General damages
The award for the injury itself and the effect on your life, known as pain, suffering and loss of amenity. It is measured against the ranges used for injuries of comparable severity and adjusted for your circumstances.
Greater Manchester
Personal Injury Solicitors Manchester
Injury Law Specialists provides access to personal injury solicitors acting for clients across Manchester and the surrounding part of Greater Manchester. If you have been injured in an accident that may have been caused by someone else's negligence, we can review what happened and explain whether you may have grounds to pursue compensation.
Manchester is the largest city in the north of England and the economic centre of a conurbation of nearly three million people, with the M60, M62, M56 and M61 meeting around it, an extensive tram network, two major universities, a very large hospital and life sciences base and a rapidly growing city centre population. That produces a distinctive mix of claims, which we set out below.
- Free initial claim assessment
- No Win, No Fee may be available
- Clients throughout Manchester and Greater London
- 30+ years' collective legal experience
Can I make a personal injury claim in Manchester?
Yes, if you were injured in an accident caused by someone else's negligence in Manchester or the surrounding area. Personal injury solicitors acting for Manchester clients assess whether there are grounds to claim, investigate the evidence, instruct medical experts and negotiate with the insurer on your behalf. Whether a claim can be taken on depends on the circumstances, the evidence and when the accident happened, not on where you live.
Manchester is served by the M60 orbital running right around the city, the M62 toward Leeds and Liverpool, the M56 toward Chester and the M6, the M61 toward Bolton and the M602 toward Salford, with the A6, A34, A57, A5103 and the inner ring road within the city, and rail services from Piccadilly, Victoria, Oxford Road and Deansgate stations, alongside the Metrolink tram network which is one of the largest light rail systems in the country. Manchester sits at the centre of the M60 orbital with the M62, M56 and M61 converging on it, so the city and its surrounding network carry a volume of freight, commuter and cross Pennine traffic exceptional even by national standards.
Manchester's economy is built on professional, financial, legal, digital, creative and media employment with a very substantial office economy, universities and a very large student population, healthcare with major hospitals and a growing life sciences and research sector, manufacturing and engineering including advanced materials and aerospace supply, construction at large scale, logistics and distribution serving the motorway network, and retail, hospitality, music, sport and leisure concentrated in the city centre. Accidents at work reflect that mix, with manual handling, aggression, sharps and clinical waste risks in healthcare, slips, trips, manual handling and aggression risks in retail, hospitality and the office economy, laboratory, chemical and biological risks in the university and life sciences sector, and the full range of site, plant and working at height injuries in construction.
The city centre produces a very large share of public place claims, and Manchester has a heavily redeveloped modern centre alongside genuine industrial fabric in Ancoats, Castlefield and the Northern Quarter, with older paving, narrow streets, changes of level, cobbled areas and a large pedestrianised core carrying exceptional footfall. Falls, trips and injuries on the tram and bus network and around its stops are common. The city has an extensive canal network with the Bridgewater, Rochdale and Ashton canals, the Ship Canal approach and the castlefield basins, whose towpaths are uneven, unlit in places and affected by water, alongside very large residential areas, parks and the river valleys of the Irk, Medlock and Mersey. The city also has an unusually large student and cycling population and a very high volume of private hire vehicle, delivery and bus movement on crowded urban roads.
Key takeaways
- Injury Law Specialists provides access to personal injury solicitors acting for clients across Manchester and Greater Manchester.
- We help clients in Manchester. We do not have an office in Manchester and we do not claim to. Our registered address is in Luton, and cases are handled by telephone, video call, email and WhatsApp.
- Whether a claim can be taken on depends on its merits and evidence, not on where you live.
- Compensation has two parts: general damages for the injury itself, and special damages for the financial losses it caused.
- Most personal injury claims in England and Wales are subject to a three year limitation period, although the date of knowledge can start it later where a condition develops over years.
- Legal services are provided by MB Solicitors, trading name of MB Legal Solicitors Ltd, regulated by the SRA under SRA ID 8000764.
Where we help clients in Manchester
We provide access to personal injury solicitors acting for clients across Manchester and the surrounding part of Greater Manchester. The map shows the area we cover, which takes in the main roads, stations and neighbourhoods where accidents most often happen.
