A Turkish-speaking personal injury lawyer helps you discuss your accident and loss in Turkish and assess your Dutch compensation claim. Arslan Advocaten examines liability, evidence and the consequences of your injury. You receive an explanation of possible heads of loss, contact with the insurer and the arrangements about lawyer’s fees.

What does a Turkish-speaking personal injury lawyer do?

A personal injury lawyer provides legal assistance with loss caused by physical or psychological injury. A Turkish-speaking personal injury lawyer can explain that assistance in Turkish. That helps when you want to discuss complaints, limitations or financial worries accurately. The legal assessment still depends on the accident, the evidence and the applicable rules.

Compensation does not follow merely from the fact that you are injured. It must also be examined who is liable and which consequences can be attributed to the event. The insurer may ask questions about this. Your lawyer helps to substantiate your position and to assess proposals or requests from the insurer.

Anyone who reads Dutch less well after an accident or finds it hard to concentrate may have difficulty following the file. Explain this at the intake. We discuss how you keep an overview and which explanation you need in Turkish. That way you can base your choices on information you understand.

For which accidents can you ask for help?

You can ask for help after a road traffic accident, workplace accident or other event in which you were injured. If you suspect a medical error, investigation may also be needed. The type of event determines which evidence is important and which liability rules apply. Not every accident automatically leads to a recoverable compensation claim.

In a collision, for example, we examine the accident report form, statements, photos and available information about the traffic situation. In an accident at work, it also concerns the work being done, instructions, safety measures and the employers or clients involved. Your type of contract may be relevant, but does not necessarily give the full answer.

The page on personal injury gives a broader overview. For an accident at work, you will find an explanation at workplace accidents. If the event took place outside the Netherlands, say so straight away. The applicable law and insurance cover must then be looked at separately.

Which steps should you take immediately after an accident?

First make sure you receive appropriate medical help and that the event is recorded. Then collect the available information without putting further strain on yourself. You do not have to resolve legal liability yourself. Above all, keep material that can later be used to examine what happened and what consequences you are suffering from it.

1. Have complaints and injuries medically assessed where necessary and describe when they arose.
2. Note the date, place, persons involved and contact details of witnesses.
3. Keep photos, accident report forms, messages and reports to your employer or insurer.
4. Keep track of costs and work you were unable to do.
5. Ask for an assessment before you sign a final settlement.
6. Discuss who maintains contact with the insurer and which documents are needed.

A medical file can help to assess how complaints have developed. It is not an automatic guarantee that every legal causal link is established. So describe your complaints accurately and honestly, even if they change. Similar complaints from before the accident may be relevant and must be discussed carefully.

Which heads of loss may come into play?

In personal injury cases, the financial and personal consequences of the accident are considered. Which items can be claimed depends on liability, the link with the event and the evidence. An overview helps to make costs visible. A loss calculation then requires an assessment of your specific circumstances.

Help from family may also be relevant to the assessment. Note which tasks were taken over and why you could not do them yourself. That does not mean every hour is automatically compensated. The legal basis and an appropriate calculation are considered for each head of loss.

Future loss requires extra attention. It may not yet be clear whether you can return to your old job or will need permanent support. An early final settlement may then have consequences. Your lawyer discusses which uncertainties still exist and whether further medical or financial investigation is needed.

How are your complaints and medical information discussed?

Medical information is used insofar as it is needed to assess the injury and its consequences. A conversation in Turkish can help to describe limitations precisely, for example at work, when sleeping or with household tasks. Indicate what you experience yourself and which information comes from a doctor. Each of those parts has its own significance.

An insurer may ask for medical information or an authorisation. First discuss the purpose of the request, which period is relevant and who assesses the information. Do not hand over your complete medical history without consultation simply because information is requested. At the same time, missing relevant information can make an assessment more difficult.

Keep a brief overview of important changes. Note, for example, when you were able to carry out a task again or had to stop an activity. Do not turn it into a daily evidence project that dominates your recovery. A useful file mainly contains concrete, reliable information that fits the questions in your case.

Who pays the lawyer’s fees?

Where liability is established, reasonable extrajudicial costs of legal assistance can be recovered from the liable party or its insurer. Whether costs are reimbursed in full also depends on their reasonableness and any contributory negligence. That is why we discuss in advance how the legal assistance will be paid for and which financial risks may arise in your case.

The explanation by De Letselschade Raad about costs describes the conditions. If the costs are paid separately by the insurer, they do not have to be paid out of your compensation. Make clear arrangements about this with the person handling your case. An advertising line about free help is not enough to establish your own obligations.

If liability is disputed, if there are proceedings or if you are partly at fault, we discuss the possible costs again. Sometimes legal expenses insurance or subsidised legal aid (toevoeging) may be relevant. Conditions apply to subsidised legal aid and you usually pay a personal contribution. Information about this is available from the Legal Aid Board (Raad voor Rechtsbijstand).

If you would like to know which funding suits your situation, you can have your personal injury case assessed. State whether there is already a position on liability or a payment proposal. That information helps us to discuss the legal and financial questions together.

What happens if the insurer does not cooperate?

