The world of personal injury claims has gone through some big changes in the past few years, and with the changes made to the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act (LASPO) act made in April, picking the right injury claims service can save you lots of costs, but wrong one could cost you. Add this to the recent scrutiny that some injury claimers have received, and would seem as if there is turbulent air around claiming.
Some victims of a personal injury may find the recent media surrounding it intimidating when the time comes to claim. Mail Online recently reported that insurance experts are debunking 50-60% of whiplash claims, saying that certain companies are encouraging people to falsely claim. Understandably, this could make a claimant feel as if their integrity is being questioned, despite genuinely suffering, however, according to The Law Society Gazette, whiplash claims are at ‘five-year low,’ ‘falling by almost 60,000 in the past year.’ This suggests that honest claims for the controversial whiplash claims are prevailing.
So what does this mean for a whiplash claimant?
The main thing is not to be afraid of making a claim. If you’re genuinely suffering from an accident, whether it’s whiplash or anything else, then it’s definitely worth doing something about it. A key thing to make sure you see a result is to consult medical advice immediately, as that will support your honest claim.
Can whiplash be caused at low speeds?
Some people criticise whiplash because people claim to have it when their crash happened at low speeds, however the surprise of a car accident, especially if you are hit from behind, can mean that your neck isn’t braced for any type of impact, so the slightest jolt could damage your neck, meaning it can happen with accidents as slow as 5mph.
What difference does the new LASPO change make to a claim?
Claims management companies are no longer allowed to charge referral fees for solicitors to take on a personal injury claim. This comes from some claims management companies reportedly passing on cases that were unlikely to succeed. This is great news for honest injury claimants as it means your claim is more likely to be referred.
Another good bit of news for claimants is the amount paid for damages is likely to go up to coincide with an increased percentage in damage-based agreements.
