Lawson-West was approached by an accident victim who was offered £1300 by the insurance company for her injuries and loss of earnings following a road traffic accident. The other driver involved had admitted liability. Lawson-West recovered compensation of £3500 for our client’s injuries, and further compensation for loss of earnings after our client had to take time off work.
Insurers are sometimes contacting accident victims, often within hours of the accident, with an offer for compensation for injuries sustained in the accident. This offer comes at a time when the victim is still coping with the aftermath and may welcome an early offer of compensation. Unfortunately, if the injuries turn out to be more serious than initially thought, this leaves the accident victim under-compensated. Accident claims are agreed on a ‘full and final settlement’ basis so the accident victim cannot ask for more compensation once settlement has been agreed. This is why it is crucial that people who sustain injuries after an accident that wasn’t their fault receive independent legal advice before settling.
Solicitors are regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority and claims management companies by the Ministry of Justice. Insurers are regulated by the Financial Services Authority (FSA) who launched an investigation earlier this year into whether there is a conflict of interest if insurers act for both the accident victim and on behalf of their policyholder who may have caused the accident. The Association of British Insurers has said that most insurers try to give accident victims the best possible service.
A personal injury solicitor will arrange for an independent medical report and will assess the suitable level of compensation based on that report. This ensures that accident victims get the level of injury compensation that they are entitled to. If an accident has resulted in serious injury, additional compensation to pay for care or rehabilitation may be required and a personal injury solicitor will take that into account. Settling an accident claim quickly before a full picture of the injuries sustained is available may seem a convenient way of getting due compensation, but, if the injuries are more serious than first thought, the accident victim will lose out.
If you have been injured in a car accident that was not your fault, please contact Lawson-West on 0116 212 1000 now, complete one of the on-line forms or text ‘accident’ to 07802 825520 and we’ll call you back. You are not obliged to use a solicitor recommended by an insurance company.
