Motor Accident, advice needed!

BTCC2000

Had an accident back in September, long story short it wasn't my fault so the other parties insurance have offered to deal with the claim, which they have been doing a pretty good job off looking after me and the situation. However, during in all the paperwork and confusion I have somehow managed to also get a solicitor involved (thinking that was something the third parties insurance had set up).

The problem being is that the third party insurers have said that as I have got a solicitor involved they can't assist and it will have to be dealt with by the solicitor. I have contacted the solicitor and they said once my medical report has been received from their doctors I can cancel the claim with them and go to the third party insurer, which is the original route I was happy to go down.

So which one shall I go with, who's going to deal with the case better? Neither options will cost me anything. Your thoughts/help/experience are very welcome.

In a nutshell, better to stay with third party insurer or let the solicitors take over?

lisyloo

So which one shall I go with, who's going to deal with the case better?

You definitely need your own solicitor for an injury.

How will you know what your personal suffering is worth? and whether the third party is ripping you off?
The third party wants to save money.
You need your own represenation or you'll get ripped off.

If it was car damage or time off work then it's very easy to value, but pain and personal suffering is more difficult to value and you need the advice of someone with knowledge and experience.
It would be madness to rely on the insurer who is paying and has an interest in keeping the amount low.

benjaminM

Who is the other solicitor that has got involved? And how did they get involved?

The problem with all claims is that everyone wants a piece of it because they are worth a lot of money.

In my opinion it is always better to have your own people appointed. By own people I mean either solicitors appointed by your insurer or by your legal cover firm. Even though the claim is not your fault you can still claim through your own insurance company, providing you are fully comp. You would have to pay your excess but you can claim it back off the third party. If you have legal cover with your policy you could appoint them to deal with everything, depending on the legal cover firm this can sometimes be the easiest option.

As Lisyloo said it is not always in your best interest to allow the third party insurer to look after the claim unless they are a very reputable firm. In my experience some third party insurers have dealt with claims very well, Direct Line for example were excellent for a particular client of mine. That said my client did of course have the back up of her insurance brokers (us) liasing on her behalf with Direct Line. What I think you do need is some independent representation whether that be your insurance broker (if you have one) or your legal cover firm or your insurance company. I would not go it alone.