This is a common question that I hear from clients at The Injury Lawyers – not only at the start of their claim, but throughout the various stages. It can be a difficult question to answer, however; especially at the outset of a claim because a specialist personal injury lawyer would need various items such as a medical report to make an accurate valuation on your injury.
A specialist personal injury lawyer may use the following in order to value your claim;
- A medical report – as mentioned in the opening paragraph, a medical report contains vital information assessing your injuries and detailing the various effects that injury has had on your life. A lawyer would use this as a basis for a valuation on your claim.
- The Judicial Studies Board Guidelines– the JSB guidelines band injuries for the purposes of valuation. I have set out these bands below:
Minor Whiplash Injuries – £875 to £5,150
Moderate Whiplash Injuries – £5,150 to £16,400
Severe Whiplash Injuries – up to £97,000
The band your injury is placed in depends on a number of factors which include the length of time you have suffered, the severity of the injury, if the injury has affected areas of your life such as your professional or domestic life, and also if you have had any psychological symptoms as a result of your accident and subsequent injuries. Many of these factors are detailed in your medical report; so, it is extremely important that the medical report contains all the necessary information.
- Skill, expertise and experience – a specialist personal injury lawyer will use all of their specialist tools at their disposal to value your claim, including their skill and experience as a solicitor. This means that choosing the right lawyer with experience in whiplash claiming can make all the difference to what compensation you receive.
- Case law – this means that your solicitor may look to cases similar to that of your own that have settled already in order to help place on a value on your claim.
In order to maximise your compensation, you should ensure that the law firm you instruct offers:
- 100% compensation with NO deductions and NO hidden charges.
- No costs for you to pay win or lose your claim.
If the law firm cannot guarantee the above, you are at risk of having whatever compensation you are entitled to reduced.
If you require any further information regarding the above then feel free to give us a call.
