Personal injury claims can be quite costly for insurers. A Claimant may be awarded thousands of pounds for the injuries they have sustained at the negligence of a third party, and it is the negligent third party’s insurer who has to pay for this.
Further, where the insurer has to pay compensation, they are also liable for the other side’s costs –which again can amount to thousands of pounds. It is therefore not surprising that some insurers will try and deal with personal injury claims directly with the accident victims. For instance, they will contact the injured party and see if they can settle their injury claim there and then. This proves to be a lot cheaper because they can often settle the claim for less than it is worth, and they do not have to pay the injured persons solicitors. If you are approached by an insurer direct to settle your claim for compensation, you have to be very careful.
Once you agree any compensation in settlement of your claim, that is it. You cannot go back a few months later and ask for more when you realise that the insurers did not have your best interests at heart. Your compensation claim is settled.
At The Injury Lawyers, our experience of people who have settled their claims for compensation is that they often under-settle their claim because they have not taken legal advice. Their claim may be worth £5,000, but they have settled for £1,000 and they are still suffering. It is disappointing when we have to tell them that there is not an awful lot we can do to help them. The process of agreeing compensation with an insurer directly is called ‘third party capture’. The reason being is that your claim is often under-settled and they have got to you before you have had a chance to seek the advice of a solicitor who would have been able to properly value your claim and get you the maximum compensation you deserve. In the end, the insurer has saved thousands of pounds – potentially at your expense.
At The Injury Lawyers our legal advice is free, and if you instruct us to deal with your claim, we will not charge you a penny either. It may take a little longer for you to get your compensation than it would if you dealt with an insurer directly, but I am sure that extra money at the end will make it worth it. You really only have more to gain if you step back a second, seek out an expert injury lawyer, and then instruct them. It won’t cost you a penny and you won’t end up under-settling your claim or settling it when you still have not recovered from your injuries. Even better, a quality injury lawyer can get you free medical treatment so that you could recover sooner. There are really a whole host of benefits from seeking strong legal advice and representation.
Give us at The Injury Lawyers a free call today on 0800 634 75 75 to discuss any potential claim you may have, we would be more than happy to help!
