Car Insurance/Personal Injury Claim: Self Representation

VALHERU

Good day to you all,

I'd like to call on your collective wisdom on the matter of a car crash I was involved in last night.

I suffered a rear end shunt (not a euphemism) whilst broken down, with hazards and lights on, on a long straight road. The other driver and his insurance company have admitted fault.

The car I was driving belongs to a friend of mine and I have verified with my insurer that I was properly covered.

I have questions relating to the consequences to my future cover by making a personal injury claim via my own insurance company...

VERSUS

Representing myself in the matter.

Is it sensible to represent myself in the matter and is there a known procedure? and also...

Will a non-fault claim result in a higher premium next time I insure? Will it affect no claims bonus?

I know what we're told as consumers but I have little faith in the truthfulness of those claims.

Thanks in advance for any informed views, sincerely,
Alisdair

FutureGirl

You claim from the other drivers insurers for injury, not your insurers.

The vehicle won't be covered on your policy, so there is nothing to claim from your policy, therefore, your no claims years will remain.

Your premiums might increase next year, depends on your insurers pricing strategies.

You need to contact the other drivers insures to see if they will deal directly with you. They might not, as not all insurers do. If not you'll need a solicitor. If you have legal cover on your insurance policy I'd use that - it doesn't count as a claim on your policy and I don't believe they take a cut of your compensation, like a normal no win no fee solicitor would.

VALHERU

So, I went to the "at fault" insurer. They've asked me to register with the MoJ for reasons the asst on the phone couldn't explain. But they're happy to deal with me on this.

My policy has legal cover as stated below... I wasn't driving my car. That means I don't get to claim on this policy, right? If not, then how about the friend who's car I had? Here's the quoted text..

Motor Legal Protection (MLP) – MLP will help fund up to £100,000 worth of legal costs to help you recover the uninsured losses from the at-fault driver. This includes money for loss of income, if you couldn’t get to your job after the accident, or expenses for travelling when you had to make trips without your car. If we think you could take your claim to court and win, MLP can be used to cover your legal costs up to £100,000. Also, if you’re summoned to court to be prosecuted for a legal motoring offence, MLP can be used to pay for your defence.

Can anyone recommend a good personal injury lawyer to represent me in this? It's all going to be paper shuffling for a sore back so is there benefit to having a lawyer do this?

FutureGirl wrote: »

You claim from the other drivers insurers for injury, not your insurers.

The vehicle won't be covered on your policy, so there is nothing to claim from your policy, therefore, your no claims years will remain.

Your premiums might increase next year, depends on your insurers pricing strategies.

You need to contact the other drivers insures to see if they will deal directly with you. They might not, as not all insurers do. If not you'll need a solicitor. If you have legal cover on your insurance policy I'd use that - it doesn't count as a claim on your policy and I don't believe they take a cut of your compensation, like a normal no win no fee solicitor would.

FutureGirl

Check the exclusions under the MLP section to make sure the section applies when driving other cars.

If going via MLP usually your insurer has one firm, or a panel of solicitors so they'll choose the firm. You may be able to pick your own firm, if the policy says so, but you'll need the insurer to authorise this before any work takes place.