Personal accident injury claims - Any ideas please?

Mike_M.

Hello,

If anyone can give me some advice I would be very grateful.

Two years ago I was stationery in my car and an older lady drove straight into the side of me, causing bad car damage (close to being written off) and whiplash.

I've been phoned by a very persistent company called JCA Law who say "I am owed money for this accident" and that I need to give them all the details of what happened. They have said that my file is still open and recorded as being unresolved and that a sum of money c.£1500 - £3000 "has been put aside" by the 3rd party insurer's for me to claim up to 3 years. The man on the phone was very persistent but when I asked him was unable to give me their company registration number or a contact telephone number. He told me to look for JCA Law website but the only site I have found is jcasolicitors (.co.uk)

Is there anyone who has ever dealt with these people? I thought the case had been settled two years ago re: my vehicle being repaired. I'm just very wary of handing out my details.

Many thanks for any help or replies here.

Quentin

If you suffered injury and weren't compensated for it at the time, then you can still claim but most would say you should instruct the solicitor of your choice rather than an ambulance chaser like this

chanz4

if they were fully genuine, wouldn't they already know the details. have to agree with Quentin ambulance chassers

OnanTheBarbarian

They are cold calling you, which is illegal in the first place. They will have bought a list of data which just has names and contact details and probably little else. These idiots call people banging on about how there is a pot of money just waiting for you when the person's car was hit whilst parked and unattended..

If they are a law firm, they need reporting to the Solicitor's Regulation Authority.

If they are an accident management company, they need reporting to the ministry of justice.

The tosh the guy is telling you on the phone is a load of rubbish. There is no sum of money set aside for you, just waiting. It would only be in the event you filed a claim that the compensating insurer would then put a "reserve" against the claim.

This is the bottom of the barrel for the claimant personal injury industry and such practices need to stop.

Is the phone number withheld that they call from?

You have upto the 3rd anniversary of the collision to make a personal injury claim.

[Deleted User]

Easiest thing to do is call the at-fault party's insurance company and tell them you want compensation for personal injury and see what they say. Have a figure in mind in case they ask. Chance are once you mention it they will try to settle as quickly as possible. No point paying lawyers as well.

InsideInsurance

The case has been settled, this company has simply bought a list of data and is cold calling in the hope of selling a hot lead to a solicitor. They use similar techniques to others to make you thing they know about an accident when they dont.

I get almost identical calls and have done so for years even though my only two accidents in recent years were a hit and run on my parked and unattended car and a second incident were I hit a police car. Clearly no case for PI claims in either incident but their calls say Ive up to £10k owed to me that will go/ be given to the government etc if I dont claim if you believe their calls

Crazy_Jamie

DELETED USER wrote:

Easiest thing to do is call the at-fault party's insurance company and tell them you want compensation for personal injury and see what they say. Have a figure in mind in case they ask. Chance are once you mention it they will try to settle as quickly as possible. No point paying lawyers as well.

And how do you propose a person comes up with a reasonable or accurate figure for general damages when they have likely never heard of the term 'general damages' before? If the OP wishes to pursue a claim for personal injury they should instruct a solicitor of their own choosing, as opposed to a random company that specialises in unsolicited phone calls.

Vectis

I assume you had physiotherapy at the time for your whiplash? If so, why would you need money two years later? If you've got ongoing problems, go back to your doctor.

And don't take calls from these people. It's not compulsory to talk to them.

I hate this compensation culture which we've imported from the Americans.

Devons_best

I'm sick of receiving calls - they have told me I have a pot of money, that its the insurance company that have passed on my details, that my passengers have money set aside, large sums have been thrown about - I can see how many people would be tempted to make a claim with the idea that the money is already theirs! I've been told the person I ran into the back of had already claimed his money.
It makes me so cross. The accident was at low speed and a tiny dink - my passengers asked why we were pulling over - they hadn't even realised what had happened.
Its been over a year and I have literally had hundreds of calls from various companies. What annoys me most is that it is apparantly my inusrance company that have given out my details and this is promoting people to make fraudulent claims - this in turn pushes all our insurance premiums up! It's a disgrace really.
I've been told all sorts by people on the end of the phone all sorts of information that has been blatantly wrong to get me to sign up. I'm on the telephone preference service so I am finding it increasingly annoying!
I've been very clear that there were no injuries and that no-one will be making a claim - I just feel it is so dishonest to still try and persuade someone who has said that to attempt to claim money!!

Quentin

Vectis wrote: »

I assume you had physiotherapy at the time for your whiplash? If so, why would you need money two years later? If you've got ongoing problems, go back to your doctor.

And don't take calls from these people. It's not compulsory to talk to them.

I hate this compensation culture which we've imported from the Americans.

This is unneccessary "advice" and looks to be just you seizing on the newbie's thread to have a rant - there's a forum for ranting!

The OP clearly came for advice over the compensation issue, not the health issue. And how does having physio financially compensate you after some clown ploughs into your stationary car?

OP, take no notice!

Crazy_Jamie

Vectis wrote: »

I hate this compensation culture which we've imported from the Americans.

Actually, we don't have a 'compensation culture' in this country, at least not to anywhere near the same level as the US. The coverage that personal injury claims get in the media is manipulated to an incredible degree. But of course you're unlikely to take my word for it, so you might want to click the link below and see what Lord Dyson thinks about it, Lord Dyson being Master of the Rolls and the second most senior judge in the country.


http://www.lawgazette.co.uk/70091.article