Re wanting to claim about this accident?

[Shehz21]

I was involved in a minor accident today. Me, DH and 9 month old were in the car heading back home when another car crashed into us from behind. The car had a "New Driver" sticker on it.
Thankfully none involved were badly injured though I knocked my head pretty hard against the headrest and saw black spots for couple of seconds. Baby was fine, just seemed a bit shocked and flushed.
The other driver and myself were extremely distraught,she had her DD aged 5/6 maybe in the front seat belted.
We both were understandably very worried for our respective children.
An hour after the accident I went to the A&E as I was feeling extremely lightheaded and nauseous. I started having a horrible headache and my muscles were in "spasm" as described by the doctor who saw me. He prescribed Naproxen and told me the pain would eventually go away.
Now hours after the accident,the headache is the worst I ever experienced in my life. My shoulders and neck are absolutely killing me.
Should I be claiming whiplash and which agencies would you recommend please?
I am so sorry for the long post, my thoughts are all over the place and I feel so sick

my insurers dr. appointment was 3 months after my accident. He just asked what had happened, how I have felt since then and what I was currently feeling.

Of course you should claim, that is what we pay insurance premiums for. Contrary to popular belief on MN, it is not the case that you can only claim if you can prove financial loss: claims for damages for pain, suffering and inconvenience are absolutely standard.

also i've been diagnosed with whiplash. i made no claim. i was recommended scans after about 6 weeks if i'm remembering correctly. it took about a year to resolve, but LUCKILY, it did resolve about 90%

To be honest, failing to make a claim was quite silly. Assuming the person causing this was negligent, you clearly had a valid claim and all you have done is to make a rich insurance company even richer.

Deepan wow okay that's new information to me. All I got so far except few posters were "get off MN" "anything for a quick buck" crap.

Irn YES! Being on MN can be a therapy in itself sometimes except this particular time with some posters

You might well want to claim a new car seat for your child. Even after the most minor of accidents your insurance company could recommend this.

What do you mean agencies?

Why do you need an agency?

Claim your losses through the other parties insurance. That's what it's for.

Good luck, whiplash does tend to hurt more which isn't great if you have pain already. Hopefully it will not be bad and will fade.

I was ill for days after my whiplash. I claimed, i needed physio after but back and neck were terrible. It took a year, physio osteopathy and yoga to deal with.

Lucky babies car seats are the best design to protect them though i would keep an eye for grouchiness and more crying tomorrow just in case. You do need a new one now though.

Hope you start to feel better soon OP and that little one is ok

You've also had a shock, adrenaline spike and dump and stress. These can contribute to a headache as well as whiplash or strain to neck muscles. Maybe give 111 a call for advice if it's not easing.

I suffer from really bad migraines and PP are correct when they say that your headache will only get worse by looking at a screen. When I have a migraine, I can't bear to look at a computer screen, it makes my head hurt so much.

OP - It's not obvious from your posts, but have you reported this accident to your own insurance company?

You don’t get compensated for pain OP. You get compensated for tangible things like loss of earnings.

Wrong. You get compensated for pain, suffering and loss of amenity.

I'd carry on listening to Oysterbabe and ignore a lot of the other 'legal advice' on here.

Report it to your insurers if you haven't already and see how you're doing in a few weeks before deciding whether to claim.

Have you had your car checked at a garage, even if you were able to drive it away, there could be structural damage. Also you need to get the babies car seat replaced.

People on MN are really weird about compensation claims and basically believe you should never pursue them regardless of the circumstances. It’s odd.

Agreed with @oysterbabe. As someone who is still suffering from post concussion syndrome, migraine with aura, whiplash and lower back problems. You can make a claim for injuries. Just ensure you have a record of all injuries.

I don't see why people have such an odd view of claiming compensation. My accident was caused by an uninsured driver who ran a red light at a high speed. He also gave a false name and address to the DVLA. He also drove off after the accident. His actions have caused me losses in terms of wages, reputation at work and inconvenience and there's also the physical pain and mental health issues.

If he hadn't have driven in that way, I wouldn't be in constant pain.

Insurance companies have done a great job on the British public, made people believe it's almost shameful to make a claim even when you are completely entitled to do so. About 5 years ago (maybe longer, I can't remember the date now) the claims system for RTAs was reformed and the amount of costs paid out to the Claimant solicitors was massively reduced, saving the insurance companies billions. They'd been crapping on about how they'd pass the savings on to drivers if this happened. What happened? Premiums continued to rise just as fast and they pocketed more profit. Insurance companies do not need people to do them a favour, thinking they are doing the right thing. All that happens is the CEO of Aviva has a slightly nicer bottle of champagne on his private jet. You claim for the damage to your car, you'd claim if another possession was damaged. Claiming for injury is no different and it's your right, stop with all the judgment of people who chose to exercise it.

Alfie what has she made up?

Oysterbabe there is little or no profit made on car insurance by any company. Do your research

She had sought medical attention. She's been advised, correctly, that a headache is a normal part of whiplash. No wonder hospitals are struggling if everyone rushes to a&e with a headache.

Oh yes, as someone mentioned above, you really need to get your car checked.

Years ago, someone hit my car from behind, low speed, quite minor damage, a dent in the boot. I only took it to the garage as the dent in the boot prevented the boot opening.

My car had been ‘shunted’ and was a write off!

@Alfie190 sure I made this all up, whatever makes you sleep at night. And next time,RTFT. This is not just making some quick buck as many people with experiences from whiplash mentioned.
I say it is a minor accident as I have never been in an accident before and don't want to overdramatize it as we only suffered from whiplash instead of anything worse. But I have a lot of pain resulting from this accident and I cannot afford to be signed off work, neither can DH for that matter. If it causes us financial loss, I very much believe I am entitled to compensation.
And I shall listen to Oysterbabe that I can get compensated for the pain I'm suffering from as well.

Claw Yes my DH will be doing this today.
Our boot isn't opening as well.

Oysterbabe Thank you so much for all the support and kind advice since yesterday.

Morning OP in short several years ago someone drove into me. I was shaken but fine. Even took dp’s car and drove 120 miles for a meeting. Insurance wanted to settle, I kept putting it off as I was so busy with work. I won’t give you all the details between as it’s so long. But eventually I did settle a month later, for a tiny amount for whiplash, because all I cared about was the pain going and not fighting (stupid!!!!). 8 years later I am unable to work, take over 30 tablets a day, and awaiting spinal surgery.

Please take your time, until you know what damage has been done. Even the ‘specialist’ was wrong ‘you will be fine in 18 months!’ .

I found that day 5 was when my pain really crippled me, but apparently it’s normal according to my GP and consultant, for whiplash pain to feel minor but increase to that extreme over the days. I had no idea.

Take care. Hope you start to feel pain free soon.