There are two main reasons to make an accident at work claim.
In this article I wish to cover both of them.
The first and most obvious reason to pursue an accident compensation claim is to ensure that you are reimbursed for any costs you have already had to pay as a result of your injuries and that you can afford to pay any future or ongoing costs.
Being injured can be an expensive business, as you may need to pay for prescriptions of pain killers, take unscheduled time off work for which you will not be paid, pay additional travel costs if you are unable to drive and potentially much more, and that's just for a short term injury.
If you are left with more permanent effects such as muscle or joint stiffness, or anything that could conceivably damage your ability to work in future then you may be entitled to compensation that will cover any possible future loss of income due to your injuries.
If the extent of your injuries is so great that you are left wheelchair bound or requiring frequent or constant care, this will also be taken into account when deciding your compensation.
Medical costs, including the cost of converting or moving home to somewhere more suitable, can quickly add up, and when you are looking at providing enough compensation to cover a person for their entire life the amount of compensation required can easily become astronomical.
Which brings us nicely to the second reason you should pursue an accident claim: the costs associated with them encourage employers to take proper care of their workers.
If an employer believes they may be held accountable for any accidents that happen and that they will have to foot part of the bill, or at least see their insurance premiums significantly rise, then they have a financial reason, as well as the already existing moral reason, to put measures in place that protect their workers from harm.
This has the effect of improving working conditions and working practices, as proper and correct training is another large part of employee safety.