Cycling accident claim

STAVROS

I am the sponsor of a Ukrainian refugee in the Homes for Ukraine scheme. She and her bicycle were hit by a delivery van driver who immediately admitted liability. His insurer NIG have paid for the repair of the damaged bicycle but as for compensation for time of work etc have supplied us with incorrect information as follows.....
   "To pursue a claim, you will need to send us a Small Claims Notification Form through the Official Injury Claim Portal (OIC). The 'Guide to Making a Claim' will support you through this process. This can be found on the following website  https://www.officialinjuryclaim.org.uk/ .  If you need any assistance with this site, then the Official Injury Claim Portal have a helpdesk number"

NIG have now admitted that the above advice was incorrect and we now need to contact them via a solicitor.( OIC does not apply to cyclists )

 Can we apply to NIG for compensation without instructing a solicitor?

DullGreyGuy

You can self represent, there is never a legal requirement to have professional representation. 

Do you have Legal Expenses cover on your Home insurance? If you do then they will most likely provide a solicitor to represent without her having to give over a proportion of her compensation. 

Voyager2002

Most solicitors will offer a free 30-minute appointment. I suggest that you use this to get an idea of the procedure.

If you are able to visit your local county court then the Clerk may give you further information, for example on the appropriate forms to fill in.

STAVROS

The claim is below the minimum amount for free legal assistance so I think the best action is to write a letter/email to NIG claiming for 2 days lost salary with an endorsement from her manager. There doesn't appear to be any form/pro forma for this.

DullGreyGuy

STAVROS said:

The claim is below the minimum amount for free legal assistance so I think the best action is to write a letter/email to NIG claiming for 2 days lost salary with an endorsement from her manager. There doesn't appear to be any form/pro forma for this.

So its not for any actual injuries just loss of earnings?

Are they an employee or something else? Did they get any form of sick pay for the period?

You'd normally need to send a letter/email of claim enclosing the payslip(s) for the month/week(s) the time was taken off, the payslips covering the preceding 2-3 months and a letter from the employer on headed paper confirming they were off sick and commenting on any sick pay etc received