Third Party Claims - Personal
Injury
If you have sustained an injury, even of a
minor nature, I really do urge you to seek professional help
from a good solicitor. You can in some instances, pursue a
claim yourself but you really do need to know what you are
doing!
A claim for a minor injury can take a long time
to resolve and anything of note will take years. This is partly
due to the length of time mother nature takes to heal up
injuries and partly to the wrangling of solicitors against
insurers.
From an insurers viewpoint much of the blame
for these long delays can be laid at the feet of the legal
profession but I dare say, they would blame claims
handlers!
Things have improved since the introduction of
the 'Woolf Reforms' in April 1999. These reforms made major
changes to the civil court processes and, of particular
importance, set rules for the first time, called 'personal
injury pre-action protocols' that apply before litigation
begins.
Sadly, there was a Court of Appeal decision in
2001 that suggests their Lordships still have their heads
burried deep in the pre-Woolf confrontational days One could
write a whole new book on this subject alone and it is really
outside the scope of this web site to start looking at some of
the issues.
"I had been shopping for a
plant all day and was on my way home.
As I reached an inter-section a hedge sprang up,
obscuring my vision and I
did not see the other car" |
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Extracts taken from actual claim
forms submitted to
a number of UK car insurance companies |
Next.....
UK Car Insurance - The Motor Insurers Bureau (MIB)
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