If you are reading this blog, you may be one of those many unfortunate people each year who suffer from whiplash due to an accident. When clients first approach us at The Injury Lawyers, they will often ask us what we think their claim is worth. In answer to this, we are often able to give a ball park figure around what we think their claim may be worth – but answering this question with any accuracy is very difficult.
The reason why giving this answer is difficult, is that the answer comes at the later stages of your claim when a medical report is gained. This medical report does not only assess your injuries, but also will detail the effects that injury has had on all areas of your life. This is why, before sending you for a medical appointment, we advise our clients to ensure they inform the medical professional of all the effects that the accident and subsequent injuries has had on their life.
This medical report, together with the advice and expertise of a specialist personal injury lawyer fighting your corner, will ensure that you get the maximum amount for your claim. A specialist personal injury lawyer will not only use his / her expertise and experience to value your claim, he/she may also use something known as the Judicial Studies Board Guidelines. These guidelines set whiplash injuries into bands in order to value them – these bands are set out below:
- Minor Whiplash Injuries: £875 to £5,150
- Moderate Whiplash Injuries: £5,150 to £16,400
- Severe Whiplash Injuries: £16,400 to £97,000
It has been calculated that the average whiplash claim is worth around £2,500.
In addition to your whiplash compensation, you are also entitled to claim for financial losses you have incurred as a result of your accident. A more common item of loss which someone can claim for is that of a loss of earnings. If a Claimant has been off work for some time, unpaid or on a reduced rate of pay, a loss of earnings can make up a large proportion of a claim.
Seeking out a good specialist personal injury lawyer will not only mean that you obtain the best settlement figure you can, but it may also mean that you get private medical treatment arranged at no cost to you. This means not having to wait on lengthy NHS lists, plus you get top notch private treatment.
If you have any questions about your potential whiplash claim then please feel free to give us a call.
