{"id":7611,"date":"2011-06-21T08:48:11","date_gmt":"2011-06-21T07:48:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.theinjurylawyers.co.uk\/injury-lawyers-blog\/?p=7611"},"modified":"2011-06-22T08:02:54","modified_gmt":"2011-06-22T07:02:54","slug":"how-much-compensation-for-whiplash","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theinjurylawyers.co.uk\/injury-lawyers-blog\/2011\/06\/21\/how-much-compensation-for-whiplash\/","title":{"rendered":"How Much Compensation for Whiplash?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"This is a common question I hear when advising accident victims about their road accident claims<\/a> whilst I\u2019m setting them up on our systems and getting their claims rolling forward from day 1<\/em><\/strong>. It\u2019s quite easy, with a good law firm that takes client care seriously<\/em><\/strong>, to get your whiplash claim<\/a> up and running in a matter of hours; but, it\u2019s a difficult to question to answer when asked how much compensation you are entitled to<\/em><\/strong> get for a whiplash injury!<\/p>\n

Realistically, there is only one way to value a whiplash compensation<\/em><\/strong> claim: with an independent expert personal injury lawyer<\/em><\/strong>, and an independent medical report from a fully qualified medico-legal expert. Basically, you attend an appointment arranged through your lawyers, and they use the evidence given by the expert to value your claim and assess any further treatment needs you might have.<\/p>\n

I can, however, give you guidance as to how much compensation<\/em><\/strong> you can receive for a whiplash claim. As well as the medical evidence, your lawyers will use their wealth of experience and knowledge, previous cases with similar injuries and circumstances, and what\u2019s known as the JSB (Judicial Studies Board) Guidelines, in order to give you the best valuation possible<\/em><\/strong>.
\n<\/p>\n

Below are the JSB Guidelines relevant for some whiplash injuries:<\/p>\n

Minor Whiplash Injuries \u2013 \u00a3875 to \u00a35,150<\/strong><\/p>\n

Moderate Whiplash Injuries – \u00a35,150 to \u00a316,400<\/strong><\/p>\n

Severe Whiplash Injuries \u2013 up to \u00a397,000! <\/strong><\/p>\n

The way to band which category your whiplash fits in to is with the medical report and the fully qualified personal injury lawyer.<\/p>\n

What you need from your legal representative is to fit the following criteria<\/em><\/strong>; and it\u2019s possible, and best, to get a lawyer that ticks ALL of these boxes:<\/p>\n

Full Qualified Injury Lawyer<\/span><\/p>\n

Make sure you\u2019re dealing with an actual injury lawyer<\/em><\/strong>, and they are the ones representing you with conduct for your claim. You don\u2019t want some unqualified claims handler with no experience and a ridiculous caseload of clients they can\u2019t handle! Make sure you get an injury lawyer with a dedicated legal team<\/em><\/strong> at hand!<\/p>\n

Independent Injury Lawyer<\/span><\/p>\n

Go direct to an injury lawyer<\/em><\/strong> \u2013 avoid getting one referred to you by a claims management company<\/em><\/strong>. Claims companies are simply middle men<\/em><\/strong> \u2013 theior \u201clegally trained advisors\u201d can simply assess your claim over the phone, and then pass it over to a law firm to make the final decision. They of course take a handsome payout from the law firm for selling your claim<\/em><\/strong> on. This either comes from your compensation by a percentage or a deduction<\/em><\/strong>, or is drawn from the running costs for your claim \u2013 leaving you with a solicitor with far less money to fight<\/em><\/strong> tooth and nail for your claim. You can\u2019t claim these referral fees back from the other insurers!<\/p>\n

And speaking of your insurers \u2013 they actually do the same thing! It\u2019s normally called Legal Expense Insurance, or Motor Legal Protection<\/em><\/strong>. Your insurers sell the details of your claim over to a solicitor<\/em><\/strong> for anywhere between \u00a3400 – \u00a3800<\/em><\/strong>. \u00a3800 is pretty much the base running costs for a straightforward road accident claim \u2013 so, you could end up with a solicitor with NOTHING to spend on your service and your payout<\/em><\/strong>. It\u2019s crazy.<\/p>\n

Genuine No Win No Fee<\/span><\/p>\n

OK \u2013 so you\u2019ve got your independent law firm directly. You now need to make sure you enter in to the right kind of No Win No Fee<\/a> agreement<\/em><\/strong>. The term Genuine is a bit of a loose phrase \u2013 what you need to do is make sure that you cannot be charged <\/em><\/strong>whether the claim wins or loses.<\/p>\n

Win \u2013 you keep 100% of your compensation<\/a> because your lawyers will seek recovery of their fees back from the other side. BUT, what you then need is the guarantee<\/em><\/strong> \u2013 there should be an extra sentence stating that if your lawyers fail to recover any or all of their fees, they will NOT seek to recover anything from you<\/em><\/strong>. This essentially restricts your lawyer\u2019s legal fees<\/em><\/strong> to whatever is recovered from the other side; meaning you cannot be physically charged<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Lose \u2013 your lawyers write all of their fees off<\/em><\/strong>, and you don\u2019t pay a penny<\/em><\/strong> at all. There\u2019s no fees, no disbursements, no insurance, no anything to pay for. You pay NOTHING!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

High Service Levels<\/span><\/p>\n

So \u2013 with an independent firm of specialist personal injury lawyers working on a Genuine No Win No fee, you\u2019re on the right track. You now need to make sure that they will promise to fight tooth and nail for your maximum payout<\/em><\/strong>, and they will go the extra mile<\/em><\/strong> to provide you with the best service.<\/p>\n

For example:<\/p>\n