The “Big Freeze” is something which has no doubt affected each and every individual within the UK in one way or another. The overwhelming amount of snowfall appears to have hit the UK unexpectedly, bringing certain areas of the country to a standstill. Highway authorities have been criticised for being unprepared for these conditions, resulting in numerous road closures across the country. A number of unfortunate drivers were stranded on the motorway and had no other option but to sleep in their cars!
Considering the havoc and chaos which this mere snowfall has caused, taking into account the road closures, airport closures and business closures, it would seem that the only people who will have benefited from these adverse weather conditions would be the sledge suppliers!
Inevitably, as a result of these weather conditions, numerous people have been involved in unfortunate accidents and sustained injury. So where would those individuals who have personally suffered injury as a result of these conditions seek remedy? Questions of course would follow from this, such as – (1) who would be held accountable for this injury?; and (2)what type of injury was sustained?
To put this theory into context, there will no doubt have been a number of unfortunate individuals who have been involved in car accidents which were not their own fault. It may be that another driver has crashed into their vehicle. This may have been an inevitable mistake due to the poor road conditions, however, this does not mean to say that such accident must remain unresolved.
In this scenario, it may be that an individual has sustained an injury as a result of the car accident. A common injury which is sustained within car accidents is whiplash. Whiplash is caused by a sudden distortion of the neck and commonly causes a pain and/or aching in the neck or back. The symptoms can appear directly after the accident but are often not felt until days afterwards. If such an injury has been sustained as a result of an accident which was not their fault, it is possible to claim compensation for this.
Many people may not deem it necessary to claim for an injury, and will merely focus on recovering the damages to their vehicle. Another common occurrence is for the compensation regarding the injury to be dealt with by the third party insurer’s legal department. If this is the case, injured parties are at risk of under-settling their claim for injuries, as third party insurers notoriously do not assess their injuries adequately.
Sustaining an injury such as whiplash may have many hidden detriments independent to the actual pain suffered. It may be that an individual with a whiplash injury may have had to have time off work, resulting in a loss of their earnings. Within claims for personal injury, there is a claim for special damages which compiles other losses such as loss of earnings, prescription charges, etc.
Considering the disruption that an injury can cause to an individual’s day to day life, it is essential that claims for personal injury are pursued, in order to compensate for the pain, suffering and inconvenience which this can cause.
