AIBU to hope this money grabbing cow doesn't get a penny?

[sammy19]

In July, my dad had a hire car while his own car was being repaired (it was given to him by his insurance company after a postman drove into the side of his car while it was parked outside his house.) He was not used to the car and while stationary at traffic lights, he went to put his handbrake on but didn't pull it up enough. He rolled forward slightly and tapped the bumper of the car in front but the impact was hardly felt - he put the brake on as soon as he realised. I was in the car too and so was my DM.

The car in front was being driven by a young woman (about 27) and she had 3 female friends in there too. They all got out, laughing about it, said that they thought the car had stalled at first and she said not to worry. I took pictures of the scratch on her bumper because I had an uneasy feeling. My dad reported it to his insurance company, months went by and they gave the processing fee back as they said a claim hadn't been made.

So imagine his surprise this morning when a letter turns up in the post saying that the third party is now claiming personal injury and our insurance company would like to dispute it so are requesting more information.

I am livid. There is no way that she (or any of her passengers) had an injury from this. My poor dad is having a crap time at the moment too. He has recently developed chronic back pain, his father has just been diagnosed with a terminal illness and now this. Just sick of people being so selfish and greedy. After 3 months had passed, I thought this person was honest. I hope she doesn't get anything and our insurance company win the dispute, but I doubt that will happen.

It might be genuine even low speed shunts can cause injury. Someone ran into the back of my car when I was stopped at lights. I was able to get out and speak to them but later my back, necks and knees hurt. Bruises came up in various places and I ended up being admitted to hospital.
I didn't claim anything but there seem to be lots of assumptions on this thread about the likelihood of injury in such cases.

At low speed whiplash is less likely, but theoretically can occur, especially if the person has pre-existing injuries or arthritis.

Many, many years ago my dh had an accident like this in another country. Then we got the letter suing for whiplash, took it to a lawyer, who said, no problem, we will just put in a counterclaim for your whiplash and that was the end of that. Never heard from them again.

I'm going through this now, I had an accident, to be honest it was my fault but was a tiny bump. There was no damage to my car and a tiny scrape on hers. It was also a side bump and there is no way she could have been hurt.
It makes me feel sick that people do this for money. What a shitty culture to be living in. I have had such a terrible year, my dad was diagnosed with cancer and died, I was actually on my way to scatter his ashes when I had the accident. Everything that could have gone wrong has and this has just upset me all over again!

Well I was crashed into at 5mph by a silly woman on her phone.

By rights it shouldn't have caused me an injury, but because i was forward in my seat changing the radio over while stationary it jarred my back.

I was in pain for weeks, I can no longer lift the weights I used to at body pump. I've gained 2 stone and I got a paltry £s.

I'd give back every penny to be lighter fitter and healthier.

I worked as an A&E doctor for 2 years. To be fair the vast majority of whiplash patients seemed genuine, but I have no doubt some just do it for the compensation.
As an aside I once dealt with a lady who had tripped on an uneven pavement injuring her foot. I x rayed it and told her it was good news, no breaks. Her response was "good news??? (said in an angry tone) that is my fucking compo claim gone" and then she stormed off in such a rage the limp she had hobbling into the cubicle vanished.

Years ago when i first got my license a man rear ended me aa junction, which shunted me forward and i missed the car in front by inches. Driver of the car in front (who hadn't been hit!) Got out of the car and put herself into recovery position on the pavement, saying she had a head injury Her husband turned up and was effing and jeffing at me for th "damage" i had caused to her car. The on scene police officer recorded no damage to her vehicle and told me she knew the tricks of the trade. I saw her in the police station two days later with a neck brace on.

YANBU Op, as this could significantly increase your dad's future insurance premiums.

Someone who worked for my then employer managed to be "rear-ended" three times, at the same junction, over the course of about a year. She was quite seriously "injured" and got substantial compensation, as well as being "unable" to work and therefore on long term sick (with notes written by some sketchy private specialist, not her GP or an NHS doctor). It's quite unlucky to have the same accident three times, isn't it? You might after the second time choose a different route home.

Anyway, we decided in the end that she was having us on and sacked her. HR wrote to her to say we wanted her either back in the office although as she was bloody useless we would probably have started competency proceedings anyway or she should see our occupational health people or a mutually agreed doctor, and she refused both, which made it easy to summarily dismiss her. She threatened us with a tribunal, but unsurprisingly it didn't come to anything. A few years later we heard that her husband had been convicted of involvement in a cash-for-crash scam, at which point any residual sympathy entirely evaporated.