When an insurer rejects liability or disputes a head of loss, it must become clear why. A targeted assessment starts with the reasons given and the evidence on which they are based. It can then be decided whether additional documents, consultation, an expert assessment or proceedings are appropriate. The chosen route must match the specific dispute.

Do not only ask whether an amount can be increased, but also which heads of loss have been assessed and which are still outstanding. An advance payment has a different function from a final settlement. Have it explained what a payment means for your further claims. Keep correspondence and check that arrangements are confirmed in writing.

Proceedings may be necessary, but also involve costs, time and uncertainty. Your lawyer discusses which part can be put before the court and what that achieves. The mere fact that an insurer responds slowly does not make every set of proceedings suitable. The state of the file and missing information remain decisive.

Which time limits should you have checked?

Personal injury claims can become time-barred and proceedings can have their own time limits. The applicable time limit and when it starts depend on the claim and the circumstances. Have this examined early in the file. Do not rely solely on a telephone assurance that the insurer is still working on your case.

In certain situations, a valid act of interruption may be needed to interrupt limitation. The content and the correct recipient are important. Do not use a general template without an assessment of your file. Different rules may apply to an accident abroad; minority or special grounds of liability also require a separate check.

So at the intake, state the date of the accident, when you became aware of the loss and the possibly liable party, and which letters have already been sent. If you have received a rejection or termination letter, send it in full. Assessing the time limits requires the whole course of events, not just the date of the accident.

How can language support clarify a file?

Language support helps to make the consequences of an injury concrete. A general description such as pain or fatigue says little about what you can no longer do in daily life. During the discussion we therefore ask about work, the household and other activities. The answers must be consistent with the other information in the file.

Fictitious example: after an accident, a warehouse worker has problems with his shoulder. At first he says he is working again. In a conversation in Turkish it becomes clear that he works fewer hours, does not lift heavy goods and gets help at home with daily tasks. That information shows which questions still need to be investigated.

This is an invented illustrative example and not a description of a result achieved. Whether the consequences are compensated depends on the evidence and the legal assessment. A clear conversation helps to ensure nothing is overlooked; it does not replace a medical examination or substantiation of the loss.

Which mistakes make a compensation claim more difficult?

A compensation claim becomes more difficult when evidence is lost, arrangements remain unclear or a settlement is concluded too early. You do not have to oversee all the risks yourself. Discuss actions that may affect your file before you take them. This applies in particular to documents by which you give up further claims.

• Do not wait until the insurer asks before keeping information.
• Describe complaints honestly and do not change your story to seem more convincing.
• Do not sign a final settlement without an explanation of future loss.
• Do not assume full reimbursement of costs without knowing the conditions.
• Have it recorded who handles your file and who monitors important time limits.

What questions are there about personal injury help in Turkish?

Can I explain my complaints in Turkish?

At the intake you can indicate that you want to speak Turkish. That can help to describe pain, limitations and changes in your daily life accurately. We discuss which information is needed and how it is incorporated into the Dutch file. Medical conclusions remain a matter for the experts designated for that purpose.

Will I always receive compensation after an accident?

No. There must be a legal basis for recovering your loss from someone else. The link between the event and the loss must also be assessed. Evidence, any contributory negligence and the extent of the loss can give rise to dispute. A first assessment helps you understand which questions arise in your case.

May I accept an advance payment?

An advance payment can help to cover ongoing loss, but you must understand the conditions under which it is paid. Have it checked whether the payment really is an advance and does not contain a final settlement. Keep the accompanying letter and arrangements. The meaning of the payment follows from its content, not just from the amount stated.

Are my lawyer’s fees always paid?

That is not automatically the case. Reimbursement of extrajudicial costs depends, among other things, on liability, reasonableness and any contributory negligence. Legal costs in proceedings are assessed separately. Make clear arrangements in advance about payment and possible risks. Also discuss whether you have legal expenses insurance and whether subsidised legal aid is possible in your situation.

Can my file be taken over from another adviser?

A takeover can be examined on the basis of the file, running time limits and existing arrangements. Say why you want to switch and what the current adviser has already done. The new lawyer must receive enough information to be able to accept responsibility. An introductory meeting does not yet mean that the transfer has been completed.

Can I get help from another city?

You can put your case to us regardless of whether you live in a city where we have an office. We discuss which form of contact suits your injury and file. That may be an appointment at the office or another suitable form of meeting. Arslan Advocaten has offices in Rotterdam, Amsterdam, The Hague, Utrecht, Eindhoven and Tilburg.

How do you submit your personal injury case?

Describe the accident, your main complaints and the current state of the claim. State the date and whether an insurer has already accepted or rejected liability. Say that you want to speak Turkish. We can then discuss which documents are needed for a targeted assessment of your situation.

You can have your personal injury case assessed. For a broader legal question, there is our Turkish-speaking lawyer in the Netherlands. An explanation in Turkish can be found at Türkçe konuşan tazminat avukatı. On the page about compensation for pain and suffering you can read more about that separate head of loss. The full explanation of kaza tazminatı (personal injury) in Turkish is on our Turkish-language page on personal injury.