You Don’t Have To Use Your Insurer For Road Traffic Accident Injury Claims
It is a worrying trend that victims of road traffic accidents and traffic collisions are being urged to accept payouts for compensation directly from Defendants Insurers before they have a chance to seek legal advice.
An enquiry has now been launched into this practice following allegations that undue influence has been put on innocent victims of car accidents to waive their right to compensation or settle their claim for less than its true worth.
The plight of the innocent victims of this practice have been highlighted by Campaigns launched by the BBC, charity Brake and the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers who are concerned that road traffic accident victims are being encouraged to accept payment on a full and final settlement basis before they have the opportunity of seeking legal or medical advice.
We understand that APIL have presented evidence including a claim on behalf of bereaved parents who lost their three children in a road traffic accident. They were originally offered £21,000 by Quinn Direct over a claim that was settled for £60,000.
The insurance industry has argued that their processes help Claimant’s get compensated quickly.
Our advice:
To contact a reputable specialist personal injury law firm to receive advice in relation to your claim as soon as possible after your accident. The contact being made by Defendants insurers is done at an early stage. At that point crash victims have no way of knowing how long their injuries will persist for. Furthermore they may have incurred out of pocket expenses which they are unaware that they can claim form at that time such as assistance from family and private treatment costs.
In some cases, whiplash injuries can interfere with victims working capacity now or in the future. For this purpose alone, it is important that a crash victim ensures that they are adequately compensated. The offers presented by the Defendant’s insurers are usually low for whiplash injuries and in most cases do not adequately reflect the level and duration of suffering of the Claimant. We have numerous clients who have informed us that they have been approached at early stages and invariably, we will obtain damages in excess of the sums offered to our client at the start of the Claim by the Defendant’s insurance company.
If you think you may be entitled to make a personal injury claim after a road traffic accident and you would like further advice, please contact one of our Specialist solicitors in the Personal Injury Team at QualitySolicitors Oliver & Co on 01244 354664 or complete our enquiry form now.
