Making a claim for compensation for injuries you have sustained in a road accident is straightforward and certainly is not like it used to be.
Before April 2010, the process was a bit drawn out, and it could take nearly 4 months just for the Defendant to admit liability, even in the most straightforward of cases. The process has now been revamped. Normally you will know whether the Defendant admits or denies liability within 2 weeks, and your claim could be settled in just a couple of months. So, if you have heard things about the claims process being slow and not worth your while, you may wish to reconsider.
Under the new protocol for low value road traffic accident claims the process is simple and fast.
Firstly, you are required to submit a Claim Notification Form through the Ministry of Justice to the Defendant’s insurer. This form just outlines the details of the parties involved, the nature of the accident and the injuries you have got. The Defendant’s insurer has 1 day to acknowledge it and then a further 15 business days to admit or deny liability. Although the Defendant’s insurer has two weeks to come back to you, it’s not surprising if they come back with an admission much sooner. Once liability has been admitted you will need to get a legal medical report done so that your injuries can be properly valued and then if you are happy with this, the medical report is disclosed to the Defendant and it’s just a matter of settling your claim.
Don’t worry if this sounds a little daunting, I would always advise that you seek the help of an expert injury lawyer who will do the work on your behalf and at no cost to yourself. At the end of the day, injury lawyers deal with these types of claims on a daily basis and know what they are doing. They can recover their costs from the Defendant, meaning there should be no cost to you for expert help, so there’s no reason not to take advantage of this.
If you have been involved in a road traffic accident within the last three years and believe that you are entitled to compensation, give us at The Injury Lawyers a call today for free on 0800 634 75 75 to discuss your accident with us and we will advise you on the next steps.
If you want to get the ball rolling on your claim that day, that won’t be a problem.
