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Having a car accident is a bad enough experience; but when you find out the person that crashed into you is uninsured, you fill with dread and worry about the financial burden of damages.
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The BBC have recently reported on comments from the Former Justice secretary, Jack Straw, about the referral fee system in Britain.

It is believed that the increasing cost of insurance is as a result of referrals made to personal injury lawyers without the permission of the client.  Recommendations had been made last year to implement the banning of referral fees, and there is now a further request to follow this through.

Once a referral is made, clients are often hounded by interested parties to put in a claim for compensation after an accident – even when the client has said they do not wish to proceed.  This can be very distressing and frustrating for the client.
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Some people feel that it is too much hassle to claim compensation when they have been involved in a car accident; especially when at the time they feel okay, but just a little shaken.

The most common injury sustained is whiplash as a result of a car accident, and the symptoms of whiplash may not be evident until a few days after the incident – at which time you may feel it is too late or not worth bothering about.  These delayed symptoms could have a severe effect on your future lifestyle, short or long term.

Although a medical report is required, the appointment is usually no longer than 15 – 30 minutes, during which time the expert will discuss the accident with you and explore the pain and suffering that you are experiencing.  On receipt of his report, your injury lawyer will value your claim and liaise with the third party insurer.
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If you are ever unfortunate enough to be involved in a road traffic accident, you will find that your phone never stops ringing with calls from interested parties offering their services to assist you with your claim. In addition to this, you will probably also receive a call from the third party’s insurer with a proposal for you to accept an offer directly from them.

At the time, this may appear to be a good idea: a quick settlement with no medical involved, and without the hassle of seeking out a reputable injury lawyer to do this for you.

However, there is a downside to this early settlement.  The insurance companies can make you an early offer of compensation without identifying the extent or the seriousness of your injuries, and without explaining to you the full meaning of ‘full and final settlement’.  Once paid out, if your injuries persist and you have further treatment and losses (including loss of earnings), there is no way to reopen the claim and you will be responsible to pay for these bills.
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When you have suffered an injury, either motor related, (the most common being neck injuries known as whiplash), at your place of work, from tripping and falling over in a public place, or perhaps you have been injured as a result of faulty goods or services, you are entitled to submit a claim to the person(s) that caused the injury. If the incident, and therefore your injures, could have been avoided by the person(s) responsible, you should have a claim for compensation.

Compensation is designed to recompense you for your pain and suffering, and to repay you any losses that you have incurred as a result. Your legal representative will break down compensation in to two heads of damages – general and special damages.

The general damages will be compensation for the injuries sustained, loss of amenity, inconvenience, and the inability to do normal day to day tasks.
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Well we are all too aware of the pesky pot holes that have been appearing in many many streets and main roads across many parts of the UK. A lot of you out there will have become victims to such pot holes, probably causing damage to your vehicle and/or injury to yourself.  

I was reading a news article in the Dumfries and Galloway Standard (18/03/2011) about a women whom was a passenger in a vehicle when the driver drove over a pothole causing the two tyres to burst. To make matters worse, the couple did not have a mobile phone signal so they could not phone for help.

The driver later said that “he spotted a pothole and tried to avoid it but he ended up going through another one that he thought was standing water”
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If you have unfortunately been involved in an accident that wasn’t your fault, and you have suffered a personal injury as a result, you may have a claim for compensation. During the period after your accident you may have incurred some expenses which we at The Injury Lawyers feel you should not be responsible for. After all, the accident wasn’t your fault, so why should you bear the brunt of any costs?  

Whilst we try and recover most of the costs back that you have incurred, all claimants must adhere to mitigating their losses: this means that claimants must make a genuine effort to keep their costs to a minimum. One example of this – if you have been involved in a Road Traffic Accident which has left you without the use of your vehicle and you need to travel, instead of taking a taxi, where possible, try and see if there is a cheaper option; for instance, taking public transport.  Also, make sure to keep any receipts that can back up the use of alternative transport. This then makes it easy for us to justify the expense to the Defendants insurers.

There are certain circumstances where the losses are justified – a common one we can claim back is your loss of earnings resulting from any time off work you have had to take from the injury, or  from attending medical appointments etc. This is seen as a reasonable expense to claim back. We would normally request that you send us at least 13 weeks’ worth of pay slips as evidence of your earnings.
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I bet a lot of you out there feel embarrassed or silly if you have a slip or trip in a public place; I know I do. But if the reason for your accident was caused by someone else’s negligence, we at The Injury Lawyers believe you may have a claim for compensation.

An accident can occur at any place or at any time and can cause serious injury. An innocent trip to the supermarket can sometimes end in a trip to A+E due to the carelessness of the supermarket! For example: failing to mop up spilt liquid on the floor can cause you or anyone else to slip on the hard floor and end up with a serious injury or broken bones.
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It is saddening that not a day can go by when it appears that there are reports of fatal accidents on Britain’s roads. In fact it is a news headline which dominates these days and seems to be on the increase.

I previously wrote an article on the changes that the government are looking to implement in relation to driving tests in order to try and provide learner drivers with more awareness and get them used to driving independently on our roads.
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In recent news, it has been reported that a taxi driver reached speeds of 100mph in freezing conditions whilst he had passengers in his vehicle.

Neil Colquhoun told his two passengers, Victoria and Louise Guthrie to “shut up” when they asked him to slow down, as he raced along at dangerous speeds. Mr Colquhoun reached speeds of up to 70mph in built up areas that have a speed limit of 30mph. He then went on to overtake another vehicle on a blind bend. The two sisters were left feeling very “shaken” and to make matters worse, they recently lost their brother in a motorbike crash.

The sisters must have been terrified by the speeds that Mr. Colquhoun reached as he sped past the scene of one of Scotland’s worst road accidents. As they left Perth, Mr. Colquhoun overtook the vehicle on the blind bend and then went on to reach speeds of 100mph on the Burnbrae Straight near Methven where five people died in 2007 in a road accident. The sisters told Perth Sheriff Court that they watched the speedometer as Mr. Colquhoun continued to drive at speeds of 70mph as he drove through the village of Methven.
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