At The Injury Lawyers, we come across many people wanting to make claims for their whiplash injuries on a daily basis. In the most part they have sustained these whiplash injuries through road traffic accidents – in particular where a negligent third party has driven into the rear of their vehicle.
In such scenarios, it is highly likely that you will be entitled to compensation and you should seek to instruct an injury lawyer to act on your behalf so you can get hold of the maximum compensation you deserve. A question on most whiplash victims minds is how much compensation they are likely to receive. Unfortunately, we have to advise that it is somewhat impossible to put an exact figure on the value of your claim straightaway. Each whiplash injury is different from the next, and it is also depends on the affect it has had on your life, and the severity of your pain and suffering.
However, we can give you a general idea by using what are known as the Judicial Studies Board (JSB) guidelines and statistics / averages. Statistically, on average, a minor whiplash claim with be worth approximately £2,500. Again though, I must stress that this is just a rough guide, and you really do have to take everyone’s circumstances into consideration. Here’s what I mean:
Pain and suffering
The worse your whiplash injury is, the more it is generally worth. A whiplash injury that is more severe and longer lasting will be worth more than a whiplash injury that lasts just a few weeks and can be described as minor.
Loss of earnings
If your whiplash injury has meant that you have had to take considerable time off work, it is likely that it will be worth more than someone else’s whiplash injury that has not prevented them from going to work. This is because they will not have lost out on earnings. Further, if you are a high earner, your claim will likely be worth more because your loss of earnings is greater.
Loss of amenity
If you were a particularly active person before injury, i.e. you used to go on runs, play sports, go to the gym etc, and because of your whiplash injury you have been prevented from doing so, your claim will be worth more because you have lost out more than someone who was not particularly active.
Care and assistance
If your whiplash injury was so bad that you required care and assistance around the home, and you had to pay for this out of your own pocket, your whiplash claim will be worth more where these fees are recovered.
The above are just a few of the factors your injury lawyer will take into account when valuing your claim. It is only near the end of your claim, when a medical report has been compiled, will we know the true extent or your injuries and losses that we can properly value your claim.
What you have to bear in mind is that no-one can give you a precise figure on your whiplash compensation amount until this stage, and that everyone’s whiplash claim is different meaning you cannot go on what someone else has received.
For more free advice give the Injury Lawyers a call today on 0800 634 75 75.