Being clear about this matters. We help clients in Manchester. We do not have an office in Manchester and we do not claim to. Our registered address is in Luton, and cases are handled by telephone, email, WhatsApp and video call, so there is no need to travel to us and no part of the area we cannot reach.
Roads, stations and landmarks nearby
- M60 orbital
- M62
- M56 and M61
- M602
- The A6, A34, A57 and A5103
- Piccadilly, Victoria, Oxford Road and Deansgate stations
- The Metrolink tram network
- The Bridgewater, Rochdale and Ashton canals and Castlefield basins
What types of accident are most common in Manchester?
What stands out in Manchester claims is scale, density and a city centre that has been transformed while keeping its industrial bones. Manchester sits at the centre of the M60 with the M62, M56 and M61 converging on it, so a very high proportion of collisions involve congestion, junction and lane changing conflicts and multiple vehicles rather than a single at-fault driver, and much of the traffic is cross Pennine rather than local. The city's economy is dominated by professional, financial, digital and media work alongside two large universities and major hospitals, so its workplace claims divide broadly between the manual handling, aggression and clinical risks of healthcare and the slips, manual handling and aggression risks of retail, hospitality, education and office work, with laboratory and chemical risks in the life sciences sector and machinery and site risks in the manufacturing and construction that remains. Manchester has more canal miles than almost any English city, so its towpaths, basins and canal arms are a genuine part of local daily movement on surfaces that are uneven, often unlit and affected by water. Its centre combines older industrial fabric in Ancoats, Castlefield and the Northern Quarter with a heavily rebuilt modern core, and it has one of the largest tram networks in the country, so tram stops, platforms, steps and the approaches to interchanges carry heavy daily footfall and their own levels and surfaces.
Accidents at work
Healthcare, universities, life sciences, large scale construction and a big office economy produce manual handling, clinical, laboratory, slips and site claims.
Road traffic accidents
At the centre of the M60 with the M62, M56 and M61 converging, alongside a dense urban network with heavy congestion, tram, bus and cycle traffic.
Slips, trips and falls
A heavily pedestrianised centre with older industrial fabric in Ancoats and Castlefield, plus canal towpaths, basins and a dense tram network.
Responsibility is not always obvious. What matters legally is whether someone owed you a duty of care, whether they breached it, and whether that breach caused your injury. Our pages on road traffic accident claims, accidents at work claims and public place accident claims explain how that is established.
How do I make a personal injury claim in Manchester?
The process is the same whether you are in Manchester or anywhere else in England and Wales. Individual claims vary, and not every case goes through every step, but this is how a personal injury claim usually progresses.
- 1Tell us what happenedComplete the free assessment form, telephone the team, or message on WhatsApp. A short description is enough to begin.
- 2Free initial assessmentA solicitor considers the circumstances, the injuries and who may have been responsible, and explains whether there may be grounds to claim.
- 3Investigation and evidenceWhere a case is accepted, the available evidence is gathered, including accident reports, photographs, witness details and CCTV where it exists.
- 4Medical evidenceAn independent medical expert assesses the injuries and gives an opinion on severity and prognosis.
- 5Assessing financial lossPast and future losses are calculated, including lost earnings, treatment, care, travel and equipment where relevant.
- 6NegotiationThe claim is presented to the defendant or their insurer and negotiated on your behalf.
- 7Settlement or court proceedingsMany cases settle through negotiation. Where agreement is not possible, court proceedings may be issued and the case decided by the court.
For a stage by stage account of what the solicitor does at each point, see our page on how our personal injury solicitors help.
How much compensation could I receive?
There is no figure that can be applied to an injury by name. Compensation is assessed on the medical evidence, the effect the injury has on your life, your age and circumstances, and the financial losses it has caused. Two people with the same diagnosis can receive very different awards.
Special damages
The award for the money the injury has cost you, proved with documents. It can include lost earnings, treatment and rehabilitation, care and assistance, travel, equipment and future losses where the injury has lasting effects.
Our page on personal injury compensation explains both parts in detail, including the losses that can be recovered and how claims are valued.
Other areas of Greater Manchester we help clients from
We act for clients across the whole of Greater Manchester. These are the other areas close to Manchester, and you can see every part of the county on the Greater Manchester page.
