Should I claim for injures in a car accident?

Stoke

Up to your own moral conscience what you do. I was recently involved in an accident (bog standard rear end punt) and decided not to claim. However back when I was only 17, I had a serious rear end accident in my first car. A lady in a Vauxhall Astra absolutely piled into the rear of my car, twisting the chassis and deforming the structure. I was lucky that I was able to get out, and touch wood, I had no visible injuries.

The legal team of my insurance suggested I pursue a claim because at that speed, it was unlikely I would have sustained no injuries at all, even if it's just a few weeks/months of whiplash, so I agreed and thought nothing more of it. Got a fairly average settlement.

A few months down the line, I started to have real back problems. I went to a University a good 200+ miles away. This drive became hell for me. I had to eventually stop and take the train for a long time because it was simply too painful after an hour or so of driving. At first I thought it was just the seats in the car, because they were different to my first car, but it quickly became a day to day issue. Lying on the sofa, I was in terrible pain. Playing football, if I jumped for a header or turned in a certain way, I was in agony. Sitting in lectures, I was in pain. The only time I wasn't in pain, was when I was standing up or walking. I tried a lot of back exercises and stretches to help but I don't think any of them really worked. The fix, it seems, was simply time. I couldn't say how long, but it wasn't insignificant. It's rare now I have back issues and when I do, I tend to put them down to something else.

Now it could be entirely coincidental. Heck, could even have been growing pains (although I'm the same height as I was when I was 16), but something was very wrong with my back for a long time and it was just after that car crash.

Whether that means I was owed a settlement, I haven't the foggiest.

Quentin

n1guy wrote: »

This is where it gets tricky, his insurance company is also our insurance company, right down to the same branch. We actually got him to write and sign a statement of what happened. Add to that a witness in the car behind who backs everything up

Both of you being covered by the same company doesn't make any difference to the liable party being responsible for your injury compensation.


Get your own legal representation and get the compensation - why suffer pain at the hands of a negligent driver and worry about the "moral" rights and wrongs of being compensated when you are blameless?


Nothing to do with morals (or worrying about others premiums going up - that's what insurance is there for!)

Stoke

Quentin wrote: »

Both of you being covered by the same company doesn't make any difference to the liable party being responsible for your injury compensation.


Get your own legal representation and get the compensation - why suffer pain at the hands of a negligent driver and worry about the "moral" rights and wrongs of being compensated when you are blameless?


Nothing to do with morals (or worrying about others premiums going up - that's what insurance is there for!)

Well y'know, should you be paid £2000 if you weren't really injured. Swap a few words around and you'd probably end up with fraud.

Anyway, just my opinion.

Quentin

Stoke wrote: »

Well y'know, should you be paid £2000 if you weren't really injured. Swap a few words around and you'd probably end up with fraud.

Anyway, just my opinion.

Well.....the OP has been advised by his doctor that his pain is related to the incident, and the passenger is seeing a doctor today because of pain from the incident, so you suggesting "fraud" could be seen as being "libelous"!


Why shouldn't a clown causing a write off in a collision be made to pay compensation for pain/injury/distress caused to innocent people?


Claim will probably be in excess of £2000, so why would anyone not want to get properly compensated? Especially visitors to this money saving website!

Stoke

Quentin wrote: »

Well.....the OP has been advised by his doctor that his pain is related to the incident, and the passenger is seeing a doctor today because of pain from the incident, so you suggesting "fraud" could be seen as being "libelous"!


Why shouldn't a clown causing a write off in a collision be made to pay compensation for pain/injury/distress caused to innocent people?


Claim will probably be in excess of £2000, so why would anyone not want to get properly compensated? Especially visitors to this money saving website!

Nothing I've said is libellous pal. I've merely put up a hypothetical scenario "should you be paid £2000 if you weren't really injured".

I absolutely agree that injury cases are important and it wasn't fair, for example, that I went through months of back issues for something that wasn't my fault.

I think there's a fine line between ambulance chasing and people genuinely getting compensated for their loss. That's all.

Quentin

Stoke wrote: »

Nothing I've said is libellous pal. I've merely put up a hypothetical scenario "should you be paid £2000 if you weren't really injured"......

So a little unfair to post what you now say was a hypothetical scenario regarding fraudulent claims in this thread regarding a couple who actually have been injured asking for advice!

brewthebear

My car was written off by someone going into the back of me hers was also written off .
Yes I ached a few days stiff neck etc, did I claim no !! because I was not injured Get a life be thankful it was not serious and move on. If we all claimed looking at accident statistics, none would even be able to afford insurance anymore.

Stoke

Quentin wrote: »

So a little unfair to post what you now say was a hypothetical scenario regarding fraudulent claims in this thread regarding a couple who actually have been injured asking for advice!

I gave my advice. I pointed out that I had been in the same situation, and despite feeling good in the few days after, I subsequently endured several months of discomfort.

You're being a bit of a clown really aren't you?

Quentin

In #26 you call me your "pal"??

Now you resort to playground name calling!

Or are you just trying to cause trouble?

Stoke

Quentin wrote: »

In #26 you call me your "pal"??

Now you resort to playground name calling!

Or are you just trying to cause trouble?

I'm a Northerner, we call everyone pal, mate, or in my case usually 'duck'.....

But not at all. I gave a fairly detailed account of what happened with my situation. I explained how I (wrongly) assumed that because I had walked away without any visible injuries, I was absolutely fine and happy to go on with life. I mentioned the fact the legal team from my insurance essentially took it upon themselves to start injury proceedings, which I went along with it. I spoke about the several months of pain I then went through, not immediately after the accident.

You then hit back directly at my comment about it being up to your own conscience and subsequently accused me of making libellous comments. I personally don't agree with the claim culture in the UK and anyone who does probably has form for taking the mickey. It has gone too far. People claiming for injuries and mental bloody anguish after trapping their finger in a door etc. It's gone beyond a joke. We all suffer from it, in one way or another.

You could legitimately argue that I benefited from the injury claim culture, after receiving a payout for an accident where I wasn't totally crippled and was able to get on with life..... however I'd much rather have not had to spend months in utter agony when watching a bit of TV, or sitting at the dinner table or in lectures than receiving a few quid, which to be honest, had to go on the replacement car really. I was giving both sides to this and that is why I said it was up to the OP's conscience.