskundig, vriendelijk, betrokken en behulpzaam. Altijd goed bereikbaar zowel per e-mail als telefonisch en heeft mij altijd goed op de hoogte gehouden over de stand van zaken. Ik raad Mevrouw El Haddad dan ook zeer zeker aan.Heel erg bedankt voor alles!!

Tobias Moon

17:34 28 Jan 22

Absoluut ongelofelijk! Ik ben overgestapt naar Brugman Letselschade na een zeer teleurstellende ervaring bij een ander advocatenkantoor. Het verschil in service, bekwaamheid en professionaliteit was ongelooflijk. Ik zou niet aarzelen om dit bedrijf aan te bevelen. Ik werd constant op de hoogte gehouden van de voortgang van mijn zaak, werd goed geadviseerd en had altijd het gevoel dat ik een sterke en ervaren bondgenoot aan mijn zijde had.Ik kan Mvr El Haddad en haar collega's niet genoeg aanbevelen of bedanken! Heel veel, heel veel dank 🙂

Roos van Winkel

10:19 09 Aug 17

Goede ervaring, professioneel en duidelijk. Gewoon normaal en niet met veel gedoe, de medewerkers zijn vriendelijk en regelen snel waar je recht op hebt, ook mijn werkgever hebben ze geholpen hun loonschade te verhalen. Kortom, positieve ervaring.

Read more reviews about our personal injury lawyers!

Traffic accident during work hours

The Dutch Supreme Court has ruled that your employer must insure you against injury from a traffic accident during work hours. Are you a truck driver, meal delivery person, or package delivery person? Then you should be able to claim compensation from the WEGAM or WEGAS insurance. Your personal injury lawyer will arrange this for you free of charge. If the employer has not taken out insurance? Then they are liable for the personal injury damages you suffered as a result of the traffic accident.

Personal injury damages from a dog bite

In the Netherlands, the owner of an animal is liable under the law. If you are bitten by a neighbor’s dog, you can hold the neighbor liable for your personal injury damages. This is only different if the animal is used commercially, such as at a riding school. In that case, it is not the owner of the animal but the commercial user who is liable for your personal injury damages.

Free legal assistance from a personal injury lawyer

Do you want free legal assistance after an accident from an experienced and knowledgeable personal injury lawyer near you? Then contact our law firm. We have been representing the interests of accident victims for over 15 years.

Want to meet our team? Take a look at our website. Clik here for the entire team of our personal injury law firm!

Frequently Asked Questions About Work accident lawyer