Personal Injury Solicitors Greater ManchesterPersonal Injury Solicitors SalfordPersonal Injury Solicitors BoltonPersonal Injury Solicitors StockportPersonal Injury Solicitors OldhamPersonal Injury Solicitors RochdalePersonal Injury Solicitors WiganPersonal Injury Solicitors BuryPersonal Injury Solicitors AltrinchamPersonal Injury Solicitors Sale
Personal injury claims in Manchester: frequently asked questions
Do you have an office in Manchester?
No. We do not have a physical office in Manchester, and we do not claim to. Our registered address is in Luton, and we provide access to personal injury solicitors who act for clients across Manchester and the whole of Greater Manchester. Cases are handled by telephone, email, WhatsApp and video call, with a client seen at a convenient location where a meeting is genuinely needed.
How long do I have to make a personal injury claim in Manchester?
For many claims the general limitation period is three years from the date of the accident, or from your later date of knowledge where that applies. Different rules can apply to children, to people who lack mental capacity, and to fatal accident and criminal injury claims. The date of knowledge point matters in a city with Manchester's industrial history, because conditions caused by dust, fume, solvents, noise and vibration in engineering, textile, chemical and manufacturing work develop over decades, so the period may run from when you first knew or should have known rather than from the exposure itself. An old exposure is not necessarily a closed door, and it is worth asking specifically when that point was reached in your case. Where CCTV is involved, whether on a tram, a bus, in a shop or on a city centre street, it is often overwritten within weeks, so early advice matters.
Can I claim if I was injured working in healthcare, at a university or in the life sciences sector in Manchester?
Yes, where the injury was caused by unsafe working conditions, inadequate training, a failure to assess and manage a known risk, defective equipment, or a failure to provide a safe system of work. Manchester has major hospitals, two large universities and a growing life sciences and research sector, so healthcare, clinical and laboratory work forms a substantial share of local employment. Claims from that work commonly involve manual handling and moving and handling injuries, slips and trips in corridors, kitchens and wet areas, sharps and clinical waste, exposure to chemicals, solvents and biological materials in laboratories, and aggression and violence from patients or members of the public. Those risks are ones the employer is expected to assess and manage rather than unavoidable features of the job, and the assessments, training records, incident reports and staffing arrangements usually become the central evidence. It is worth reporting the incident and keeping your own note of what happened.
Can I claim for a fall on a canal towpath, in the city centre or on the tram in Manchester?
Yes, where the body responsible for that surface, structure or vehicle failed to maintain it to a reasonable standard, or failed to take reasonable steps to deal with a hazard it knew or should have known about, and that caused your fall or injury. Manchester has an extensive canal network with the Bridgewater, Rochdale and Ashton canals and the Castlefield basins, and its towpaths and basins form a genuine part of local daily movement, on surfaces that are often uneven, unlit in places and affected by water. The city centre combines older industrial fabric with a heavily rebuilt modern core carrying exceptional footfall, and the Metrolink network is one of the largest in the country, so tram stops, platforms, steps and interchange approaches carry heavy daily use and their own changes of level and surface. Identifying who is responsible is often the first step, because a towpath, a public footway, a tram stop and a private forecourt may each have a different responsible body, and a canal towpath may be the responsibility of the Canal and River Trust rather than the council. Where the injury happened on board a tram or during boarding or alighting, the operator's duties over the vehicle, the platform and the boarding arrangements are likely to be the central issue, and the operator's incident reports and CCTV are key evidence.
Can I claim if I was injured in a collision on the M60, the M62 or the M56?
Yes, if another road user's negligence caused your injuries. Manchester sits at the centre of the M60 orbital with the M62, the M56 and the M61 converging on it, so the motorway network around the city carries a very heavy volume of freight, commuter and cross Pennine traffic, and a great deal of it is long distance rather than local. That produces a collision profile dominated by congestion, junction conflicts, sudden braking and lane changing, often involving several vehicles rather than a single at-fault driver. Evidence usually comes from the police report, the vehicle damage and your medical records, along with any dash camera footage, and where the other driver was uninsured or untraced a claim through the Motor Insurers' Bureau may be possible. In multi vehicle collisions it is worth taking advice early, because establishing how responsibility divides between several drivers takes investigation.
How much compensation could I receive for an injury in Manchester?
