Road traffic accidents are commonplace nowadays – I drive a 70 mile per day round trip, to and from work, so I either hear about accidents on the radio on a daily basis, or get caught up in the inevitable backlog of traffic which comes after an unfortunate accident has occurred.
It all serves to remind me that the roads can be dangerous places, and that unfortunately, some road users do not exercise the necessary care and attention when using the roads, which leads to road traffic accidents.
If you’ve been involved in an accident which is due to the negligence of another driver, you may feel helpless and frustrated, and you may be suffering financially as a result. If this is the case, you may have the recourse of beginning a claim for personal injury. Firms such as The Injury Lawyers offer free claims assessments, so there seems to be nothing to lose by simply getting some free legal advice, and assessing your options.
Further good news is that, if your accident occurred after 30th April 2010, it is likely to go into the Road Traffic Accident Protocol which is a relatively new system, is much faster, more streamlined, and simpler than the system of old.
Receiving the other side’s decision regarding liability is the first crucial step of a claim – in essence, if you receive an admission of liability, the other side are admitting fault for your accident. Once an admission is received, it is usually a question of collating evidence for valuing your claim, and heading forward to settlement.
The system of old allowed the other side nearly 4 months to respond with a decision regarding liability, which meant straight forward road traffic accidents were dragged on and on unnecessarily. The new system however allows the other side 15 business days from receipt of the Claim Notification Form to give this vital decision.
Getting this decision early on in a claim can relieve a lot of stress from a claimant. If liability is denied on your claim, this does not mean it is the end of the path for the claim, as a denial must be supported by documentation. Your solicitors should review this documentation, and if they feel the prospects of the claim are still good, they may continue with it.
If you require any further information regarding your road traffic accident claim then feel free to give us a call.
