Being injured, whether mentally or physically, is a traumatic event. Regardless of the circumstances and how the injury came about, there is always an emotional, and more often than not psychical toll, placed on those who are injured. For this reason, many people chose to pursue a personal injury claim to start putting their life back together, help them make a fresh start, and seek some sort of justice for what happened to them, hopefully making those who hear about the case think twice before putting other people at risk. However, this is a complex area of law, which has a lot of common misunderstandings, myths and sometimes outright lies which, either accidentally or deliberately, act to prevent those who have been injured from seeking compensation.

If you have been injured in line with Australia's personal injury law, you should always speak to a lawyer to help you understand the case and what you could do to seek compensation. However, myths often get in the way of people making this first step. Three of the most common myths are outlined below, as well as why they're wrong.

Myth 1: You won't get very much

This myth puts people off ever trying to get compensation, on the basis that whatever they get will be so small there is not much point pursuing it. However, the system does not produce compensation numbers based on guess work. It works by looking at your predicted life path, i.e. what you would typically have gone on to earn or do, and then how the injury has impacted this. For example a clay artist who relies on their hands to earn a living has effectively had their income wiped out if they lose the use of their hands, or a manual worker who suffers serious injury to their back. 

Don't fall for the myth that you won't get very much, the law is based on fact and reason.

Myth 2: You won't be able to afford it 

This myth tries to put people, who are generally in a poor financial condition due to their injury, at fear of losing even more money if they try to pursue a claim. However, the Australian legal profession has seen an increase in the numbers of lawyers who will accept work on a no-win no-fee basis, meaning that you won't pay anything if your case is unsuccessful. Don't let this myth put you off pursuing a claim, there's a solution for everyone who wants to seek justice.

Myth 3: You can only claim for a few things

Myth number three suggests that the scope of personal injury law is so small, that you won't be covered by it anyway. Actually, personal injury law covers you if you have been injured by the negligence of a third party. This includes psychological injuries. You can claim for a huge number of incidents, from vehicle accidents, medical malpractice, public liability, faulty projects all the way through to workers compensation.

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