There is no figure that can be applied to an injury by name. Compensation has two parts: general damages for the pain, suffering and loss of amenity the injury itself has caused, and special damages for the financial losses it has produced, such as lost earnings, treatment, rehabilitation, care and travel. The total depends on the medical evidence, the effect on your life, your age and circumstances and the losses you have suffered. Our page on personal injury compensation explains how both parts are assessed.
Will I have to attend court in Manchester?
Most personal injury claims settle through negotiation without a hearing, so attending court is uncommon. Where proceedings are issued, the case is usually dealt with at a court convenient for where you live, and Manchester has a substantial combined court centre at the Civil Justice Centre with the wider district registries across the conurbation also serving the area. Where a hearing is needed, we explain what is involved in advance.
What evidence should I keep after an accident in Manchester?
Keep anything that records what happened and what it cost you, and gather it early. Photographs of the surface, the step, the machinery, the guarding, the defect or the vehicles, details of any witnesses, medical records, receipts for treatment and travel, and a note of the days you could not work are all useful. Where the accident involved a tram, a bus or a shop, note the operator, the route, the vehicle number and the time, and ask whether CCTV exists. In healthcare, laboratory or industrial work, keep any risk assessment, COSHH, maintenance or training record you have, and report the accident in the accident book or incident system immediately and ask for a copy of the entry.
Can I claim on a No Win No Fee basis in Manchester?
Suitable cases may be accepted under a Conditional Fee Agreement, commonly called No Win No Fee, subject to an assessment of liability, the evidence, the prospects of success and proportionality. If the claim does not succeed you generally do not pay our basic legal fees, and if it does a success fee may be payable. In many personal injury claims the applicable legal cap is 25% of the relevant categories of damages including VAT.
Do you help clients elsewhere in Greater Manchester?
Yes. We act for clients across the whole of Greater Manchester, including Salford, Stockport, Bolton, Oldham, Rochdale, Wigan, Bury, Altrincham, Sale and the surrounding areas. You can see the full list on our areas we cover page, or read more about how personal injury claims work across Greater Manchester.
Who provides the legal services?
Injury Law Specialists is a marketing and advertising platform and is not a law firm or a provider of regulated legal services. All personal injury legal advice, casework and representation arranged through Injury Law Specialists are provided by MB Solicitors, a trading name of MB Legal Solicitors Ltd, regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority under SRA ID 8000764.
The answers above explain the position generally. Every claim turns on its own facts, and the applicable rules are those in force at the relevant time. For advice on deadlines, see our page on personal injury claim time limits.
Who provides the legal services
Injury Law Specialists is a marketing and advertising platform and is not a law firm or a provider of regulated legal services. All personal injury legal advice, legal services, casework, representation, legal support, and any free initial assessment or consultation promoted or arranged through Injury Law Specialists are provided by MB Solicitors, a trading name of MB Legal Solicitors Ltd.
MB Legal Solicitors Ltd is a company registered in England and Wales under Company Number 12281731. The firm is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) under SRA ID 8000764 and is a member of The Law Society. Injury Law Specialists does not itself provide legal advice or carry out reserved legal activities. Any solicitor-client relationship arising from an enquiry will be directly between the client and MB Legal Solicitors Ltd.
Read our Regulatory InformationRelated information
Personal Injury Solicitors LondonHow personal injury claims work across Greater London.Solicitors for Road Traffic Accident ClaimsClaims for drivers, passengers, riders, cyclists and pedestrians.Solicitors for Accidents at Work ClaimsWhere an employer failed to keep you safe at work.Solicitors for Public Place Accident ClaimsSlips, trips and falls in shops, stations and other public places.Personal Injury CompensationWhat compensation can cover and how claims are valued.No Win No Fee Personal Injury SolicitorsHow a Conditional Fee Agreement works and what the success fee means.Medical & Rehabilitation CostsRecovering the cost of treatment needed after an injury.Areas We CoverThe full list of areas we help clients from across England and Wales.Free Claim AssessmentTell us what happened and we will explain whether there may be grounds to claim.
Injured in an accident in Manchester?
Tell us what happened and a member of our team can explain whether you may have grounds to claim, what evidence would be needed and how the process would work in practice. The assessment is free, and there is no obligation to proceed.
Prefer to write it down? You can also tell us what happened and we will come back to you.