Compensation Advice after crash
- Thread starter leosayer
- Start date
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I think that's the consensus. We can argue the toss all we like on here about what injuries are worth, but your experiences so far suggest that you are not being best served by your current solicitors.
Sorry about your accident, I also had a similar accident, except I had soft tissue injuries to my face & a stiff neck. My accident was on a round about, white van man decided to drive over me, rather than around me. In total I was off work for 4 days, so I guess my injuries were not as severe as your injuries. Norwich Union, the insurance company for the van driver, asked me not to us a solicitor. They stated that they would take full care of me & compensation would be the same if I went via a solicitor or not. Their argument sounded reasonable so I followed their advice. They very quickly offered £800 and pushed me to settle. Due to problems with my neck I had to have physio & in talking to the physiotherapist he advised me to consult a solicitor and refuse to settle. I contacted a solicitor and I finally settled @ £7200. I am not a fan of solicitors, but in this instance the solicitor did wonders for me.
It may be the case that the present solicitors are not best serving their client, but there will be a contract and breaking it will be expensive. It's better at this stage to try and work with them, as I said earlier I think there has been a misunderstanding, talk to the supervising solicitor.
What makes me so sure there's been a misunderstanding? If your solicitor advises you to settle a claim before the long term consequences are known and knowing that your medical treatment is still underway, they could be liable if the advice turns out to be inappropriate.
fatblokish
Guru
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- In bath
My Experience:
Hit a pothole in the winter of 2003/04 causing a wrist fracture; a slightly complicated case due to liability issues was finally resolved 23 months later.
I was offered £1.5k for the personal injury part (aka General Damages); my solicitor recommended I accept this offer.
I enquired of the solicitor the basis for this recommendation and was advised it seemed in line with other claims. I asked for evidence of this, and after a bit of tooing and froing was told that there exists a book (damned if I can remember the name) that is used in settlements such as this in which established precedents have been agreed.
I managed to get hold of a copy of this book (possibly called "judicial studies board guidelines for the assessment of general damages in personal injury cases"), pointed out the inconsistency between my offer and those made to others and eventually was awarded £6.5 k.
My advice:
Do not accept the offer until you yourself have looked at the quantum of the injury claim in the context of other precedents...make a demand of you solicitor to see its reference material. Remember that the solicitor gets paid only its costs, and therefore has no robust incentive to maximise your claim. Was the suspected pelvic fracture confirmed? If could offer a lay-persons guess, I would imagine a broken pelvis could be worth at least ten to fifteen times your present offer.
Good luck.
PS, just checked and my reference was a much weightier tome that this, but it may be worth the investment if your solicitor doesn't play ball.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Guidelines-...59533X/ref=dp_ob_title_bk/279-5467847-1877502
Hit a pothole in the winter of 2003/04 causing a wrist fracture; a slightly complicated case due to liability issues was finally resolved 23 months later.
I was offered £1.5k for the personal injury part (aka General Damages); my solicitor recommended I accept this offer.
I enquired of the solicitor the basis for this recommendation and was advised it seemed in line with other claims. I asked for evidence of this, and after a bit of tooing and froing was told that there exists a book (damned if I can remember the name) that is used in settlements such as this in which established precedents have been agreed.
I managed to get hold of a copy of this book (possibly called "judicial studies board guidelines for the assessment of general damages in personal injury cases"), pointed out the inconsistency between my offer and those made to others and eventually was awarded £6.5 k.
My advice:
Do not accept the offer until you yourself have looked at the quantum of the injury claim in the context of other precedents...make a demand of you solicitor to see its reference material. Remember that the solicitor gets paid only its costs, and therefore has no robust incentive to maximise your claim. Was the suspected pelvic fracture confirmed? If could offer a lay-persons guess, I would imagine a broken pelvis could be worth at least ten to fifteen times your present offer.
Good luck.
PS, just checked and my reference was a much weightier tome that this, but it may be worth the investment if your solicitor doesn't play ball.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Guidelines-...59533X/ref=dp_ob_title_bk/279-5467847-1877502
