To feel like a fraud for claiming expenses after a car crash.

[chillingwineagain]

We were driven into last week.
We both got a terrible shock and our heads and necks were flung forward and jolted back.
The driver was DUI amd left the scene of accident. He was arrested and charged.
The Dr reckons I have some
Soft tissue damage and wants me to go for x rays. He thinks I am
More in shock that anything. I've never been in a crash before and I am
The passenger from
Hell, I'm that nervous.

I find that I'm down playing this. I despise the whole sue culture but in order to pay for My body and car damage, I will need to claim against drivers insurance.
I feel like a fraud
We have a big court case coming for this. I feel sick to
My stomach about this. I just want it all to go away and pretend it never happened so I don't have to sue the driver .
Help me
See sense please.

How stressful. If you haven't already contacted Victim Support you can phone them on 08 08 16 89 111. They provide emotional and practical help to victims of crime. You can get an idea of what they do by looking at their website. It's normal to be really upset after even minor crime and what happened to you is a lot more than minor. It's also normal to feel guilty yourself. I'm not a psychologist so don't know why we feel guilty when bad things happen even when we are completely blameless,but it is normal.

May I also suggest that you look into the deeper reasons why you feel this way?
I don't think your reaction is a normal or common emotional response to being injured by a criminal. Why is your self-worth so low that you feel like you don't deserve compensation? Perhaps some counselling could help unpick this.

Claim! My mum was involved in a crash that she thought only jolted her neck, that was 15 years ago it’s never been the same since and she still has pain.

Absolutely claim. You won’t have to go to court for that.

If he pleads guilty you also won’t have to go to court for the drink driving. You might have to prepare a victim statement about his his actions have affected you which might be read out in court.

@Allthegoodnamesaregoneffs thanks for clarifying that

I had one that broke spines in my neck - and my thyroid. Took 10 years to get a diagnosis and another 10 to get the right treatment.

I now have arthritis in my neck, and forbidden to work at a screen/pc.

I now regret having accepted the sum I was offered.

Your insurance claim and any criminal charges are completely separate issues. The police will prepare a case and submit it to the CPS who will decide whether or not to press charges. It's not up to you and you are not responsible for what happens to the other driver. You will be asked for a statement and you may or may not have to give evidence in court. The driver may plead guilty, which is what happened when I was in a similar position a few years ago. The police didn't even bother telling me - I saw a report about his sentencing in the local paper. But either way, you can't change it. It is not your decision, so there is no point in worrying aboit it.
With regards to the insurance claim, similarly you don't have a lot to do really. You are legally obliged to inform your insurers if you've been in an accudent. They will pursue the other driver's insurers and will appoint a solicitor to act for you in terms of any personal injury claim. They may also provide things like private physio and other care which can be useful given current NHS waiting times. It's what you pay your insurance for so use it. They will basically tell you what you have to do in terms of the claim. Just don't expect much to happen fast. My accident was over 3 years ago and us still not settled. I got the pay out for my car pretty fast but the personal injury claim grumbles on. I had serious injuries though and had to give up work, have had multiple operations and still need more, so it wouldn't actually have been in my interests to accept an early settlement. A more straightforward case may well be quicker.
But basically my advice is to focus on your own well being, get the care you need and dont worry about what you cant change or influence - which is pretty much the entire legal side of things in my experience. Just concentrate on recovering.