Injury/accident claim companies who do I choose? HELP

Inhope

Hello everyone.

I had an accident and it was not my fault. I suffered minor injuires to my knee and back, well I say minor, but they are not to me as they effect me doing things like walking long distance and cyclying etc and it effects me doing the things I want to.

I suffered most the issues in the head in terms of flashbacks, nightmares, tiredness, panic attacks, the lot, I have been to therapy and she says I have PTSD post trumatic stress disorder. It has been a nightmare mentally, driving has been a no no although I am practicing and getting back slowly but its so hard to wipe the momroies of thinking I was about to die and the thought of not seeing my family again. I have since lost my job as I have not recovered and well they can not wait for me to recover its been 8 months now, so 7 years out the window working, I am gutted, thats another layer of my life gone.

I just wanted to ask who best is it for me to make a claim for my car being written off, my injuries and my PTSD. Its been a while but I feel I can make a claim now and face talking about it again, I would have left it all and just got on with my life (soft touch) appraoch I know but I just want it all over, but I am forced into it as I need a claim to help me live and recover and I am entiltled to it. It has been so hard I kind of wishI had broken arms and legs and made a recovery now and not have the PTSD, its driving me insane and its stipped my life away, my job, my income, my social life, everything, its just so hard to watch it all happen, I fight it and I will get through it, I have come along way and I now understand how people feel now in these situations, sorry I am going on.

I just wonder whom is best to ask to help me, I have looked at the advets on TV such as national accident helpline and injury lawyers4u, but do they take a cut of money? I just wondered if anyone had any advice for me, also a company that take sit all on so I dont have to think about it, it makes me feel low talking about.

Thank you to anyone that takes time to reply to me and I appriciate your help so much and thank you for your time.

All the best
Inhope

Tilt

Do you not have fully comp insurance with legal protection? If yes, what does your insurers say?

vaio

Some no win no fee lawyers take up to 25% of your winnings, others don't

If you don't have legal cover (car insurer/union/house insurance) that will fund the case without taking a cut then Google is your friend

Inhope

Tilt wrote: »

Do you not have fully comp insurance with legal protection? If yes, what does your insurers say?

Hi, no I have 3rd party insurance, learnt the lesson. But thats the past now. SO I have to do it all myself, which causes me pain to do metally.

I just wondered what companies anyone would recomened. I suppose they all do the same. I do have RAC cover for car and it has accident help on that, so not sure if thats is beter to make a claim, or to go to one of the ones on TV whom specialise in this.

Cheers guys, just wondered if anyone had used a good one. It seems like they all will charge a bit anyway, suppose that is for there work on it and they probably go for it in getting you the best claim.

Thank you

Tilt

I suggest you speak to the RAC first then.

vaio

Inhope wrote: »

Hi, no I have 3rd party insurance, learnt the lesson. But thats the past now. SO I have to do it all myself, which causes me pain to do metally.

I just wondered what companies anyone would recomened. I suppose they all do the same. I do have RAC cover for car and it has accident help on that, so not sure if thats is beter to make a claim, or to go to one of the ones on TV whom specialise in this.

Cheers guys, just wondered if anyone had used a good one. It seems like they all will charge a bit anyway, suppose that is for there work on it and they probably go for it in getting you the best claim.

Thank you

As above, google is your friend

Crazy_Jamie

If you have any form of legal expenses insurance that may cover you for a claim of this nature, be it through your car insurance, breakdown cover, or any other source, that should be your first port of call.


If you don't, you need to have a hunt around and instruct a solicitor (not a claims management firm). As has been said many solicitors firms take a 25% cut of your general damages under new rules, but there are still plenty around who do not, so have a look around and go with a firm that you feel comfortable with. As well as Google searches it may be worth looking more locally for smaller firms who also deal with personal injury claims, as many smaller and more local firms are not taking any cut of damages at all in order to compete with the larger firms. In reality all you need is one personal injury solicitor to manage your case; whether that solicitor comes from a small local firm or are a large national firm isn't really important.

OnanTheBarbarian

be careful with the legal cover with RAC.

It was given free of charge to all breakdown members last year and although this seems a nice gesture, the reality is that the lawyers that are appointed under such "policy" do deduct a 25% "success fee".

When making enquiries with any prospective solicitor firms, the phrase you need to ask them is "do you deduct a success fee when acting for a client under a Conditional Fee Agreement?" - a CFA is also what is known as a no win- no fee agreement.

Crazy_Jamie

OnanTheBarbarian wrote: »

be careful with the legal cover with RAC.

It was given free of charge to all breakdown members last year and although this seems a nice gesture, the reality is that the lawyers that are appointed under such "policy" do deduct a 25% "success fee".

I'd not heard about that. In which case suggesting to members that they have some sort of legal cover seems to be bare faced misrepresentation.

OnanTheBarbarian

Jamie

There is an emergence of these style of policies now where although there is "legal cover" that is actually underwritten, they have clauses that exclude indemnity for a PI claim, or there is an "excess" that applies equivalent to 25% of general damages.

Quite how an insurance broker who has a duty to serve their punter with the most appropriate product for their needs plus TCF can sell such rubbish is beyond me.

Anyone who works in the industry knows that a LEI policy that the broker gets for 50p is never going to provide any actual formal indemnity and the panel sols that get work on the back of them are precluded from ever seeking any costs or disbursements from them.

I am a RAC member and got the paperwork through (but somehow seem to have misplaced it) as I have business interests in this sector it was quite worrying that a major brand was giving away legal cover, but on looking at the T&C I saw the greedy sods were wanting 25% of a client's PI damages, which is not what my model was about, so it did not concern me as much. I think this arose after Quindell got involved.

Inhope

Thank you everyone for the information provided. I have looed on google and it seems hit and miss. I cna not find any personal recommendations from people.

I just wondered if there would have been a site where people would have expressed there say on usage of a firm and I would build a view that this is the place to go kinda thing.

I think they all take a cut and somewhere along the line you will lose some of the money. I think RAC are not fully at it like say national accident helpline or lawyers4u. Oh I do not no whom to go to still

Thank you again to those giving some advice.