Personal Injury Claim

[tgisue]

Hi

My 19 year old dd was knocked down on a zebra crossing a few nights ago. It was all caught on cctv and the police have said they will be prosecuting the driver.

Thank goodness my dd didnt have any broken bones or serious internal injuries but has sustained a lot of soft tissue damage etc and was hospitalised for a day and a night.

Does anyone have any experience of claiming for personal injury through either a solicitor or one of the big personal injury lawyers advertised on tv? Is one better than the other?

Thanks

Sue

I would avoid one of those no win no fee companies- they will take a big chunk of any claim she gets. Just go for a good tort solicitor.

Check your household insurance for legal cover. If you have this you can get a solicitor via them I.e. their panel solicitors.

Agreed you should avoid no win no fee. Your DD is an innocent pedestrian who is guaranteed to be awarded compensation, there is no real risk of being unsuccessful so you don't have the risk factor involved like someone who had to prove negligence against the responsible driver. With minor claimants, court approval is required, and the amount awarded is either agreed by judge or they will determine appropriate amount, but your DD does not have the sort of risks that would require a no win no fee set up.

Oops! I didn't see your DD was 19. She's not a minor at all!

Hi

Thanks for replies.

Checking my home insurance it appears I dont have legal cover for this type of incident, so would have to find a reputable company myself.

Actually no win no fee claims are paid by the company being sued. I had a fall at a swimming pool and sued and was successful. You won't be taken on unless they are confident you would get at least £1000 in compensation as you have to receive that amount to be eligible for the lawyers to claim their fees from the company being sued.

If you want, I can PM you the details of who I used, he's asked in Derby though, not sure if that would be any use?

You could try and find out the ins co of the driver at fault and approach them direct. They can deal without the need to use a sol. You can still seek legal advice at any stage but it can be a quicker process. If you need to find a reputable company experienced in PI claims, try your motor insurer and ask them the names of their panel solicitors. If you don't know any, and want to avoid no win no fee, that's the only way I can think of to find a company who are experienced in this field.

call up national accident helpline. They put me in touch with a local solicitor who specialises in personal injury claims. Im in Scotland and have to pay 10% of my compensation but i think in England you get to keep it all, if you find a reputable solicitor. I cant imagine any charge for costs as this is met by the other side. Your daughter could deal with the insurance company herself but she might sell herself short.

Also remember to keep a record of the medical side of this claim. Your daughter has spent time in hospital, may need outpatients appointments/ treatment or GP visits and treatments via that. Also , has she had to take any time off work due to the injuries she sustained?

I suppose it depends on her actual loss - will she need to pay for physio privately, or has she lost money by being off work? She could claim these costs through driver's insurance. Or is she just wanting money as compensation for being knocked down?

Old thread.