To be saddened that we seem to be turning into a compensation culture.

[Kasterborous]

The amount of adverts on telly now for medical injures or accidents is getting daft. People have accidents all the time and always have, but it seems that all these companies are encouraging people to claim for anything. Yes there are genuine claims to be made I don't dispute that, but no one dares do anything without fear of being sued.

I even had them on the phone last night telling me that someone who lived at my house had a minor accident in the last two years and they could claim compensation for them!

I know it seems like it from the adverts but i've never met anyone in real life who has had an accident and used these types of firms.

Has anyone else?

Me either.

I keep getting texts regarding my car accident.

I haven't had one. Not lately!

I don't think we are becoming part of that culture. The ads are misleading. I don't know anyone who has used these companies. Even my brother who is a bit money mad didn't claim when someone crashed into him because he didn't want to feed the ambulance chasers.

There isn't one. Insurance companies like to peddle the notion that there is but there isn't. Also referral fees for personal injury claims have been banned from 1 April in an attempt to put an end to the claims fishing that a lot of these dodgy companies do. You can't claim for anything, you have to be able to establish negligence and/or breach of statutory duty and then establish you've actually been injured. Not as easy as it sounds and def not the licence to print money that many think.

I think the stats say that something like 54% of people who could legitimately and fairly claim after an accident don't. Hardly compensation culture.

When I sued for compensation for disability discrimination I did it all myself and won. Sometimes it has to be done in order to bring about an important change for the benefit of others.

I know one person who claimed, and my mil is in process of claiming, although through 'normal' solicitors I think.

My mil doesn't get paid for sick leave, is looking at about 6 months off work, and possibly even loss of her job, so she is claiming from the idiot that shunted her car from behind at high speed. I can't see anything wrong with that tbh?

No there isn't anything wrong with that Pootles or Westie. Most people have genuine reasons for claiming. It's all these adverts encouraging people to claim who may not need to.

But as Rocky says, you have to prove it, you have a medical etc, its not as easy as you'd think.

I think we do have a compensation culture. It's not that strong, but it's there. Even if a lot of people don't complain when they could, the fact that they could still affects policy in ways that it never used to.

I know someone who got £9000 for a whiplash injury about 5 years ago. He admits himself that he was fine but he got swept along in the whole thing when he was contacted by one of these companies.

I got calls after a minor car accident where I was very very slightly hurt (think sprained ankle, not even that bad). The problem isn't people it's too many lawyers. In the States they have massively too many lawyers per capita so end up with lawyers searching for work. Not as bad here.

I used to work for an Injury Lawyer (as an accountant -not a lawyer). It is a complete fallacy that it is an easy money winner.
People's lives genuinely are decimated by accidents, they can't work again.Of course they require compensation.Do you think the majority of employers would give a stuff about safety if they were no means of suing them.