YANBU, I hate this kind of behaviour.

We had someone drive into the back of us a few months ago. It was a fair bash, car off the road etc, but none of us were hurt. The insurance company is STILL writing to me asking me to get in touch regarding personal injury claims. I've already been very clear we have no need of this service, but they still keep trying. So, I think the fault also lies with the insurance companies trying to screw every penny they can out of each accident. BUT, the buck stops with the claimant and they are very OOO to claim without cause.

I was rear-ended by someone in a van last year. My daughter was in the car with me to. I'd seen him coming from quite a way off (I was stationary at the end of a dual carriageway waiting to join a roundabout) and warned her and braced myself for the impact. He managed to swerve sidewas a bit and so the impact wasn't as bad as it could have been but still a bit of a jolt. Unfortunately I developed bursitis in my shoulder as a result and so couldn't drive for a couple of months and had to have steroid injections into the joint. I still didn't claim or anything but then about four months after the accident I got a call from one of those claim companies and they asked me to claim. I said no and they asked if I knew that my own insurance premiums would go up as a result of the accident? I said that can't be true because I wasn't at fault and wasn't even driving my own car (was my hubby's company car) so my own car insurance wasn't involved in the slightest. Put the phone down and didn't think any more of it. Renewal time came about and of course I had to tell them I'd been involved in an accident (as you do by law, regardless of fault). Sure enough, my insurance premiums went up, and will continue to be affected for the next 3-5 years due to someone else crashing into me! I was furious and if it happens again I will be bloody claiming - to cover the cost of the extra money I've had to pay out! I was almost in tears on the phone, explaining how totally unfair it was that I was being penalised for an accident that wasn't my fault - and in a car that my insurance company didn't even insure!! So so unfair.

well, i hate to say it, but probably she will get some money, as will her passengers.

it is rarely worth the risk of litigation, and will always be cheaper to settle with a payment. courts and medical experts will almost always give the claimant the benefit of the doubt.

Sad to hear about all these easy claims. I was rear ended in early 2013 and still suffering painful back problems including all through a pregnancy. Am having to jump through hoops to prove my injury and even so am unlikely to get more than £1800 due to the cost of the treatment which the company is paying for.

ReadytoBreak... I'll take the word of the police officer who made a point of contacting me thanks, rather than a random on the chatboard who could be anybody.

The extract you've posted backs it up - damage to person or property. Best advice is to ring the police (not necessarily 999) and let them decide to attend or not.

Madmum... that's bizarre. Put herself into the recovery position even though there was no impact to her vehicle?

I think a read ended shunt can cause more injuries than you'd think. I was involved in one about six years ago, and still have some stiffness in my neck now from it. I also had seatbelt brusing on my sternum.

I've also been in a head on collision at speed and believe it or not my whiplash wasn't as bad from that accident however I suffered bad cuts and bruises in that incident the other driver was also high on drugs and was known to the police when they showed up so I took great pleasure from taking the disgusting cow to the cleaners, she could have killed somoene.

dp had lost earnings of 1000 I couldn't believe it when they gave him 3000 which I don't believe is right due to the fact he only lost 1000,

It's not just for loss of warnings - it's also for general pain and inconvenience after suffering an injury.

Suppose you were injured in a car crash. You could still go to work, but it was painful to move your legs beyond a certain amount. So getting dressed, getting in the bath etc was more painful and took longer than before. Also, you couldn't do your hobby because of the pain. This pain lasted a year or so.

That is also a head of claim, as well as quantifiable things like loss of earnings.

Most genuine cases are relieved when it's all over and they've got a couple of thousand pounds for more than a year of pain, and had medical examinations by medical professionals instructed by their own solicitors and other professionals instructed by the other party, as well as going through court hearings if it goes to court.

Sure, there are chancers, but genuinely injured people deserve compensation. It's a pity that chancers have to an extent turned opinion against compensation for people who deserve it.

You are correct lying in that "I could be anybody" but if we were to meet on the street, I'd tell you exactly what I'm saying on here and you would have to decide which one you wanted to believe. Oh and I did state in my post beneath the legislation about injury, what you are failing to grasp is that whiplash (as an injury) does not usually manifest itself until a couple of days later.
"Injury", in terms of the legislation is with regards to cuts/gashes, broken bones etc.

An accident where details have been exchanged and there is no obvious injury does not require the presence of the police.

OP also something to note is that many insurers now are requesting independent medical assessment of the injury claims, they're getting much tougher in order to weed out the scammers.