Claiming for whiplash?

lucifersangel87

Hi, I've recently been driven into. I've heard a lot about the whole whiplash thing, but I'm sort of reluctant to go there even though I've been diagnosed with it from the doctor when I went about the pain in my neck and shoulder.

I realise that I could be entitled to some money but I don't want to go down the road of a claims company or something daft like that. What would you lovely (legitimately above-board) people do in this situation and where would you suggest I start?

Thanks,

Kay

TooManyPoints

Personally I wouldn't bother unless I had actually lost money as a result (e.g. off work with no pay, loss of business if self-employed, etc.).

Stoke

If you've been diagnosed and feel it is affecting your day-to-day life, then you should certainly consider a claim.

foxy-stoat

If you have legitimately been diagnosed with whiplash then claim away, if you have been persuaded that you have whiplash then dont.

You could try and deal direct with the third party insurers for the whiplash - that would save them the legal fees.

scaredofdebt

Definitely claim.

Someone drove into the back of me 27 years ago, it was quite low speed, insurance handled the damage (about a grand) but I didn't see a doctor despite having a sore neck afterwards. I just though I had a sore neck! So no money for me, this was before the days of whiplash claims being a common thing.

I still get mild pain from it to this day, some days I cannot look fully left/right without stiffness, your whiplash may be lifelong, can affect sleeping etc so you definitely should get appropriately/fairly compensated for it.

lucifersangel87

It definitely hurts where it didn't before. I can'tturn my head to look out of the window behind me without pain, and I find I am waking up in the middle of the night with neck pain. But I haven't missed any work days because of it.
I will get hold of my insurers I think and ask them to put injury into their claim.

Stoke

lucifersangel87 wrote: »

It definitely hurts where it didn't before. I can'tturn my head to look out of the window behind me without pain, and I find I am waking up in the middle of the night with neck pain. But I haven't missed any work days because of it.
I will get hold of my insurers I think and ask them to put injury into their claim.

That doesn't matter, in my opinion.

I suggest putting in a claim.

elsien

lucifersangel87 wrote: »

It definitely hurts where it didn't before. I can'tturn my head to look out of the window behind me without pain, and I find I am waking up in the middle of the night with neck pain. But I haven't missed any work days because of it.
I will get hold of my insurers I think and ask them to put injury into their claim.

Have you seen the GP? Has any physio been recommended? If so then you may have consequential losses still to claim for.

foxy-stoat

Expect a couple of thousand for your pain - I hope it heals itself soon.

Quentin

Unless you have experience in making compensation claims then you do need your own legal representation

You can surely see the clash of interest if you try to deal with this yourself by claiming directly off the third party insurers

If you have "legal cover" with your own policy you can use that to pursue your claim for you (or if in a union see if they provide this type of legal cover)

Now you have gone public here beware of any pms you may get from ambulance chasers lurking here offering to represent you!

Stoke

Quentin wrote: »

Unless you have experience in making compensation claims then you do need your own legal representation

You can surely see the clash of interest if you try to deal with this yourself by claiming directly off the third party insurers

If you have "legal cover" with your own policy you can use that to pursue your claim for you (or if in a union see if they provide this type of legal cover)

Now you have gone public here beware of any pms you may get from ambulance chasers lurking here offering to represent you!

Surely that doesn't happen?