Advice on compensation for push bike accident

[lucy1001]

I am really looking for some advice. At the beginning on August a car drove in to my husband on his push bike at a combined speed on 50 mph. He was taken to hospital in an ambulance and thankfully had no life threatening problems.He has been left with a damaged back with soft tissue and vertabrae damage, soft tissue damage to both knees one more severe than other, scarring to both knees and one elbow, a sore shoulder and minor whiplash. He has been in considerable pain and on strong pain killers since the accident. He has also had difficultly sleeping due to the pain and keeps having flashbacks and dreams at night. He has returned to work full time now, but is not currently able to do his normal job and has just attended two weeks residential physiotheraphy through wor. The medical report confirmed it will be another six to eight months to his injuries are better. The driver who hit him has admitted liability and has been prosecuted. My husband is currently dealing with her insurance company regarding damage to property and any compensation. whilst we don't want to be money grabbing and are just thankful he will be ok does anyone have any idea what sort of level of compensation is about right for this kind of accident as the insurance company are keen to make a settlement. we have and will have our life effected quite considerable over the short term future ( i.e my husband struggles to pick up and play with our son, and all our house renovations have had to stop). Sorry for the very long post but your advice would be much appreciated.

Glad the insurance company are dealing seriously with it....

as for compensation don't hold your breath. Contact CTC for advice. My friend was seriously damaged and ended up being taken to court herself. Other drivers have gotten away with £60 fine and some points for killing cyclists.

Thanks. The drivers insurance company have admitted liability and have already agreed to compensate the injuries. It is just the amount i am unsure of.
I agree it is dreadful what some people have gotten away with, jst thankful DH will be ok

I would advise making an appointment with a personal injury solicitor. Do you have household insurance? Check out your policy. You may have legal expenses insurance, so the solicitor's costs could be covered by this.

There is no set amount for personal injuries as each case is unique. Even if the injuries are identical, compensation could be very different depending on how those injuries affect the victims' lives.

A report can be sent to council and they can give you an idea of how much compensation your d/h should get - this will or would be beased on other cases of a similar nature.

You dont need to rush this once you have actually started the process, get advice from a solicitor - usually you can have a half hour session free. Keep a diary of every thing that he is going through and also the nightmares etc.

My friend got £3000 for a chipped shoulder blade and she wasn't even working at the time. She had no long term consequences either.

If his injuries affect his ability to do his job and cause him considerable long term discomfort I think it's quite legit to ask for quite a lot. Something like the equivalent of a couple of years salary (or however long it would take him to return to proper working ability) plus the cost of getting someone in to do up your house for a start. Aim high as the insurance company will try to bargain you down. Maybe get a lawyer on to it?

Actually I echo the others, do get yourself a lawyer. Insurance companies are notorious for trying to get away with paying as little as poss and will take advantage of you not knowing what you could get.

I agree with everyone else. His insurance company will be trying to limit their liability, not give your DH a fair payout.

Solicitors firms have publications which are updated on a regular basis with details of all the latest rulings on compensation for personal injuries. So, even if you know someone who was awarded, say, £1000 two years ago, the solicitor will know if the courts have decided that that same injury is worth more today.

The consequences of your dh's accident are ongoing and quite serious, so you should definitely get proper legal advice, although don't expect matters to be settled quickly because all parties will need to know the final prognosis before settling on a figure.

Thanks very much for your advice. I will pass it on