How do car injury claims work?

Your first thought following a road traffic accident may be to make sure your family and passengers are alright, and to seek medical help if needed. But if the accident was not your fault, your thoughts may turn to car injury claims.

Securing compensation for an accident may sound like a daunting task, but with an experienced injury compensation claims lawyer, you may rest assured that you have someone to champion the cause for you.

The initial phonecall
At Bentley Accident Claims, we take your enquiry seriously from the very beginning. Unlike some other claims companies where your telephone call may be screened through an army of receptionists before you speak to a lawyer, you will be put through to a qualified solicitor who will listen to the details of the accident and assess your case.

When you make this call, it may help if you jot down some notes about the accident beforehand, to jog your memory. Accident compensation claims may be complicated, depending on the nature of your case. So be prepared for a number of questions from your lawyer.

In your notes, you may wish to have to hand information about:

• where the accident happened;
• who was driving;
• what the weather conditions were like on the day that it happened; and
• whether there are any witnesses who may be prepared to give evidence for you.

You may also need to give some financial information later. This may include details of how much money you have spent on travelling to and from medical appointments and how much your earnings have fallen as a result of having to reduce your hours or have time off work.

What happens next?
Once your details of your accident have been investigated – and if your personal injury solicitor feels that you have a case - the next step is not court, contrary to popular opinion. In fact, the majority of car injury claims may be settled during the period of negotiation that should happen at the start of the procedure.

It may be that the party at fault admits liability straightaway (or more likely, their insurer may decide that the case may not be worth fighting), and that what really needs to be negotiated is the amount that you will receive in damages.

For most of the kinds of injuries sustained in car injury claims, there is a tariff of the level of compensation that may typically be paid out. The exact sum that you end up with may depend on the level of pain you suffered, and whether there were any aggravating factors.