Non Fault Car Accident - now no money for Xmas

littlemiss8084

Hi
I need some advice. At the beginning of the month I was involved in a non fault accident in which I was stopped and the other driver smashed into the back of my car at 30mph. Other person admitted fault at the scene of the accident and to the police who were called by the ambulance crew. Insurance company have declared the car a write off and a cheque for it is apparently on its way to me.

I am 30 weeks pregnant and have been signed off work since the accident due to bad whiplash injuries. My main concern is that as I was temping I will not receive the wages for the days I was booked for in December, plus any additional I may have been asked to do. I now cant afford to pay my mortgage due at the end of the month and I certainly cant afford presents for my daughter. I had legal insurance as part of my policy but my solicitor says the loss of earnings claim will be dealt with along with injuries and any other part of the claim as a whole. I am extremely concerned that this could be some months/year yet. I really need this money as it will cause me severe hardship otherwise, any advice?

x

Volvic

I'm sorry for what you've gone through, these kinds of accidents are very traumatic without the stress of being pregnant and also Christmas but you probably will have to wait a while. Insurance claims are never straight forward. Maybe you could apply for a loan until the money comes through, if you can get confirmation your claim will be accepted.

Good luck.

pinkshoes

The claim WILL take months...

I had an accident the same as yours, and they took 4 months to pay out. Is your whiplash so bad you can't go back to work? Mine hurt, but I was told the best thing for it was movement, so I went back to work the day after. It was mainly my seatbelt locking over my hip that caused the worst injuries, and I had to walk round like an ejit for a couple of weeks, and have 4 months of physio.

Your daughter will understand about not getting present. Just write her an IOU note, and let her know that things are reduced in the january sales, so she can have twice as many presents if she waits.

Can your OH not help out?

oscardog

I am going through the same process and have been told the industry requirement is for non-insured losses to be settled within 82 days. Seems an odd figure but that is what they tell me. It can only be speeded up if whoever is acting on your behalf pushes the other side for a swift resolution.

Best of luck.

littlemiss8084

My doctor has signed me off work as the neck pain which is high up on my neck is also causing very bad headaches, dizziness and nausea. In addition to this I have a lot of trouble concentrating as this makes all of the above worse. I struggle to stay on computer for extended periods of time. Due to the pregnancy I am very limited what painkillers I can take. I am having Osteo weekly to try ease things but she says it will take time for things to get better I am still waiting for a referral for physio, my doctor has told me that on the NHS I am looking at 3 months approx to get an appointment but he has written me a letter in the hope the solicitors medical people can get some private physio arranged for me as he feels this is far too long and I need to be seen much sooner.

My OH is in building trade for work is always quite at this time of year but with the current financial situation in this country has been a lot worse than usual. Therefore, my wages were being relied on for paying the bills.

marleyboy

Wat a horrible time for this to happen to you. If you are off work due to whiplash, you are entitled to sick pay. Have you been to the benefits agency to make a claim yet?

littlemiss8084

I haven't been yet I just assumed as my solicitor was claiming for loss of earnings I wouldn't be able to claim any benefits. Plus as I am 30 weeks pregnant I was assuming they would make me start my maternity allowance earlier. I am tempted to do this now i wasn't going to start it until end of January to see if there was any work offered in the new year as the extra money would have come in handy. But I cant see how we can survive financially without some kind of income. I asked my solicitor about an interim payment but he wasn't very positive or forthcoming with further information about this and said its discretionary for the other insurer to agree to this they don't have to. And basically that any financial issues I encounter as a result of not being able to work are my problem not the other insurance companies.

Keeping_Positive

Not 100% sure but I think any benefits you claim will probably need to be paid back from the settlement so its worth seeing what you can claim now bearing this in mind. Good Luck and best wishes.

PS Have you looking into the sure start maternity grant that pays out £500 for those on low income? You can claim from 29 weeks to the babe is 3 months old.

littlemiss8084

I am just waiting for Tax Credits to be sorted out before claiming Sure Start as I think I would be entitled to it due to high tax credits award.

Might go down to the CAB this morning see what they advise, I cant go on like this

knithappens

they cannot force you to take your maternity allowance until 36 weeks i signed off sick

timnicebutdim_2

Hi there, have you tried claiming statutory sick pay from the agency/employer? Although not much you might qualify.....Please see links below........

http://www.worksmart.org.uk/rights/are_agency_workers_entitled_to_sick_pay
http://www.lra.org.uk/index/latest-news/agency_workers_and_statutory_sick_pay.htm