Where you have been involved in a road traffic accident, and you have suffered an injury, if the accident was not your fault, it is highly likely that you will be due compensation for those injuries, and any losses that directly resulted from your accident. This is because it is relatively straightforward to prove where the other side was negligent in road traffic accidents. For example, if a third party vehicle drives into the rear of you vehicle, and you suffer whiplash, then it is quite clear that the accident was their fault and you should be due compensation. So, what happens then if you believe you have a claim for compensation? How do you go about getting this compensation?
The first thing you should do, after seeking medical attention for your injuries, is to contact a specialist injury lawyer who has plenty of experience in dealing with road traffic accident claims. This is because their experience should mean that they know what they are doing, and they are best positioned to advise you on your claim. If the other side gets in touch with you and they want to settle your claim directly with you, our best advice is: do not settle it. It is probably not in your best interests. You should seek legal advice first to see if their offer is a good offer, or whether it should be rejected, and you should instruct someone to fight tooth and nail for your claim.
So – how long do claims take?
Well, we cannot put a precise length of time on these things; but, we know that it will be considerably faster than if you had brought your claim prior to April 2010. Before April 2010, the other side had a period of 21 days to acknowledge your claim, three months to investigate it, and where liability was admitted, it could take a further few months to get your claim settled. That process has been overhauled and the new protocol means that the other side now have only 1 business day to acknowledge your claim, and 15 days to admit or deny liability. This is a huge reduction in time and could mean that your claim can be settled in just a couple of months.
If you believe you have a claim for personal injury arising out of a road traffic accident, then get in touch with The Injury Lawyers today. We can advise you as to the prospects of success on your claim, and where we believe this will be successful, we can guide you through the process no problems. We will also keep you up-to-date at least every 14 days, provide you with some free medical treatment if necessary and where possible, and ensure you get the maximum compensation you deserve. Even better, we won’t charge you a penny for our work! Now THAT’S a service!
