Many clients upon approaching The Injury Lawyers tend to ask what their claim may be worth. This can be a difficult question to answer at the early stages of a claim, due to reasons I will discuss later in this blog. We are, however, able to give approximate figures which we feel your claim may centre around – these are approximate, as in order to accurately assess a claim, we would use a medical report:
A medical report: Once liability has been admitted on your claim, a solicitor would send you to be medically examined. This can take place at a time and location convenient for you. After the examination, the medical professional would compile a report not only detailing your injuries and when they predict that these injuries will resolve, but also detailing the effects the accident has had on all areas of your life. This is why at The Injury Lawyers we advise our clients prior to their examination to ensure they inform the medic of all the relevant effects as fully and as accurately as possible. The medical report then provides a basis for which your claim can be valued.
JSB Guidelines: Another tool at the disposal of a specialist personal injury solicitor is that of the Judicial Studies Board Guidelines. These set whiplash injuries into bands in order to value them. I have set out these bands below:
- Minor injuries – £875 to £5,150
- Moderate Injuries – £5,150 to £16,400
- Severe Injuries – can increase up to £97,000
- Minor Whiplash claims on average are worth around £2,500
There are many factors which decide which band your injury will go into. These factors can include:
- The severity of your injury.
- The length of time suffering.
- The effects the injury has had an all areas of your life.
- Any psychological effects the accident and subsequent injury has had on you.
Case Law: This means cases that are similar to your own, and have already settled. A specialist personal injury lawyer would look to these to get an idea of how much your claim could be worth.
The skill, experience, and expertise of the specialist personal injury lawyer: The solicitor will use all of the tools at their disposal to value your claim and maximise your compensation. This is why choosing the law firm to proceed with your claim carefully at the start can pay off later down the line – you want someone who is willing to fight tooth and nail for your claim.
If you have any further queries regarding your whiplash claim, feel free to give us a call.
