Criminal
Injuries Criminal
Injuries
In general terms, if you receive an injury as a result of a violent offence or your property is damaged, you may be able to claim compensation from the Compensation Agency.
The criminal injury and criminal damage legislation sets out in detail the circumstances in which compensation is paid and a Solicitor will advise if you are able to claim.
There are, however, some points which should be remembered:
You must report the incident to
the Police forthwith or at the most within 48 hours. You must co-operate in their
enquiries and any subsequent prosecution of the offender.Many people think that they cannot
bring an application unless someone is caught, or that
they have to wait until after the Police bring the case
to Court. This is not the case and applications have
sometimes been lost because they were too late.If you have been injured, go right
away to obtain medical treatment so that a proper record
is made of your injuries.If property or possessions are
damaged, obtain repair estimates and do not dispose of
them : the Compensation Agency may wish to have damaged
items inspected by an assessor on their behalf. Take photographs of any damaged
property and of any cuts or bruising you have sustained.There are time limits for lodging the Notice of Intention to apply for compensation: 10 days for criminal damage and 28 days for criminal injury.
You should seek legal advice
immediately if you think you have a claim. 
