Read our Car Accident Claims solicitors guide below to help you understand everything you need to know about car accident claims and what you should do following an accident in a car.
Car accidents are one of the most common causes of injury in the UK. Whilst many car accidents are very minor, resulting in a little damage to the car and a slightly upset driver, others can be more serious, leading to a wide range of injuries and the need to take time off work. Insurance companies are responsible for paying personal injury claims, but will often offer much less than you are entitled to, based on the severity of your injuries. We are here to help make sure that you receive the compensation you deserve.
What Kinds Of Injuries Can I Claim For Following A Car Accident?
Say, you suffer a car accident, whether as a driver or as a passenger, and you get an injury. You will be able to make a claim. There are a huge variety of injuries that you might sustain during in a car accident. The most common physical symptoms are:
Whiplash
This is an injury to the muscles of your neck. It causes because your head moves faster than the rest of your body. Symptoms include neck pain, headaches, difficulty moving or turning your head and pain in your shoulders and even your arms. It is very common following car accidents and is often a part of car accident claims. This can be important to make a claim for whiplash quickly after a car accident. It is so because we highly recommend physiotherapy to help you to heal as quickly as possible. NHS waiting lists can be very long. The compensation you receive as a result of your car accident claim can allow you to get private treatment. It also gets you back to your usual self that much sooner.
Head Injuries
There are a few different types of head injuries that can happen following a car accident. A concussion happens when the head moves so fast that the brain ‘bounces’ against the inside of the skull. Concussions can be mild, with just a slight headache, or very serious. They can require time off work and, in rare cases, lead to lasting issues. Contusions are bruises on the brain and haematoma is bleeding in the brain. These are all usually treatable but can be very painful and debilitating. If you have had a head injury following your car accident, it can be important to make a claim. It is to allow you to get compensation for time you have had to take off work. It also counts the pain you have experienced.
Chest Injuries
During the course of a car accident, many people receive chest injuries, as a result of their torso pushing hard against either the steering wheel or the seat belt. In either of these examples, there can be cuts, severe bruising or, in extreme cases, even broken bones. All of these would be eligible for compensation if making a car accident claim.
Spinal Injuries
Now that we all wear seat belts when driving cars, spinal injuries are much less common following car accidents. It is still possible, however, for different parts of your body to be restrained by different amounts, meaning that there is pressure on the spine. In some cases, this can lead to a spinal fracture or disk herniation. Back injuries can be debilitating, leading not just to pain and difficulty moving but also numbness and even bladder issues. These may also require intensive physiotherapy of even surgery to heal properly.
Abrasions (cuts)
A car accident is a chaotic event, with many items thrown around the inside of your car. We often do not think about the way in which the things we have in the footwell or on the passenger seats of our cars might cause us damage in the event of a car accident. These objects can cause cuts and bruises, some of which may be quite serious.
Overall, there is a wide range of possible injuries you might suffer as a result of your car accident, some of which may not show up for a few days, or even months after the event itself. There may also be psychological symptoms, especially after a very severe accident, including insomnia and anxiety disorders. It is important to talk to sympathetic and experienced personal injury solicitors who are able to ask the right questions to understand the full extent of your injuries. Call us on 0121 565 4317 to find out how much compensation you will get as part of a car accident claim.
What Do I Have To Do To Make A Claim After My Car Accident?
In order to make a car accident claim, you must first make sure that you have done all of the things you should legally do when you have a car accident. These include contacting your insurance company (if you were the driver) and contacting the police if necessary.
You should then contact a personal injury solicitor. We will discuss your car accident claim with you to find out whether we think that you have a valid claim. Call us on 0121 565 4317 or apply online to start our conversation. We would need a few basic details such as where and when the accident happened, what you can remember about how the accident happened and anyone else who was involved in your car accident, such as passengers and the other party. Our sympathetic team of expert solicitors will also ask a little about how your car accident has affected your life, as this will impact the amount of compensation you deserve as part of your car accident claim.
Once we have all the details, we will discuss how you wish to proceed. We will give you an honest estimate of how much compensation we believe you may be likely to receive and discuss whether we are able to offer you our services on a no win no fee basis. If we are not able to make a no win no fee agreement for your car accident claim, we will explain why and discuss alternative funding options with you. We want to make sure that you receive the compensation you deserve.
What If The Other Person Doesn’t Accept Blame For The Accident?
If the other person does not accept blame for the accident, we have several options. We can gather evidence and attempt to prove that they were solely responsible for what happened. In other cases, it might be more appropriate to accept that the blame for the accident was shared between you, but that the blame was not equal. Many car accident claims are resolved based on shared liability (blame), but this would be something that we would discuss with you. Decisions about sharing blame would always be made by you, with our advice. Sometimes it is not possible to agree who is to blame. In that case may need to go to court to get a decision.
How Does The Claim Process Work?
Car accident claims are slightly different from other forms of personal injury claims. It is so as much of the communication and negotiation is with the other party’s insurance company rather than with the person themselves. This can make it more important that you have a solicitor with experience making car accident claims. The insurance company will be trying to pay out as little as possible in the circumstances.
The claim process does remain similar to other forms of personal injury claim though. We will write to the other party’s insurance company, laying out the basis on which we feel the other party is at fault and the injuries and expenses you are claiming. Once liability (fault) agrees, we would enter into negotiations on your behalf to agree on how much compensation you deserve. As always, whether to accept an offer of compensation is entirely your decision. We will advise you as to whether we consider the offer fair. This will be your choice to accept or reject the offer.
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Making a car accident claim can be a time consuming and costly endeavor. We don’t believe that you should be out of pocket for trying to obtain the compensation you deserve. This is why we offer the majority of our car accident claim clients our services on a no win no fee basis. This means that you do not have to pay anything upfront for us to pursue your claim. Until we win your claim, you don’t have to pay for our time and expertise or any costs associated with obtaining information from witnesses or any costs required to file claims with the courts. We only accept payment when the compensation has been paid and the claim is considered settled.
At that point, our fee would be a percentage of your compensation payout, but this is all discussed clearly and simply before you sign any agreement. This means that you can have complete confidence that you will not be left worse off as a result of having made a car accident claim. There is no risk, so call us on 0121 565 4317. You can also apply online now to find out how much you might be able to claim.
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